With the hot summer temperatures gradually melting into more pleasant ones, Barcelona breathes anew in autumn and invites you to discover it at a more relaxed pace, without getting lost amidst crowds and queues of tourists. At this time of the year you are also more likely to bump in the locals, as they pour back into the city after their summer breaks.

Home to sprawling beaches, unique architectural masterpieces, and a lively party scene, Barcelona bursts with life, colour and fiesta all year round. Whether you hop on and off from one attraction to the next or choose to explore the city on foot, enough time should be set aside to fully appreciate Antoni Gaudí’s indelible mark on Barcelona, manifested in the imposing arches, spires and curvatures of La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlló.

A stroll around Park Güell gives another peek into Gaudí’s colourful imagination and his fascination with nature. Sit back on the serpentine bench snaking the edge of the park and just take a minute to absorb the surreal surroundings. You might even have to pinch yourself to check that you haven’t been transported away to some fantastical land. Perched atop Carmen Hill, the mosaic-embellished park affords stunning views of Barcelona, especially as the sun sets down on the city to make way for the darker shades of the night.

On top of another hill – Montjuïc – which can be reached by cable car, the night comes alive with a display of bright lights, motion, and music provided by the Magic Fountain. The spectacle from the fountain is over just in time to let you head down to La Rambla to get the party started. If you’re planning on mingling and keeping up with the locals, you’ll have to muster enough energy to get you through the night and up again in the morning for another day of sights and sounds of Barcelona.

With three weekly flights leaving Malta International Airport, you can count on Vueling to get you to the Catalonian capital this autumn.