In January it can get pretty warm on the Costa Brava during the day as long as the sun shines. Warm enough for lunch outside for instance.
Night time is different though and visitors are often surprised by the cold after sundown. The temperatures can be bitter during the day too, particularly in the north on days when the tramuntana blows.
Want to know what the weather will do on the Costa Brava? Here’s the 25 day forecast.
On warm days the Costa Brava is particular nice in winter as there are few people around. And January is the month to eat calçots. Although these specially cultivated spring onions are grown in Valls, near Tarragona, calçots are enjoyed throughout Catalonia in the winter months. They’re cooked on an open fire so a perfect winter meal.
Restaurants often offer an entire meal centred around calçots, the calçotada, in which a a selection of grilled meat is served after the calçot starter. The peak time is the last weekend of January but they are popular throughout the winter.
Since calçots are widely available in supermarkets now, along with the sauce traditional served in which to dip them, it is easy to cook them on the open fire at home. You can often smell their distinctive aroma while strolling around the neighbourhood on a Sunday lunchtime.
What’s on in January
So you’ve survived Christmas and New Year’s Eve so you must be thinking that’s it for a while.
Not so fast! While the festivities are over in the English speaking world, on the Costa Brava they carry on for a few more days. Here’s what is still to come!
Key dates
1st January: New Year’s Day (Spanish holiday). A day to recover!
January 5th: Three Kings. Children traditionally receive their presents on this day and many towns and villages have parades with the kings showering the kids with sweets.
Look out for posters advertising when and where the parade happens wherever you are.
January 6th: Epiphany (Spanish holiday). This is the one day the kids have to play with their new toys before going back to school!
Sant Feliu de Guíxols: Temps d’uriços
Every year Sant Feliu holds a gastronomic campaign around sea urchins, known locally as uriços. The campaign runs between December and February but tends to be poorly promoted. The town’s official website may update the event calendar with details including participating restaurants in the days before it begins.
Palafrugell: La Garoinada
Sant Feliu isn’t the only town to dedicate a whole gastronomic campaign to sea urchins though. Restaurants participating in Palafrugell’s La Garoinada offer a menu including sea urchins as a starter, followed by a main and typical Palafrugell dessert. The sea urchin campaign has been running since 1992 between mid January and March.
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