Your landlord’s lift, a Gothic Quarter staircase and no car: that is the real test of a Christmas tree in Barcelona. A Christmas tree in Barcelona can be a cut fir, a fir with its root ball or an artificial tree, and each one is bought and thrown away in a different place. In the city, the Fira de Santa Llúcia and the Sagrada Família Christmas fair both sell trees until 23 December. In January the city sets up tree drop-off points: last year there were 226, open 24 hours from 7 to 17 January, in 65 neighbourhoods.
How do you get rid of a Christmas tree in Barcelona? Take it, with every decoration removed, to one of the city’s tree drop-off points between 7 and 17 January. Last year there were 226 across the ten districts, open 24 hours a day. Artificial trees, and real ones after 17 January, go to a Punt Verd, one of the city’s recycling centres, instead.
Where to drop off your Christmas tree in January
Tree collection only lasts 11 days, 7 to 17 January, the same dates for the last two years. The points are open day and night, with 36 in the Eixample alone and at least 15 in every district. They take trees and other plant decorations only, so strip off baubles, lights, tinsel and figures before you carry it down.
To find the nearest one, type your address into the waste search tool on barcelona.cat. After 17 January the trees are shredded and, once matured, spread as mulch in Barcelona’s parks. For everything else that does not go in the street bins, the rubbish and recycling rules guide explains the system.
Which tree to choose, real, rooted or artificial
Each kind of tree has a different January:
- Cut real fir. Sold at both city fairs and in Espinelves. It has no roots and will not regrow, so it goes to a drop-off point.
- Fir with a root ball. In Espinelves the red fir is sold with its soil, ready to replant. If you have nowhere to plant it, it also goes to a drop-off point.
- Artificial tree. The Santa Llúcia fair sells these too. It never goes to the January collection: take it to a zone Punt Verd, which accepts any Christmas tree, real or artificial.
There are seven zone green points, from Collserola to Montjuïc, listed in the green points guide. Larger items you are clearing out at the same time can go to the bulky waste collection.
| Your tree | Where to buy | Where it goes in January |
|---|---|---|
| Cut fir | City fairs or Espinelves | Tree drop-off point, 7 to 17 January |
| Fir with root ball | Espinelves sells the red fir this way | Your garden or a drop-off point |
| Artificial | Santa Llúcia and shops | Zone Punt Verd |
Where to buy a real Christmas tree in Barcelona
The Fira de Santa Llúcia fills Pla de la Seu in front of Barcelona Cathedral with more than 200 stalls, one section of them devoted to greenery: real and artificial trees, moss and tió logs. Last season it ran from 28 November to 23 December, 10 am to 9 pm, 224 m from Jaume I metro (L4).
The Sagrada Família Christmas fair has around 100 stalls and a whole section of trees and plants. It opened on 22 November last season, six days before Santa Llúcia, and sits 164 m from Sagrada Família metro on L2 and L5. If you are carrying a tree home on the metro, it is the easier of the two: you leave the fair and you are at the station.
There are no set prices; ask each stall by height. Both fairs close on 23 December, and the full comparison of the city’s markets is in the guide to Barcelona’s Christmas markets.
Is the Espinelves fir fair worth the trip
If you want hundreds of trees to choose from, or one with roots for a terrace, the place is Espinelves, a village in Osona known for its firs. Its Fira de l’Avet has run since 1981, and its 45th edition goes from 28 November to 8 December 2026.
Last year it had 120 stalls and around 4,500 trees for sale, including firs from Vivers Masjoan, the village nursery, plus cheeses, sausages and turrón. It opened 10 am to 8 pm on Saturdays and holidays and 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays. Access roads get congested, and the village has added about 500 parking spaces in two years. It pairs well with a morning in Vic.
When to buy and when to throw out
Buy before 23 December, when the city fairs close, and plan the drop-off for the first weekend after Three Kings. For what is open on the holidays in between, see the Christmas opening hours guide, and for the rest of the season, Barcelona at Christmas.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas trees in Barcelona
How do I dispose of a Christmas tree in Barcelona?
Take it to one of the city’s drop-off points between 7 and 17 January, the same dates as the last two years. Last time there were 226 points across all ten districts, open 24 hours a day. Remove every bauble, light and figure first. After 17 January, take it to a zone Punt Verd.
Where can I buy a real Christmas tree in Barcelona?
At the two traditional Christmas fairs: the Fira de Santa Llúcia in front of the Cathedral, whose greenery section sells real and artificial trees, and the Sagrada Família Christmas fair, which has a whole section of trees and plants. Both closed on 23 December last season.
Can I put my Christmas tree out with the rubbish?
No. Trees left by the street bins are what the January campaign exists to avoid. Use a tree drop-off point from 7 to 17 January, or a zone Punt Verd at any other time, which takes any Christmas tree, real or artificial.
What happens to the trees Barcelona collects?
They are shredded after 17 January and, once the remains have matured, spread as mulch in the city’s parks and gardens, where they help the soil keep its moisture. That is why only bare trees and plant decorations are accepted.
How much does a real Christmas tree cost in Barcelona?
There is no fixed price at any of the three fairs: each stall prices its trees by height and by whether they come in a pot or with a root ball. Ask for the height without the pot, which is the one that matters in a flat with low ceilings.
Pick the tree with January in mind: cut to the drop-off point, rooted to the soil, artificial to the Punt Verd.