5 things to do in November

1. Eat chestnuts

Sure, you can buy yourself a paper bag of these delicious, warming treats from a street stall, but nothing beats roasting your own. Just cut a cross into the top of each chestnut and place in a roasting tin in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200C. And, if you want to collect your own, do as the locals and head to the Montseny national park for a wintery day of chestnut hunting.

2. Visit the museums

Why? Because no one else is. This is the month to soak up all the glorious art and culture that the city offers without having to elbow your way through hoards of tourists. For just 30 euros you can buy an ArtTicket and have access to the city’s six biggest museums. Art Ticket is available from any Turisme de Barcelona shop.

3. Fly a kite

One of the (few) lovely things about windy November days is that they are great for kite-flying. Get yourself kitted out with a kite from just €7.95 at Decathlon then head to the beaches beyond Vila Olímpica which are popular with kite aficionados.

4. Learn Catalan

In September the Catalans commemorated the Tricentenary of the Siege of Barcelona and they are currently petitioning for a referendum on self-rule. There isn’t a more interesting time to get to grips with the local language and the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística offers heavily subsidised courses. You can search for a course on www.gencat.es. Or, take an online course at www.parla.cat where you can either pay to have a teacher or do the course for free in your own time.

5. Get crafty

Crafting is where it’s at at these days. And what could be better on a chilly November evening than getting in touch with your inner creator in the calm company of fellow crafters. To find out what’s on offer go to one of the new wave of specialist centres, such as knitting shop All You Knit is Love (Barra de Ferro 8, www.allyouknitislove.com), and crafts shops/workshops Duduá (Diluvi 5, www.duduadudua.com) and Nido de Abeja (www.nidoabeja.com).