Best Cava Tours from Barcelona by Train

When I first arrived in Barcelona, I realized how close I was to the famed region that makes cava! I love visiting local vineyards and knew I wanted to try several near Barcelona. If you don’t have a car, there are still many cava tours from Barcelona by train. I have selected three wineries that allow you to see a small, medium and the largest commercial cava winery in the country. All are in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, which is about an hour outside of Barcelona.

Getting to the Cava Wine Region

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. Trains typically leave every 30 minutes on the weekend, but double check your route and scheduling with Google Maps.

Pro Tip: Barcelona is currently trying to promote train use for the public. As such, 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 through zones 1-6 around Barcelona on any regional trains operated by RENFE (Rodalies or Cercanias), but cannot be used for travel on the metro, tram, bus or FGC rail. The passes are good for 4 months intervals (January 1 to April 30; May 1 to August 31; September 1 to December 31), which means when you finish your winery tours, you can use the pass to head to Sitges or even up the coast to Blanes. If you use 16 journeys during the period, you will get the €10 fee refunded to your credit card. Win win 😊

Cava Production in Catalonia

Inspired by the Champagne region of France, Josep Raventos, a Catalan winemaker, introduced the traditional method of sparkling wine production to the region in 1872. Just decades later, the phylloxera (small bug) epidemic almost wiped out all the vineyards in the region, forcing winemakers to replace red grape varieties with white ones. Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada became the foundation of cava still used today, distinguishing cava from champagne. The majority of cava wineries today are still family-run businesses that focus on the artisanal, traditional methods of cava production.

Visiting Cava Wineries in Sant Sadurni

With more than 90 wineries in the “Capital of Cava,” there is no shortage of places to visit in Sant Sadurni. But I want to highlight a smaller, family-run business, a medium-size generational cava maker and one of the largest, internationally renowned wineries. All offer different tours and tastings, but I think visiting wineries with varying production volume gives you a good understanding of the cava industry, with different things to appreciate at each winery.

SMALL CAVA WINERY: Cava Blancher

Just 15 minutes from the Sant Sadurni train station, Cava Blancher sits in the heart of the city. Founded in 1935 by Antonio Capdevila Pujol and his wife Teresa Blancher in a small farmhouse that is still used to produce cava vinegars today, Blancher built their innovative winery with large underground cellars to maintain ideal temperatures, one of the first in the industry. Today, Cava Blancher is managed by the third generation of the family, with guided tours conducted by a grandniece from the family. We enjoyed a video presentation on the company’s history, before exploring the cellars and learning all about the cava-making process. After picking the grapes, everything is done from start to finish on site, even labels and boxing. For context, this small winery produces around 200,000 bottles annually.

After the tour, we enjoyed a tasting of two cava products in the shop. They offer a barbacoa (BBQ) on site for pre-reserved lunches as well. Tours are available in multiple languages, but reservations are required. You can submit a request on their website. Our tour was €15, but they also offer cheese pairings and special tours for an additional fee. They have private parking and an elevator available for those with reduced mobility.

MEDIUM CAVA WINERY: Juvé & Camps

Across the street from Cava Blancher sits Juvé & Camps, a century-old winery run by the family’s fifth generation. The original winemaker in the family, Joan Juvé Mir, actually began in 1796. But the first sparkling wine under the Juvé brand was produced in 1921 by Joan Juvé Baqués and his wife Teresa Camps Ferrer. Over the decades the family expanded their operations and in 1972 created their first Gran Juvé Camps, a Gran Reserva cava made with exceptional vintages only. Now they have embraced organic farming, producing 3 million bottles annually. We enjoyed the Gran Reserva Tour, visiting the historic cellars while observing their disgorgement process (getting the yeast out of the bottle without losing any cava 😊). We got to try the base wine and natural cava before going upstairs to enjoy 3 different cavas with a small cheese and meat board. Our tour was €30, but they also offer two other tours with more exclusive experiences. Tours are available in Spanish, Catalan and English, but reservations are required. They offer private parking and limited mobility access.

COMMERCIAL, LARGE CAVA WINERY: Freixenet

If you have only heard of one cava brand, it is likely the iconic cava producer, Freixenet. Beginning in 1861 with the founding of Casa Sala, Freixenet has grown into a global leader with their Cordon Negro cava. They pioneered robotic technology in the 1990s with temperature-controlled fermentation. In 2018, the Germany group Henkell & Co. acquired a 50% stake in Freixenet. The tours highlight the excellence of the global sparkling wine group, with a beautiful facility just across the Sant Sadurni train station. The tours begin with a short video of the company’s history, before heading downstairs into the historic cellars where you will learn about the soil, the regional grape varieties and more. To compare production sizes, Freixenet produces 70 million bottles of cava annually, with a record 100 million in 2021.

Our tour and tasting were €20 per person. You can add a selection of cheeses, chocolates or Iberian meats or purchase additional cava by the glass. Enjoy your cava in their garden before returning to Barcelona. Freixenet offers tours in English, Spanish and French, but reservations are recommended, especially during peak seasons. Book your tour on their website.

Lunch in Sant Sadurni

If you can fit lunch between cava tastings, then there are several top-notch spots in the town for any budget.

Cal Ticus

After you wined, dine at Cal Ticus for a luxurious culinary experience where tradition meets innovation. They offer a set weekend menu for €35, including an appetizer, two courses and dessert. If you don’t want the full set, you can also order a la carte. This family business serves upscale dishes, from cuttlefish black risotto and duck to venison and tripe; their theme of “slow food” makes dining a full experience. Reservations are accepted and they are open from 12: 30 to 4 pm Wednesday to Sunday.  Please note: Menu is in Catalan, though some staff speaks English.

Restaurant Cal Joan Marina

After our tasting at Juvé & Camps, we found ourselves ready for lunch… at 3 pm on Saturday – prime time for Spanish lunch. We visited a few different spots before landing at Cal Joan Marina, a traditional Catalan restaurant. We were visiting in March, the season for calçot, so what should we do but order the calçotada meal?! We enjoyed a large salad with cod and sardines, grilled artichoke and calçot with romesco sauce and a large plate of lamb, sausages and potatoes. Don’t forget about the cava, coffee and desserts. What a meal! If you are looking for a traditional Catalan restaurant in Sant Sadurni, check out Cal Joan Marina. Please note: Spanish or Catalan spoken, with the menu in Catalan.

Il Picarolo

If you don’t fancy Catalan food, stop at il Picarolo for an amazing Italian meal. This local favorite was full on our Saturday afternoon visit. They offer almost everything from salads and burgers to dozens of custom pizzas or make your own pasta bowls. I enjoyed a pizza with four cheeses, guanciale, arugula and chili oil (Laia Sanz). My friends enjoyed their burger and other pizzas as well. Save room for dessert because their tiramisu is incredible. They have a wonderful little courtyard patio where you can enjoy views of the mountains.  Il Picarolo was also budget friendly in Sant Sadurni, so if your wallet has been stretched buying too much cava, this is also a great spot where you can eat for €15. Please note: Printed menu in Catalan, but they offer an electronic menu (QR code) in English and French; several of the staff speak English as well.

Hope you enjoy these cava winery tours (and a nice lunch spot) that make a perfect day trip from Barcelona. From small family-run wineries that produce 200,000 bottles to the internationally renowned companies making 70 million, you can visit every type of cava maker in Sant Sadurni. Enjoy an easy hourlong train ride from Barcelona through the scenic countryside to the region and escape the city life for a while!

Pro Tip: Unlike other places, Spain requires advanced bookings for a tour and tasting, so be sure to make reservations before you go! Some spots like Freixenet allow you to drop in for a tasting, but it’s still best to call ahead. We have found that each winery only offers one tour a day in English (at least in the low season), so it may be hard to schedule more than 2 cava tours in one day. This just means you can take advantage of that great train pass and come to Sant Sadurni as many times as you like! Salud!

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