Best Day Trips from Barcelona

If you have the time on your visit to Barcelona, there are some amazing destinations that make great day trips. Barcelona is filled with expats, but these areas give you a better taste of the local Catalan culture. Many are available by train, but I will provide some of the best tours too, if you are like my mom and prefer “not to think about the logistics and planning.” Ha! Some are also easily reached by car, so if you are short on time, you can also rent a car for the day to create your own schedule. My favorite company is Rentalcars.com for their easy booking and free cancellations. I have found they offer the best deals too, especially when booked in advance. Search for your own rental car here.

And now, without further ado, here are our favorite day trips from Barcelona.  

Montserrat

The Montserrat Monastery holds the black Madonna “La Moreneta” and the mountain name literally means “serrated.” The jagged peaks are spectacular, and you can often find yourself above the clouds.

You can get there by the R5 train from Plaza España, which takes about an hour to the base of the funicular or cable car (one stop earlier). I would recommend taking the cable car up the mountain. Once you reach the abbey, you can take additional funiculars further up the mountain or down to the small shrine where the statue was originally found. Hike up to the St. Miguel Cross or take the entire Sant Jeroni Loop (about 6.5 miles). I recommend bringing a picnic to enjoy on the mountain, but they have a cafeteria and buffet restaurant also on site. The FGC train offers combo tickets that include the R5, cable car or funicular to the abbey and even entrance to the museum and lunch. You can purchase these tickets online or at the Plaza España station. Visiting Montserrat is an excellent day trip from Barcelona.  If you don’t want to navigate the journey yourself, this guided tour provides bus transfer and tour of Montserrat, including entrance to see the Black Madonna.

Sitges & Castelldefels

For those looking to get out to a cute beach town and little history, head to Sitges and Castelldefels with easy access by train. The R2S Rodalies train leaves every 20 minutes from Sants, Estació de França or Passeig de Gràcia. Roundtrip tickets cost €10 and can be purchased at the train station. Sitges is famous for its beaches and cute downtown area, filled with boutiques and cafés. Castelldefels offers a quieter vibe with its expansive sandy beaches and activities for all ages, including the Castelldefels Castle and the Olimpic Cable Park.

Splurge Experience: Enjoy a sunset cruise from Sitges marina with cava and amazing views of the coastline. Magical memories!

Penedès Wine Region

Did you know that only one hour from Barcelona sits the whole production of Spanish cava? The Penedès wine region offers picturesque vineyards and charming tours of Spain’s sparkling wine industry. Most of the GetYourGuide tours will take you further southwest to Vilafranca del Penedes, but Sant Sadurni d’Anoia is often referred to as the heart of cava country. This beautiful little town of only 15,000 inhabitants is home to almost 90 wineries.

You can easily get to Sant Sadurni by train from Barcelona. Take the R4 Train from the city, with stops in Barcelona central at Arc de Triomf, Catalunya and Sants Estacio. Pro tip: Trains from Sants Estacio depart from platform 7-8. Trains typically leave every 30 minutes on the weekend but double check your route and scheduling with Google Maps. Check out our post of our favorite three wineries in Sant Sadurni for all the details.

Girona

This medieval old town offers an iconic Eiffel bridge, the old Jewish Quarter and scenes out of Game of Thrones, a key filming location during the series. The easiest way to get to Girona is by high-speed Renfe AVE train. If you are lucky enough to get a pass (see more information below) and can book your seats in advance, you can save some serious money. If you are planning to just show up at one of the three train stations (Sants, Estació de França or Passeig de Gràcia) you will likely be paying $20-$25 per person each way.

The cheaper way to venture to Girona is by bus, but they only run every 4 hours. If you can time it right, there is a direct bus from Barcelona Estació d'Autobusos Nord that takes 1 hour 30 minutes and cost roughly $15 each way. If you are a group, I would suggest renting a car for the day and driving. You can usually get a rental car cheaper than 3-4 people’s roundtrip train or bus cost. Lastly, if you don’t want to deal with driving yourself or navigating the train/bus stations, you can also sign up for a guided day trip to Girona. This tour also includes Costa Brava, so if you are short on time and want to maximize your visit to the area, it’s a good option. If you’re more a museum and history enthusiast, this tour is a great option that includes a stop at the Dali Museum and the Castle of San Fernando in Figueres.

Costa Brava

Costa Brava is a stretch of rugged coastline along the northeastern part of Spain. Dotted with quaint seaside villages, pristine beaches and even a few hidden coves, Costa Brava offers views at every turn. To see the entire area at your leisure, I recommend grabbing a rental car. If you don’t want to drive in Spain, you can still take a train to the southern part of Costa Brava at Blanes on your regional train pass (more information below). The R1 trains leave every 30 minutes from Sants, Catalunya and Arc de Triomf, taking about 90 minutes. Pro tip: If you are departing from Sants Estacio, the train is on platform 9-10. The negative to the train is that the station in Blanes is about a 30-minute walk to the beaches. There are some local buses that come by the Blanes train station, or you can flag down a taxi to take you to the beach as well. Be sure to climb the rock (La Palomera) for some great coastline views.

I enjoyed a simple (but delicious) meal at Eco del Mar, but if you want some beach views, check out the range of cafes/restaurants along the promenade and Platja de Blanes. If you want to squeeze in more sights, take this guided day tour from Barcelona that also includes stops in the historic Girona town.

Tips for Taking the Train around Barcelona

If you will be taking the train in 2025, you can purchase an “Abono Recurrent” regional train pass (at any RENFE train station in Barcelona) for €10. It allows you to travel on any of the trains around Barcelona (zones 1-6) for regional trains operated by RENFE (Rodalies or Cercanias), but cannot be used for travel on the metro, tram, bus or FGC rail. They are offering two different 4-month passes (January 1 to April 30; May 1 to August 31; September 1 to December 31), which means you can use your pass for all of your day trips around Barcelona. The Barcelona Lowdown offers a lot more information (and I don’t feel the need to reinvent the post) with details for both the regional and medium distance options at this post.

There are some amazing day trips from Barcelona to get you outside the hustle and bustle of the city and to the beaches, wine country and historic old towns. If you can only choose one, I’d recommend some wine tastings in the Penedès region, or you can enjoy this day trip that combines Montserrat with a castle wine tasting.  In my opinion, the beaches outside of Barcelona are better (but marginally so); if you are short on time, prioritize other activities like Montserrat, Girona or the wine region over the beaches.

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