Best Day Trips from Barcelona
Are you looking for the best day trips from Barcelona, Spain?
Barcelona is the the second largest city in Spain after the capital Madrid, and there’s no shortage of things to do in this lively coastal city. Barcelona has amazing architecture, museums, parks, beaches, and nightlife. It’s a city that offers something for everyone and you can easily spend a few days here.
However, I also recommend taking at least one day to get outside of Barcelona. There are quite a few great day trips you can take from Barcelona to see more of Spain (or even visit another country!)
Here’s a look at the best day trips from Barcelona.
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Best Day Trips from Barcelona, Spain:
- Montserrat half-day tour with tapas and wine
- Girona and Costa Brava small-group tour
- Andorra, France, and Spain: Three countries in one day tour
- Tarragona and Sitges small-group tour
Montserrat
One of the best day trips from Barcelona is Montserrat. Montserrat is a beautiful destination in the mountains outside Barcelona, famed for its sacred monastery and basilica. There’s also a great museum and several other activities you can enjoy here, like hiking or riding a scenic cable car.
You can get to Montserrat independently by taking the R5 train from Plaça España to Monistrol de Montserrat (which takes about one hour) and then taking the cable car or rack railways train the rest of the way up to the top (which takes an additional five or twenty minutes respectively.)
Another option is taking a guided tour to Montserrat. This half-day tour is a great choice. It includes transportation from Barcelona by bus, a guided visit to the monastery at Montserrat, skip-the-line tickets to the basilica, and some additional free time to explore Montserrat on your own. You’ll finish the outing with an included tapas lunch and wine tasting at a family-run Catalan winery in the mountains.
Related: Montserrat Day Trip from Barcelona, Spain
Girona
Girona is another one of the best day trips from Barcelona. You can visit Girona on its own for a quick and easy day trip from Barcelona, or combine it with some nearby destinations for a longer day.
Its known for its well-preserved medieval Old Quarter, as well as some Roman ruins and unique architecture throughout the rest of the city. You can get to Girona in just 40 minutes by taking the AVE or Avant train from Barcelona-Sants, which you can easily do on your own for a half-day trip.
Another option is combining a visit to Girona with other destinations. For example, this full-day small-group tour includes time in Girona, as well as Peratallada, a small medieval village and Calella de Palafrugell, a popular Costa Brava beach town. Another good choice is this day trip which combines Girona with Figueres, Salvador Dalí’s birthplace, and Cadaques, which is another beautiful Costa Brava town.
Costa Brava
If you want to check out the best beaches near Barcelona, a day trip to Costa Brava should be on the agenda. This region of Catalonia is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Spain.
You’ll need a car to get to many of the beaches along Costa Brava, but the closest beach town you can easily visit from Barcelona by public transportation is Lloret de Mar. This lively beach town is less than one hour from Barcelona by bus. Just take the number 2 bus from Estacio del Nord to Lloret de Mar.
If you don’t have a car and don’t want to take public transportation, another option is a tour. The two tours I mentioned above both include visits to Costa Brava beach towns (as well as other destinations.) If you just want a full beach day, this tour is a great option. It includes round-trip transportation from Barcelona, time in Blanes and Tossa del Mar, two beautiful beach towns, and an included lunch.
Andorra
Did you know it’s possible to visit another country on a day trip from Barcelona? Actually, you can visit two! The tiny mountainous nation of Andorra is just 2.5 hours from Barcelona by car. This landlocked little country is sandwiched right between Spain and France in the Pyrenees mountain range.
You can drive yourself or take a direct bus from Barcelona to Andorra. Another option is a tour. This tour includes a visit to Andorra and time in a charming French village just across the border.
If you’d prefer to just visit Andorra, this private tour is an option. It would be too pricy for solo travelers, but it could be a good choice for a family or a group. Otherwise, I’d recommend visiting independently by renting a car or taking the bus if you want to have more time to explore Andorra.
Related: Andorra Day Trip from Barcelona, Spain
Tarragona
Tarragona is a historic coastal city that makes for a great day trip from Barcelona. The city is full of fascinating Roman ruins, including an amphitheater, a palace, and the Roman Circus.
To get here on your own, you’ll want to take the regional train from Barcelona-Sants to Tarragona. This takes about 1.5 hours. There’s a faster train that goes to Camp de Tarragona, but this station is about 20 minutes away so you’ll have to take a bus to get to the city center. Hence the regional train is better.
Another option for visiting Tarragona is taking a guided tour. I would recommend this small-group day trip which combines time in Tarragona with a visit to nearby Sitges, a great beach town.
Sitges
As I just mentioned, Sitges is a lovely coastal town known for its great Mediterranean beaches. You can easily visit Sitges on its own if you want to get out of the city and have a full day at the beach.
It’s a quick and simple journey from Barcelona to Sitges, making it perfect for a half-day trip. All you have to do is take the R25 train from Barcelona-Sants to Sitges. The journey takes just 35 minutes.
Of course, if you wanted to spend more time in Sitges, you could. You could also combine it with a visit to Tarragona further down the coast with the small-group tour I mentioned above.
Figueres
Figueres is a small city in Catalonia that is famous for being the birthplace of the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. The city is home to the Dalí Theatre and Museum, a must-visit for fans of his work.
To get to Figueres, you can take the AVE or Avant train from Barcelona-Sants, but you’ll have to change trains in Girona. From Girona, you can take the regional train to Figueres. The first train takes about 40 minutes and the second train also takes about 40 minutes, for a total journey time of just under 1.5 hours.
If you’d prefer to visit Figueres on a tour, this full-day tour includes time in Girona, Figueres, and the Costa Brava beach town of Cadaques. If you would rather have more time in Figueres, I’d recommend this full-day tour which is slower paced and just visits Girona and Figueres, giving you more time in each.
Zaragoza
If you’re looking for something a little different than most of the other suggestions on this list, Zaragoza is a unique and underrated day trip from Barcelona. While all of the other day trips on this list (with the exception of Andorra, which is a separate country) are in the same region of Catalonia, Zaragoza is the capital of the Aragon region. This gives you a chance to explore a totally different part of Spain.
Zaragoza is full of unique historical sites, from the Palacio de la Aljafería, a medieval Moorish palace to the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, one of the most exquisite churches in the world.
For some reason, Zaragoza is a little underrated as a tourist destination, but I can’t imagine why! To get here, you can take the high-speed AVE or Iryo train from Barcelona-Sants to Zaragoza-Delicias. It takes just under 1.5 hours and I’d recommend booking your tickets online in advance for this journey.
Top Barcelona Day Trips
This guide showed you the best day trips from Barcelona, Spain.
Barcelona is a fantastic city, but there are so many cool destinations you can visit nearby on a day trip. Whether you’re interested in beaches, historic towns, mountains, or even checking off a visit to another country, these are some of the best destinations you can discover on a day trip from Barcelona.
Enjoy your trip to Barcelona!
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