Immerse yourself in the magic of Sant Jordi at our romantic Boutique Hotel in Barcelona
One of the most magical days in Barcelona is, without a doubt, the Dia de Sant Jordi. This celebration is held on the 23rd of April and all of the Catalonian cities fill with stalls selling flowers and books and hundreds of people stroll through. The Catalonian capital is the most spectacular given that many emblematic buildings are specially decorated for this day. In the district on which our Boutique Hotel in Barcelona is located within, l’Eixample, a great number of activities take place, making it a complete must to visit the Casa Batlló.
Discover the legend of Sant Jordi at your Boutique Hotel in Barcelona
Before going any further, we want to tell you about why we gift flowers and books on this day. The famous legend explains that a long time ago, in the era of dragons and knights, a wicked and ferocious dragon descended upon a small Catalonian town and terrified all of its inhabitants with its fiery breath. The inhabitants, scared and tired of its havoc and rampage, decided to calm it down by feeding it one person a day which they would choose with a draw, whether they be nobles or peasants. Unluckily, the daughter of the king was chosen as the first sacrifice and had to abandon her home and head to the dragons lair. When the beastly dragon came to eat her, a knight named Sant Jordi appeared wearing shining armour and came in galloping on a white horse and stuck his sword in to the creature. From the dragons blood emerged the most beautiful roses that had ever been seen, and Sant Jordi, plucked a flower and offered it to the princess. To honour the courage of the knight and to show his love toward the women that surrounded him, began the tradition that men give women flowers on this very special day.
It’s likely that you will be asking yourself why books are gifted if they don’t appear in any part of the legend. The reason is that by pure chance on the 23rd of April 1616 two global literary icons died, yes we are referring to Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare. To honour this unusual coincidence, Unesco declared this day in 1995 as World Book Day.
What to do on Sant Jordi nearby to your Boutique Hotel in Barcelona
Now that you have found out about this tradition, it’s time for you to take part. Sant Jordi is not a bank holiday, you will find all of the shops and restaurants open as normal. However, you can’t forget that it will still feel like a festival, all of the streets will be filled with stalls and flowers. The most famous image of this festivity is in Las Ramblas, but it is important to know that all the neighbourhoods will be carrying out events dedicated to Sant Jordi. As we said at the start, the Casa Batlló, designed by Gaudí, is specially decorated for the occasion. The mysterious work of the Catalonian artist is already pretty spectacular, but on this day it comes to life. Well and Come is located only a 12 minute walk away, we cannot recommend enough visiting this spot.
Near to our boutique hotel in Barcelona there are a great number of events related to Sant Jordi, which you can fully enjoy on this day without having to travel too far. On Barcelona’s town hall website (Ayuntamiento de Barcelona) you will find all of the nearby events to your accommodation. If you will be travelling with your partner, gifting them a rose and a book is essential, and if you’re looking for more places to visit, we can recommend the 10 most romantic places near to Well and Come. And to end the evening, we want to recommend having a cocktail on the Rooftop whilst enjoying the night skyline of Barcelona.
Make the most of booking directly with our Boutique Hotel in Barcelona
If you want to live the magic of the day of Sant Jordí from the centre of Barcelona, our small Boutique Hotel in Barcelona is the best option to stay at due to its streets filled with traders and flower stands. If you want to make the most of our exclusive services all you have to do is reserve directly on our Boutique Hotels website. And once you have made the reservation, all that’s left to do is enjoy a care free stay.