Barcelona is known for its beautiful beaches and warm sunny weather but when it gets cooler in the winter, there are still many fun activities to do outdoors. Three IESE MBA students from Class of 2017 make the most out of it and share how they spend their weekends.
“In Barcelona, we are very privileged to cycle all year round. Although the weather is a bit chilly during the months of December to February, we are able to go out and ride virtually every day. A typical weekend ride for me is to the top of Montserrat. Round trip, it’s a 120km route with beautiful views, twisty roads and challenging hills. This experience is complemented by drivers who are very respectful of cyclists here in Spain.”
– Francois-Xavier Bonneville, Canada
Bike ride up to Montserrat
“During the winter I love to ride my road bike up the Barcelona mountains. The cool breeze and warm sun are perfect for outdoor activity. My favourite route is up Carretera de les Aigues towards Tibidabo. It is a very scenic ride but challenging because it is all climbing up hill; the descent is very exciting because it is fast with lots of turns.”
– Elie Calvin Benchimol, Canada
One day ski trip in Andorra
“One of my favourite winter weekend trips started at 5:30 am when six of us headed to Andorra for a day on the slopes. After a two hour drive, we arrived to blue skies, sunshine and white pistes at our destination. As our group consisted of experienced skiers and snowboarders, we were having a great time and did not have to spend much time waiting for each other. That’s why we were surprised when one of our classmates did not appear for twenty minutes. He finally arrived with some bruises and scratches, due to hitting a big lump of ice at full speed. Thankfully he was fine and we enjoyed the day without further incident. When the sun started setting, we made our way back to Barcelona, exhausted from a day of fun.”
– Florian Brock, Austria
