Barcelona is not only a bargain holiday at most times of the year and the perfect city break, but it is also one of the easiest to get to with the cheapest flights and one of the busiest tourist attracting cities in Europe.

There are major events and festivals in this city all year round, so much so that it is difficult to decide when is the best time of year to go.  In fact, it is one of the few cities that people want to visit at various times of year as it attracts returning holidaymakers year after year, with each trip a different experience.

The type of music you love or how much dancing or sightseeing you want to fit in will probably determine the time of year for your first visit, but once you have been, you will wish to return again and again.  Here we list the major annual events in Barcelona:

For the classical music lovers, January to May is a great time to go.  There are concerts happening all the time from the likes of the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Symphony and the Vienna Boys Choir and many more

If the opera is more your style, Barcelona may surprise you with its range of great works.  February to June is a great time to see the best of the opera

Barcelona really comes into its own in mid-August when arguably the best street festival in Europe, Festa Major, hits the streets.  Each year it is hosted in a different district as each district competes to host the Festa Major.  Book your hotel as early as possible if you want to see this spectacle of music and dance

La Merce is the week-long festival, held in late September, to celebrate Our Lady of Mercy.  You will see music, dance and pageantry here and one of the greatest firework displays in Spain closes the festival.

You can fly scheduled flights to Barcelona in a mere two hours or less from all the major airports in the UK, including Manchester, Luton and Birmingham and Barcelona is then just 20 to 40 minutes by bus or 20 minutes in a taxi.  Once there, if you haven’t booked car hire, taxis are fairly reasonable or you can use the metro or bus services.