Tourists heading to Span hotspot this Sep told to be wary of ‘issue’ | Europe | Travel

Several European countries draw massive numbers of holidaymakers, like Spain, France and Italy.

Brits particularly favour Spain due to its proximity to the UK whilst offering stunning beaches, lots of sunshine, rich cultural heritage and reasonable prices for exploration. Spain routinely tops the list as Britain’s preferred holiday spot, with tourists flocking to seaside resorts and islands such as Majorca, Ibiza and Benidorm.

Barcelona stands out as an especially beloved Spanish destination for city breaks, serving as the capital of Catalonia. Statistics from Statista reveal that Barcelona’s hotel sector hosted almost 7.9 million overnight visitors throughout 2024.

This tourist magnet boasts renowned artistic treasures and architectural marvels, but residents have been demonstrating against excessive tourism plaguing their city, with some incidents involving tourists being sprayed by water pistols. A recent visitor to Barcelona highlighted something international travellers might find unexpected.

He uploaded footage to TikTok in late August capturing the wet conditions, showing pools of water on a largely deserted street and a handful of people taking shelter from the downpour beneath umbrellas. He sarcastically captioned the video: “Okay Barcelona we get it, you don’t want tourists. Message received loud and clear.”

Barcelona experiences brief rainfall during August and September, but average temperatures this month climb to 26°C in the daytime, meaning it remains pleasant with abundant sunshine, according to TUI. The tourist’s TikTok post caption states: “The teabags I packed turned into tea in my bag.”

The video has accumulated 247,300 views, 23,800 likes and nearly 150 comments, at the time of writing. A Spain resident remarked: “As a Catalan we really wanted the rain so sorry but we really needed it, the heat was HORRENDOUS.”

Another agreed: “In fact, the locals were waiting for this good weather after 15 days of boiling air. Enjoy it with us.” A third TikTok user declared: “Barcelona better behave in September.”

A holidaymaker who visited Barcelona shared: “I was there, had to hide in the Burger King until it stopped raining.” A second added: “It passed very quickly and honestly makes the air much more bearable! Don’t think I could handle 40C, 30 is hot enough!”

The TikTok user who shared the footage disclosed in the comments section that the downpour “only lasted 30 ish minutes and it’s been sunny ever since.” A different user, unbothered by damp conditions, observed: “A great place to visit. I love it. What’s the rain got to do with it?”.

Someone else pointed out: “Better that than the heat that comes later.” A number of viewers expressed surprise at witnessing rainfall in the Spanish city during this period, while others recognised it as typical for some precipitation to occur.