Day trips from Barcelona

If you have plenty of time during your holiday in Barcelona or need a break from the big city, don’t miss out on one of the many day trips you can take.

Escape to nature, be it the azure blue sea or the imposing mountains, but also travel into the past to discover medieval villages and fascinating historical cities or go on a fun and carefree trip. Thanks to its fantastic location between the sea and the mountains and its excellent road connections, Barcelona allows you to reach a wide variety of locations in a short time, suitable for the most diverse types of holiday.

Need ideas for your day trips? Here are the must-see attractions around Barcelona. All of these locations are easily accessible by car or public transport, or even better by a private or group guided tour, so you can travel stress-free and discover, thanks to expert guides, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories about the places you are going to visit.

Montserrat

An absolute must-see attraction around Barcelona is the impressive Monastery of Montserrat, a Benedictine monastery built at a height of over 700 metres above sea level that seems to be set into the mountain walls. Still in operation today, the monastery was founded in 1025 near a small church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which existed as early as 888 to celebrate the Virgin’s apparition to hermits in a cave in these mountains.

Because of its deep historical and religious significance and the beautiful natural setting in which it is situated, a visit to the monastery of Montserrat can be experienced as a spiritual experience, a mountain excursion, a cultural visit or a combination of all three. For an even more fascinating experience, you can reach the monastery by cogwheel train, which climbs a 600-metre difference in altitude in 5 km, allowing you to admire breathtaking landscapes.

Discovering the Costa Brava

Everyone is familiar with the Costa Brava, with Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar taking the lion’s share of the touristic and famous resorts. However, there is much more to the Costa Brava than the discos that close at dawn, starting with traditional villages such as Blanes, Cadaques and Calella, which are less ‘youthful’ but undoubtedly more characteristic and authentic. There are so many things to see and do on the Costa Brava that sometimes even a holiday is not enough.

However, if you are in Barcelona and want to discover this stretch of coastline on a day trip, you will be spoilt for choice. Numerous tours depart daily from the city and take you to the sunny Mediterranean beaches of the Costa Brava in little more than an hour. There are also plenty of activities for you to do, such as kayaking and snorkelling on the Costa Brava!

The Principality of Andorra

For many, Andorra is just a small national football team that occasionally plays against Italy and scores avalanches of goals. However, travellers should hold this small principality nestled in the Pyrenees between Spain and France in high regard, thanks to its natural beauty and beautiful mountains, which can be enjoyed both in summer with numerous hiking and biking trails and in winter with a dense network of ski slopes.

And as if this were not enough, the small capital Andorra La Vella is a real mecca for shoppers, given the country’s tax-free regime. So, if you love neither walking in the mountains nor skiing, you will still find a way to spend a pleasant day! Strolling along the city’s main street you will find one shopping centre after another, inside which you will find all the big brand shops and luxury boutiques you can imagine.

Girona, not only airport

For inveterate low-cost travellers, the name Girona has always represented the cheap airport to reach Barcelona, so much so that many do not even consider a visit to the city. Nothing could be more wrong: Girona is a fascinating city in Catalonia that deserves at least one day, thanks to its mix of medieval buildings and elements of Roman, Arab and Jewish art.

To learn about the different cultures that have forged Girona’s history, take a walk through the Força Vella, the old part of the city within the walls with its magnificent churches, get lost in the maze of narrow streets that make up the Jewish quarter and admire the splendid Arab baths.

Also, due to its location, Girona is very often included in tours and day trips departing from Barcelona, so you are likely to stop there. Enjoy it as much as possible!

Figueres and the Dali Museum

From Barcelona, a little over an hour’s drive in a north-easterly direction will take you to Figueres, one of Catalonia’s most picturesque towns, famous for being the birthplace of Salvador Dali, the eclectic artist known worldwide for his surrealist and dadaist works. As soon as you arrive in town, head straight to the Dali Theatre-Museum, or simply Dali Museum, Figueres’ most famous attraction. Afterwards, enjoy the castle of San Ferran and stroll through the delightful narrow streets of the old town.

After visiting the Dali Museum in Figueres, head to two other attractions that make up what is known as the Dali Triangle. These are Dali’s House in Portlligat, the seaside villa where he lived with his wife and muse Gala, and the Gala-Dali Castle in Putbol, a building that the artist gave to Gala so that she could have her own private residence.

Many group tours departing from Barcelona include the Dali Triangle as part of a single excursion, with Figueres as the focus of course. If you are a Dali fan, make sure you visit all three interesting locations on your tour!

Sitges

South of Barcelona, the seaside resort not to be missed is Sitges, a pretty town along the coast that boasts a long golden sandy beach and a quaint old town. There are numerous beaches along the Sitges coastline, some with all facilities and particularly suitable for families, others more secluded where those who wish can sunbathe in full, but all with fine sand and washed by surprisingly clean sea.

After a few hours of well-deserved relaxation by the sea, you can take a stroll in the centre and perhaps visit the town’s museums, including the Romantic Museum with an exhibition dedicated to Catalan society in the 19th century and the colourful Cap Ferrat Museum displaying a collection of works by the artist Santiago Rusiñol and other artists who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Sitges is also a must-see destination for homosexual travellers: it is considered one of the most gay-friendly cities in Spain.

The Costa Dorada

The Costa Dorada is the stretch of coastline in the province of Tarragona, which runs south of Barcelona. It is a highly touristic area, thanks to its beaches such as Las Playas de el Vendrell, modern and accessible infrastructures, the Port Aventura park located in the municipality of Salou and authentic places such as San Carlos de la Rapita, one of the best fishing ports on the entire coast.

If you can, head to the Vendrell beaches, namely three beaches next to each other, covering a total length of 7 kilometres, well equipped and with all facilities. The three beaches are Coma-Ruga, Sant Salvador and El Francas; they also include the Masia Blanca marine reserve.

Finally, don’t leave the Costa Dorada without first visiting its unofficial capital, the city of Tarragona, a harbour town with narrow streets and alleys leading to lively squares where locals meet for a coffee or a cerveza. Also of interest are the city’s historical remains, including an amphitheatre close to the beach and an aqueduct, both from Roman times. The architectural marvel of Tarragona, however, is the majestic 12th century Cathedral of Santa Maria, which combines Romanesque and Gothic elements.

PortAventura

For a carefree day out, the right attraction for young and old is the PortAventura amusement park in Salou, a seaside resort on the Costa Dorada.

With just one ticket, you have access to six different worlds (Mediterrania, Polynesia, China, México, FarWest and Sésamo Aventura), where you can experience unforgettable adventures on and off more than 40 rides, from those suitable for very young children to thrill rides for the young and the more daring adults.

The park is part of the PortAventura World complex, which also includes the Ferrari Land theme park and the PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park.