Things to do this spring in Barcelona

Cycling and free time make for a great pairing, especially if you like to be outside and in touch with nature once in a while, instead of choking down fumes on the city streets. Time Out has come up with 10 cycling routes within the city limits and outside to help you get to know Barcelona from a different point of view, whether you're a seasoned cyclist or it's your first time out since the stabilisers came off.

Vermouth hour has never fallen out of fashion in Barcelona, but in recent years the tradition of gathering with friends to share an afternoon aperitif, and the usual side dishes, has garnered a new generation of devotees and plenty of proprietors only too happy to accommodate. Time Out brings you the modern, as well as the classic, temples of vermouth.

Get out your giant sunglasses and head to any (or all) of these 20 coveted sunny terraces of Barcelona, some of the best spots in the city to rest your legs, have a meal and turn your face up to the springtime sun.

It might not be full-blown high season for sunbathing and snorkelling, but the mild days of springtime in Barcelona provide the perfect temps for days out at the beach enjoying the pristine sand and sea before they're overrun with the sun worshippers of summer.

Hot drinks and heavy comfort foods make way for healthy, fresh juices, smoothies and shakes (made with soy or rice milk, of course). Before you head out to drink your five a day, check our selection of the best places in Barcelona to give yourself a vitamin and energy injection. 

'Primavera' means spring, and spring means Primavera Sound, Barcelona's massive international three-day-plus music festival. This year Primavera Sound continues its tradition of shaking up the norms of an indie festival with an eclectic line-up that will welcome some 200 artists to the Parc del Fòrum 28-30 May and keep on rockin' at venues throughout Barcelona for the entire week. In the meantime, let us guide you through the enormous line-up at Primavera Sound 2015.

Higher temperatures are on their way, and with them comes ice cream season. These ice cream parlours are the best in the city, and they're the perfect treat for short-sleeves weather. But it's not just ice cream you'll can find here: horchata, granissats (slushes) and frozen yoghurt are great refreshing alternatives. Stop in for a taste, and you're sure to go back... maybe even later the same day.

If you're looking for something to do as a family other than sit in a dark cinema, eat at another crowded restaurant or try to get the little ones away from that electronic game, you've come to the right place. Barcelona may not have as many parks as London or New York, but it's got its share of lovely open spaces to spend some quality time in a mysterious place known as the outdoors.

Sure you've stepped in the centre of the star in Plaça Catalunya, you've laid out more than a few euros in Plaça Reial, and maybe you've even visited Placa del Sol up in Grácia, but Barcelona is full of hidden squares you might walk right past every day. To help you enjoy their delights, we have selected eight of Barcelona's most charming squares, and their top restaurants, bars and cafés, where you can grab a bite and drink your fill as you watch the world go by.

Some of Barcelona's best works of art, architecture and gardens are right out in the open, and you don't have to pay a cent to appreciate them. We'll guide you along to help you get to know some of these urban jewels.