Sant Jordi Roses in Barcelona: How to Order Delivery for 23 April — the Tradition, Lead Times and Real Prices

One day a year Barcelona does not walk, it flows: along La Rambla, Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya moves a river of people with red roses in one hand and books in the other. This is Sant Jordi, 23 April — the day of Saint George, patron of Catalonia, and at the same time the Catalan Valentine's Day, World Book Day and the biggest flower day of the year. If your person is in Barcelona on that day and you are in London, Dubai or Moscow, this article explains how the tradition works, what exactly is given, why you need to order a week ahead and what it costs according to the real catalog.

In short: on Sant Jordi people give a red rose with a wheat ear and a senyera ribbon and a book. On 23 April Catalonia buys around seven million roses, central Barcelona is lined with stalls and couriers go on foot — so delivery must be ordered 7–10 days ahead, and the delivery window that day is 3–5 hours. The YUCCA Flowers catalog has roses from €108 (Kiss of Love) to €698 (Duo 101 Roses); a book, cava or chocolate can be added on request. Order from any country on WhatsApp, pay with any card or crypto.

What Sant Jordi Is and Why It Is the Biggest Rose Day

Saint George — Sant Jordi in Catalan — has been the patron of Catalonia since the 15th century; his day has been celebrated on 23 April since 1436, when the Generalitat declared it a holiday. The legend is well known: a knight killed the dragon that terrorised a town, a red rose grew from the dragon's blood, and George gave it to the rescued princess. Hence the rose. The book came later: Cervantes and Shakespeare both died on 23 April 1616, Spain established Book Day in 1926, and in 1995 UNESCO, at Catalonia's initiative, made 23 April World Book and Copyright Day. So two holidays merged into one: a man gives a woman a rose, a woman gives a man a book. Today the rule has long dissolved: roses go to mothers, daughters, friends, colleagues and bosses, books go to everyone, and nobody keeps score.

The scale: according to the Catalan florists' guild, around seven million roses are sold in a single day — more than on 14 February and Mother's Day combined. Bookshops make up to 10 % of their annual turnover in twenty-four hours. La Rambla, Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya and Plaça Sant Jaume turn into a single market several kilometres long, the Palau de la Generalitat opens its rose-filled courtyard to the public, and Gaudí's Casa Batlló is dressed in thousands of red roses — its scaly roof is, by one reading, the dragon's back.

Which Rose Is Given on Sant Jordi

The canonical "Sant Jordi rose" is a single long-stemmed red rose tied with a wheat ear (a symbol of fertility and harvest) and a ribbon in the colours of the senyera, the Catalan flag — four red stripes on yellow. Sometimes a sprig of asparagus fern or gypsophila is added. The colour is red, like the dragon's blood; everything else is a variation of recent years: white and pink roses for mothers and friends, blue and "rainbow" dyed roses for teenagers, yellow for friends.

What this means when you order through us. We do not sell single roses from a stall — we deliver. So the most common scenarios are:

• One rose in the traditional presentation + a book — on request via WhatsApp: a rose with wheat ear and senyera, a book of your choice (we buy at La Central, Laie or Casa del Libro), a card. Quoted before payment.
• A bouquet of roses — for those who want the gesture to be visible: Kiss of Love €108 (a compact romantic bouquet) and Pink Roses €200 (a classic bouquet of pink roses) — the two most popular items on 23 April.
• Scarlet and red — Fiery Symphony €202 in red and orange tones and Scarlet Temptation €500 in deep scarlet, when one rose is too little and a hundred too much.
• A hundred roses — Duo 101 Roses €698: one hundred and one roses in two shades, the Catalan classic for a proposal on Sant Jordi.
• 51 roses — 51 Roses €448 for a milestone birthday that falls on 23 April.

We add the wheat ear and senyera ribbon to any bouquet free of charge — just mention it when ordering.

Kiss of Love

€108Order

Pink Roses

€200Order

Fiery Symphony

€202Order

51 Roses

€448Order

Scarlet Temptation

€500Order

Duo 101 Roses

€698Order

View all bouquets

The Logistics of 23 April: Why You Need to Order a Week Ahead

Sant Jordi is the one day of the year when flower delivery in Barcelona works differently, and we say so honestly:

Road closures. La Rambla, Passeig de Gràcia from Plaça Catalunya to the Diagonal, Rambla de Catalunya, Portal de l'Àngel and the Gothic Quarter are filled with stalls and people from morning to night. No car gets through, no scooter either. Couriers deliver to the centre on foot from the edge of the Eixample.

Delivery window. On a normal day — 2–3 hours after photo approval. On 23 April — 3–5 hours, and we do not promise "exactly at 18:00" in the centre: that would be dishonest. If you need precision, order for the day before, 22 April, or for the morning of the 23rd before 11:00, while the streets are freer.

Roses. Wholesale prices for red roses at Mercabarna rise one and a half to two times before 23 April, and the best varieties (Freedom, Explorer, Red Naomi) are gone a week in advance. We hold catalog prices but buy against confirmed orders — so an order 7–10 days ahead guarantees both the price and the variety. Orders placed on 22–23 April are filled from what the market has that day, and we warn you about it in advance.

Hotels and restaurants. The best Sant Jordi scenario is delivery to a hotel for the return from a walk, or to a restaurant table: the concierge at the Mandarin Oriental, Majestic, El Palace, Hotel Arts or Cotton House accepts the bouquet during the day, when the courier can approach from the side streets, and places it in the room; the restaurant hostess brings the roses out with dessert. That way you do not depend on the closures.

Suburbs. Sitges, Sant Cugat and Castelldefels have their own Sant Jordi with stalls on the main streets; we deliver there in 3–4 hours and quote the cost before payment.

How Much Roses Cost on Sant Jordi: Table

Catalog prices on 23 April do not change — we do not apply a "holiday markup". Only the lead time changes. For comparison: a rose at a street stall that day costs €3–8, in Eixample boutiques €10–15 a stem with presentation; our 101-rose bouquet at €698 works out at under €7 a stem with delivery, photo and card.

Who Gets Roses on Sant Jordi — Scenarios from Our Practice

• A wife or girlfriend who is in Barcelona without you. The most frequent order from abroad. A bouquet at the door of a flat in Gràcia or the Eixample on the morning of 23 April, before she goes out into the city — and the day starts right. If she is in a hotel — at breakfast via the concierge.
• A mother who has moved to Spain. Pink or white roses, a card in her language, a call from the courier in advance — parents value a warning more than a surprise.
• A student daughter at UB, UPF or ESADE — a compact bouquet to the residence or flat; there is nowhere to put a large arrangement in a student room.
• Colleagues and partners in Barcelona. Corporate Sant Jordi is a tradition of Catalan companies: a rose for every female employee, a book for every male one. We do from 10 roses with a single quote, delivered to an office in 22@ or on the Diagonal before lunch.
• A proposal. 23 April in Barcelona is the most romantic day of the year, and Duo 101 Roses on a hotel terrace overlooking the Sagrada Família or on Barceloneta beach at sunset is a scenario we repeat every year. The courier arrives at the agreed minute; order 10 days ahead.
• Teachers and doctors. In Catalonia it is customary to give a rose to a teacher or a nurse — name the school or clinic and the person.

What Else Happens on 23 April — If You Are in the City Yourself

Morning — Plaça Sant Jaume and the courtyard of the Palau de la Generalitat (free entry, queue from 10:00). Afternoon — Passeig de Gràcia: Casa Batlló in roses, bookshop and florist stalls, authors signing books at El Corte Inglés and on Rambla de Catalunya. Evening — sardanes on Plaça Sant Jaume and concerts. The main advice: do not try to cross the centre by taxi — metro lines L3 and L4 run, and walking from Plaça Catalunya to the port along La Rambla takes 25 minutes if you do not stop at every stall. Stop — that is what the day is for.

How to Order Sant Jordi Roses from Another Country

1. Choose a bouquet in the Barcelona catalog or tell us you want the traditional rose with a book.
2. Message us on WhatsApp 7–10 days ahead: the address ("Carrer de Provença 300, 2º 1ª") or the hotel and the guest's name in Latin letters, the time window, the card text, whether you want a book and which one.
3. Pay with any bank card — a Russian one via a rouble transfer — a foreign card, Apple/Google Pay or crypto. The price is fixed.
4. On 23 April receive a photo of the finished bouquet with wheat ear and senyera before the courier leaves, then a delivery confirmation.

How delivery works on the other 364 days is in our guide to flower delivery in Barcelona; if your loved ones are on the coast on 23 April, we have a Costa Brava catalog, and Sant Jordi is also celebrated, more quietly, in Madrid and Valencia. You can compare Barcelona rose prices with other cities in How Much Do Flowers Cost in Spain.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I order roses for Sant Jordi? 7–10 days ahead — by 13–16 April. That way we guarantee the catalog price, the rose variety and delivery on 23 April. Orders placed on 22–23 April are filled from market availability, and we tell you so.

Will you deliver roses to central Barcelona on 23 April if the streets are closed? Yes — the courier walks from the edge of the Eixample. The delivery window that day is 3–5 hours; for an exact time it is better to order for 22 April or the morning of the 23rd before 11:00.

What is a Sant Jordi rose and what comes with it? A long-stemmed red rose with a wheat ear and a ribbon in the colours of the Catalan flag. We add the wheat ear and ribbon to any bouquet free of charge, and a book on request.

Do roses get more expensive on Sant Jordi? On the market — yes, one and a half to two times. Our catalog prices do not change: Kiss of Love €108, Pink Roses €200, Duo 101 Roses €698 — the same as on any other day.

Can I order a single rose with a book? Yes, on request via WhatsApp: a rose in the traditional presentation, a book of your choice from La Central, Laie or Casa del Libro, a card. Quoted before payment.

What colour roses should I give? Tradition says red. Pink and white for mothers and friends, yellow for friends; blue and rainbow are a youth fashion of recent years. No option is a mistake.

Can roses be delivered to a hotel for the return from a walk? Yes, and it is the best scenario for 23 April: the concierge accepts the bouquet during the day and places it in the room. We need the hotel name and the guest's name in Latin letters.

Do you do corporate Sant Jordi for offices? Yes — from 10 roses with a single quote and delivery to the office before lunch on 23 April. Books for employees can be added from a list.

Can I pay from Russia? Yes — by a rouble transfer at the day's rate to a Russian bank card, a foreign card, Apple/Google Pay or crypto. The euro price is fixed at confirmation.

Is Sant Jordi celebrated outside Barcelona? Yes, all over Catalonia — in Sitges, Sant Cugat, Girona and on the Costa Brava — and to a lesser extent in Valencia and the Balearics. We deliver to Barcelona and its suburbs ourselves, and to the Costa Brava through a separate catalog.