Day trips from Barcelona

The region of Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital, is a rich region with the Pyrenees to the north and the coast of the Costa Blanca to the southeast. Most of the region can be reached in a day trip from Barcelona.

Best day trips

The trips below are not only the best to take from Barcelona, ​​but they are also the closest and easiest (in particular, the first three are).

• For nature: Montserrat’s ‘jagged mountain’ is great for hiking, and there is also a historic monastery to see there.
• For culture: the Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres is art in its most accessible form.
• For the beach: Sitges is the closest popular beach to the outskirts of Barcelona.
• For wine: Vilafranca del Penedes and its surroundings are known for their red wine and cava.
• For the wish list: visit three countries in one day: Spain, France and Andorra.

Stunning scenery and outdoor activities

If cities are cities for you and you are more interested in the Catalan countryside, you have some great options just around the corner.

• Montserrat: There is no excuse not to visit the Montserrat mountain, close enough to the city to reach an extension of the Barcelona metro or take a half-day tour.
  Where? 60 km northwest of Barcelona, ​​easily accessible by local public transport.
  Combine with? Colonia Güell is on the same train line as Montserrat.
• Montseny: Or visit the excellent hiking territory of Montseny with ancient walls and wells to break the walks. While a little further away are the Pyrenees .
  Where? About an hour’s drive north of Barcelona.
  Where? The closest point is about a two hour drive north of Barcelona.

High-speed train day trips

The high-speed AVE train from Barcelona to Girona and Figueres has made some of these excursions much easier than they used to be.

• Dalí Museum in Figueres: The other gift of Catalonia to the world of art and architecture is Salvador Dalí, whose Museum in Figueres (sometimes spelled ‘Figueres’) is one of the most enjoyable art museums in the world, perfect to take to art children and philistines a.
  Where? 150 km northeast of Barcelona. The high-speed AVE train (it is the route from Barcelona to Paris) makes this journey much easier than it used to be. Read more about how to get from Barcelona to Figueres.
  Combine with? Girona is close.

• Barcelona to Madrid : Yes, you can visit the Spanish capital from Barcelona. Although, of course, one day is not enough in Spain’s largest city, you can do a surprising amount, especially considering the location of the train station.
  Where? Take the high-speed train from Sants station in Barcelona to Atocha in Madrid. Although you’ll spend five hours on the train if you go there and return in a day, the fact that the train drops you across the street from the Reina Sofía Museum (home to Spain’s most famous modern art, including Picasso’s masterpiece, the Guernica) and minutes from the Prado Museum, Spain’s most famous art gallery, means you can actually get a lot out of a day trip to Madrid.

Wine Tours

There are several wine producing regions in Catalonia. You can take tours of the Penedes wine region and taste the reds and cava (Spanish sparkling white wine) or take a longer trip to visit Priorat.

• Vilafranca del Penedes – Taste local red wines and internationally renowned Cava sparkling whites.
  Where? About an hour by car or train west of Barcelona.

Beaches near Barcelona

• Costa Brava: Visit the medieval town of Tossa del Mar.
  Where? The stretch of coast to the northeast of Barcelona.
• Sitges – One of the most popular beach towns near Barcelona, ​​Sitges is also a famous gay resort. The carnival here is one of the most extravagant in the country.
  Where? A 30-minute train ride southwest of Barcelona.
  Guided visit? As Sitges is primarily a beach town, a full day ‘guided’ tour is not necessary.
  Combine with? Most tours include Sitges as part of another tour.

Nearby historic towns and cities

If Madrid is too much for one day, there are other cities in and around Catalonia.

• Girona: Another popular trip is to Girona, known for its old Jewish quarter and its attractive riverside buildings.
  Where? 120 km northeast of Barcelona, ​​on the way to Figueres.
  Combine with? Girona is usually visited with the Dalí Museum in Figueres.
• Tarragona: Take a trip from Barcelona to Tarragona. The city of Tarragona has some of the best Roman ruins in Spain, regular street markets and the Balcón del Mediterráneo to enjoy the sea. It’s easy to do this trip alone or take a guided tour.
  Where? 50 minutes by train to the southwest of Barcelona, ​​near Reus airport.
  Combine with? Tarragona is often visited with the coastal city of Sitges.

• Besalú, Tavertet, Rupit: a collection of small towns dating from medieval times. It is not worth visiting just one of them, but an interesting day trip when done together. Where? About 130 km northeast of Barcelona, ​​just after Girona, a little west of Figueres and close to the French border.

Art and architecture

• Colonia Güell: After visiting Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia, the unfinished basilica in the center of Barcelona, ​​and his other works in the city complete your Gaudí experience with a visit to Colonia Güell, Gaudí’s church (again unfinished ) in a suburb of Barcelona.
  Where? On the way to Montserrat, just northwest of Barcelona.
  Combine with? Colonia Güell is on the same train line as Montserrat.
• Reus: Most famous for its airport, Reus is also worth visiting for two reasons: it is the birthplace of Gaudí and the modernist art movement in general, as well as being the city that sparked the revival of vermouth (Spanish vermouth).
  Where? About 50 minutes southwest of Barcelona, ​​near Tarragona.