Looking for day trips from Barcelona that aren’t the most touristy and overhyped ones?
We’ve put together a list of authentic day trips from Barcelona so you get a taste of what Catalan life looks like beyond the capital.
Ready to discover what awaits you outside Barcelona? Let’s go!
* Post written for the first time in February 2023 and updated in July 2024.
👀 Looking for day trips only to Costa Brava?
You’ll find some in this post, but we’ve also written a full guide dedicated only to Costa Brava day trips from Barcelona.
Day trips from Barcelona by train
Tarragona: Revel in Roman ruins
📍 Location: Tarragona
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 32 min to 1 hour and 10 min (public transport) / 1 hour and 25 min (car)
If you like Roman ruins, you’ll love a day trip to Tarragona. We recommend checking out the Roman walls and porticoes surrounding the Old Town and the amphitheatre, which still stands nearly two millennia ago. The Romans indeed had great taste because they built the amphitheatre overlooking the Mediterranean Sea!
But it’s not just relics from Caesar’s time, though! We also love the colourful houses and hidden corners in the Old Town. This medium-sized city is a beautiful place to stroll through narrow streets, sit on a terrace to enjoy a drink, and admire its wonderful Gothic cathedral.
When your belly starts rumbling, it’s time to head to a restaurant for lunch. Great options are the Restaurant Sadoll, El Cup Vell, El Racó de l’Abat, and Filosofia. They all serve high-quality Catalan food and are run by locals. If you’re craving seafood, you can head to the fishing neighbourhood of El Serrallo. Great restaurants there are La Xarxa, Taberna Romero, El Crank, and El Taller.
The only downside of Tarragona is that the city was planned somewhat catastrophically, and its rail tracks cut off the city beach. So, to get some sand, you must hot-foot it around the station.
🚊 How to get there
Tarragona’s train station is a 10-minute walk south of the old town near the beach, with services to and from Barcelona every 30 minutes. Check the timetable and prices, and make sure to select Tarragona as a destination, not Camp de Tarragona.
Dragonera: Discover marine life wreck diving in Tarragona
📍 Location: Tarragona
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 32 min to 1 hour and 10 min (public transport) / 1 hour and 25 min (car)
This is one of our favourite trips from Barcelona when we’re in the mood for an adventure.
If diving is already spectacular, diving in a wreck is even better! Hidden in a place you’d never imagine lies the Dragonera, a 65-metre-long cargo ship that sunk in 1994. It lies just in front of Tarragona’s port, at a depth of between 14 and 24 m.
When we started the dive, our expectations were low because of its proximity to the port (not famous for being a clean place…). But once underwater, the reality was completely different! Nowadays, this location is a protected aquatic park where marine life thrives.
We saw starfish, lots of schools of fish, and nudibranchs. And besides the marine life, the wreck itself is super cool!
To do this dive, you need at least the Open Water Diver certification.
You can combine this activity with visiting the city of Tarragona and dining at one of its many delicious restaurants (mentioned above).
🚊 How to get there
Tarragona’s train station is a 10-minute walk south of the old town near the beach, with services to and from Barcelona every 30 minutes. Check the timetable and prices, and make sure to select Tarragona as a destination, not Camp de Tarragona. Once in Tarragona station, the diving centre is only 10 minutes’ walking from there.
Girona: Walk through Roman and Jewish times
📍 Location: Girona
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 40 min (public transport) / 1 hour and 25 min (car)
Girona is one of the most popular day trips from Barcelona, and for a good reason.
This slow-paced medieval city became famous years ago as it was one of the Game of Thrones filming locations. If you’re a fan, you’ll surely recognise several spots as you walk across the city. And if you’re not a GoT nerd, we assure you you’ll enjoy the town anyway!
Girona has everything a city can offer but in a relaxing environment. You’ll find picturesque narrow streets, colourful houses along the river, and one of the best-preserved Jewish Quarters in the world.
Read our “Exploring Girona in one day“ guide for more information on what to see and where to eat.
👉🏼 Looking to explore the city with a local?
Whenever we go to a new city, we always like to join a guided tour to learn more about its history, curiosities, and how life is there.
We recommend this guided walking tour if you’d like to discover Girona with a local. It lasts 3 hours, and you’ll visit Girona’s most important monuments, learn about its history and legends, and learn more about Girona’s Jewish heritage.
Are you a GoT nerd? Then, go for this Game of Thrones tour, which you’ll enjoy no matter if you’re a Lannister or Stark fan! The walk lasts 2 hours and takes you to the sites where the 6th season of the show was filmed.
🚊 How to get there
Take the train from Barcelona (from Sants station), which runs more or less every hour. This is the fastest train. Other trains go to Girona from other stations, but they take 1 h and 30 min. Check all the trains’ timetables and prices.
Montserrat: Admire the beautifully quirky shapes of this mountain
📍 Location: Montserrat
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1 hour and 30 min (public transport) / 1 hour (car)
We’re sure you’ve heard about Montserrat, but if you haven’t, Montserrat is a peculiar mountain range with an ancient history related to religion.
Montserrat literally translates as sawed mountain, and it’s well-famous for its rounded peaks, which resemble the figures kids tend to do at the beach when they drop wet sand to make sand figures.
When locals refer to Montserrat, we usually refer to the mountain. However, many people also refer to the monastery when they say Montserrat. The famous monastery, which lies halfway up the mountain, is home to one of Catalonia’s most admired icons: La Moreneta (‘Black Virgin’).
Depending on your interests, a day in Montserrat can mean hiking along the mountain’s ravines, lookouts, and peaks or combining walking and visiting the monastery. Our favourite hikes starting from the monastery are the Sant Jeroni Peak and the Itinerari de les Hermites.
👉🏼 Looking to explore Montserrat with a local?
We suggest you two day trips from Barcelona depending on your hiking preferences:
- Full-day trip: This guided tour lasts 9 h and 30 min and includes a 4-hour guided hike, a visit to the monastery, transportation to/from Barcelona in a minivan, a ticket to the funicular railway, and a picnic lunch.
- Half-day trip: This guided tour lasts 6 hours and includes a 1-hour guided hike, a visit to the monastery, transportation to/from Barcelona in a minivan, and Catalan snacks.
🚊 How to get there
The R5 line trains operated by FGC run to and from Barcelona’s Plaça d’Espanya station every 30 min or 1 h. To go to Montserrat, get off the train at the Montserrat Aeri stop. From there, get the Aeri cable car to the monastery. Alternatively, take the R5 to the next stop (Monistrol de Montserrat), and catch the rack railway (cremallera in Catalan) that runs up to the monastery every 20 to 40 min.
Skydiving: Feel the adrenaline as you jump from a plane
📍 Location: Sant Fruitós de Bages
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1h and 30 min (public transport) / 1 hour (car)
Up for an adrenaline rush? We’ve got you covered! Catch the train and head to Manresa, the closest place to Barcelona where you can skydive.
Its location, right in the centre of Catalonia, assures incredible views. You can spot Montserrat, the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea, and on the day we jumped, we could even see the island of Mallorca!
The price for a tandem jump (with an instructor) starts at 274 €, and photos and video are not included.
To know more about skydiving in Barcelona province and our thoughts about this adventure, read our “A guide to skydiving in Barcelona” post.
🚊 How to get there
Take the FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) R5 train from Plaça Espanya (Barcelona) to Manresa Alta. The train journey takes 1 h and 30 min. Once in Manresa Alta station, the skydiving centre offers a free pick-up service from this train station to the skydiving centre.
Matagalls: Hike an emblematic Catalan mountain
📍 Location: Montseny
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 2 h (public transport) / 1h 45 min (car)
Fancy a hike to escape the city’s hustle and bustle? Matagalls, located in El Montseny Natural Park, is a classic and popular hike among local mountaineers.
The views from the peak are breathtaking. You can spot Montserrat, the Pyrenees, Barcelona, and, if the day is clear enough, the Balearic Islands!
Overall, it’s the perfect morning activity to enjoy nature and get some fresh air. The excursion lasts around 3 hours and is suitable for everyone with energy and motivation.
If you go there by car, we recommend stopping for lunch at Mas Estabanell, around 15 min from Matagalls. It’s a typical Catalan rural house, and the food they serve is just mouthwatering! If you take the public transport, you can enjoy a delicious lunch while you recover from the hike at the beautiful Hotel Masia del Montseny.
For more details on the hike, read our “Hiking the emblematic Matagalls” guide.
🚆 How to get there
There are different walking routes up to Matagalls Peak, and the one we took started at the parking lot of the restaurant Collformic. Getting to the trailhead by car is the easiest option (1 h 45 min by car from Barcelona).
If you want to get there by public transport, the best option is to go to Viladrau. You can catch the R3 train from Barcelona Sants and stop in Els Hostalets de Balanyà. Once there, catch the 441 bus towards Viladrau. However, keep in mind that the hike from Viladrau is longer (see the Wikiloc track).
Hiking with IntotheWildCat: Join a guided hike with the friendliest local guide
📍 Location: Around Catalonia
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: Depending on the destination
To enjoy this experience, you just need three things: to love hiking, be in Barcelona, and be willing to meet incredible people! Delph, from Intothewildcat, will take care of the rest.
Each Sunday, she organises a hike for 8-10 people to discover a wild place in Catalonia. She designs the routes, leads the walks, and handles all the logistics. So, all you have to do is show up at the meeting point (always in Barcelona). Once there, you’ll meet the group and hop on public transport to the chosen destination for the hike.
The price for the hike is 20 € plus the cost of the train ticket.
Oh, and we almost forgot. You also need to be quick when signing up! The bookings work on a first-come, first-serve basis.
🚊 How to get there
The meeting point is in central Barcelona, usually the Plaça Catalunya train station. However, if you sign up for a hike, you’ll receive all the info from Delph (via Whatsapp) some days in advance.
Day trips from Barcelona by bus
Via ferrata Cala del Molí: Enjoy an adventurous day in Costa Brava
📍 Location: Sant Feliu de Guíxols
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1 h and 30 min (public transport) / 1 h and 20 min (car)
One of our favourite day trips from Barcelona when we want to enjoy the beach more adventurously is the via ferrata Cala del Molí. It’s the only via ferrata on Europe’s coast, and we assure you that astonishing views over the Mediterranean Sea are guaranteed!
If you love going to the beach but can’t stand laying on a towel for hours, this is a great plan to move your body while enjoying the beach vibes!
This activity is 100% suitable for beginners. However, we highly recommend using a guide if you’ve never done a via ferrata before. The price for the guided tour starts at 35 €, including material, insurance, and photos.
Check out our “Via ferrata Cala del Molí” guide to know more about this adventure.
Hungry afterwards? You can head to El Pícaro to enjoy delicious Catalan tapas, or grab something at Orgànic (healthy food like poke bowls, quiche, and smoothies) and enjoy a picnic at the beach. You deserve it!
🚎 How to get there
Take a bus from Estació del Nord in Barcelona and be in Sant Feliu de Guíxols in 1 h 30 min (see bus schedules). The buses run approximately every two hours. Once you arrive at the bus station, it’s a 30-minute walk to the via ferrata’s start (Mirador de las Triadores).
Cardona: Admire a medieval castle and a salt mountain deposit
📍 Location: Cardona
💺Travel time from Barcelona: 1 h and 46 min (public transport) / 1 hour and 25 min (car)
Home to one of the world’s most important salt deposits and Catalonia’s most important medieval castle, Cardona is a town worth visiting and one of the day trips from Barcelona we can’t recommend enough.
The highlight of this city is the Salt Mountain, a geological wonder made almost entirely of this edible mineral. The only way to visit the mountain is on a one-hour guided tour that costs 12.5 € per person (the regular guided visit).
Another gem is the impressive medieval castle, with centuries of history behind its walls. You can walk freely around the castle, but if you’re into history, we recommend you book a guided tour. This will allow you to visit areas of the castle otherwise closed to the public. The tour duration is 1.5 h and costs 8.5 € per person.
Check out our “Visiting the Salt Mountain and the Castle in Cardona“ guide for a more in-depth read on those activities and where to eat.
🚎 How to get there
Several buses depart from Sants station and Estació del Nord in Barcelona daily. The journey takes 1 hour and 46 minutes.
Vallromanes: Relax in ancient baths
📍 Location: Vallromanes
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1 hour and 20 min (public transport) / 40 min (car)
Imagine yourself in an old country house from 1497, surrounded by authentic stone walls and candlelight, floating in a hot salt water bath with nothing to worry about.
Well, this is precisely how you’ll feel in Aire! This experience is inspired by the Roman baths of ancient civilisations, and it’s one of the most relaxing places we’ve ever been.
It has nothing to do with those big spas where people go to do all kinds of things except relax. Everything in Aire Baths is intimate, and the experience is adult-only.
Once all your stress has melted away, it’s time for an exquisite lunch! In the same eco-resort where the baths are located, there are three restaurants where you can eat. The GastroWine Bar specialises in ecological wines and tapas, the Cibus restaurant specialises in rice and grilled dishes, and the 1497 restaurant is a fancier one, specialising in Mediterranean cuisine.
🚎 How to get there
Take the e19 bus from Barcelona (stops at 3 different places) to the Av. Can Galvany stop in Vallromanes. Once there, it’s only a 20-minute walk to the Aire baths.
Tossa de Mar: Get a taste of the Costa Brava life
📍 Location: Tossa de Mar
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1 h 20 min (bus) / 1 h 20 min (car)
For those of you wanting to get a taste of Costa Brava, Tossa de Mar is the perfect getaway. It’s the most convenient location to reach by public transport in Costa Brava, making it one of the best day trips from Barcelona if you want to explore this coastal region.
The town offers panoramic views across the Mediterranean Sea and is famous for its sandy beaches, lighthouse and, of course, historic fortified medieval village.
Also, within walking distance, you’ll encounter beautiful coves with endless snorkelling possibilities and hiking trails that wander through green pine forests overlooking the sea.
Intrigued by this destination? Check out our “Discovering Tossa de Mar” guide, where we share our favourite places to eat, a list of things you can do, and the best time to visit this beautiful city.
👉🏼 Looking for a guided tour?
If you fancy joining a guided tour that includes transportation, lunch, and activities in Tossa de Mar, we recommend this full-day tour. It includes kayaking, snorkelling, a traditional lunch, and a tour of Tossa de Mar’s Old Town.
🚎 How to get there
Several buses run daily from Barcelona (Estació del Nord) to Tossa de Mar, taking 1 h 20 min. In summer, this bus departs more or less every hour and costs between 8 and 15 € one way. However, in winter, the frequency drops to 2 or 3 buses per day.
Herbocaiac: Forage and snorkel in Costa Brava
📍 Location: Costa Brava
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 2 hours (public transport) / 1 hour and 30 min (car)
Are you curious about edible plants and algae? Do you want to discover the Costa Brava in a unique way? Then, we highly recommend signing up for a Marine tapas in kayak adventure. It involves kayaking along the coast of Palamós, in Costa Brava, with an expert botanist who explains which algae and plants are suitable for foraging and how they can be eaten and cooked.
In fact, you won’t be doing this activity with any botanist; you’ll be doing it with the gastro botanist of the Celler de Can Roca, a famous 3-star Michelin restaurant in Catalonia!
Herbocaiac is a wonderful way to explore the Mediterranean coast and learn new things. Oh, and also to do some exercise! The experience includes kayaking, snorkelling, and hiking.
Check out our “Herbocaiac, a foraging and kayaking adventure in the Costa Brava” guide to learn more about how this activity works and what our experience was like.
🚎 How to get there
Several buses depart from Estació del Nord (in Barcelona) daily for Palamós.
Day trips from Barcelona by bike
Bouquet d’Alella: E-bike and wine tasting near the sea
📍 Location: Alella de Mar
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: The experience starts in the centre of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter
If you’re looking to combine a wine tour with a bit of adventure, Alella Wine Tour experience is a wonderful option. This tour lasts 7 hours, and, for 90 €, you get to cycle with an e-bike along the Mediterranean coast, enjoy a picnic outdoors, and visit a local family-run winery.
A great thing about this tour is that it starts in the centre of Barcelona, in the Gothic Quarter. So, no need to rent a car or check the train schedules; your e-bike will be waiting for you right there! After getting to the beach, the ride from Barcelona to Alella, following the Mediterranean coastline, starts.
Once you reach Alella, a little village not far from the sea, it’s time to visit Bouquet d’Alella, a beautiful organic winery. A wine expert shows you around the vineyards and the cellar, and then comes the reward for all the effort made when cycling: the wine tasting and a picnic with local products!
The way back is done by train, and the train ticket is already included in the price.
Day trips from Barcelona by car
Vermut Padró: Discover the art of vermouth making
📍 Location: Bràfim
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1 hour
Although Casa Padró started as a winery, their main focus now is vermouths (vermut in Catalan), an aromatised fortified wine flavoured with botanicals and plants and sometimes coloured.
We can’t recommend the visit to this family-run winery enough! In fact, we loved it so much that we repeated the tour a second time!
The guides are knowledgeable and friendly, and the whole winery is carefully and beautifully decorated to immerse you in the world of vermut making.
Also, their vermouths were from another planet! We’ve been drinking vermouth for a long time now, and we can assure you that the flavour of Can Padró’s ones was so unique.
The visit lasts 2 hours and costs 22 € per person. Visits run every day at 10:30 and 12:30.
The tour explains the family business, the ingredients used to make the vermut, and the various types of vermut they produce. And then comes the best part: the tasting! It’s time to sit on the beautiful terrace and enjoy 8 vermouths with salted crisps and green olives.
Rest assured that you’ll end up a bit tipsy after tasting the 8 vermouths included in the visit! It won’t be the best time to drive very far, so here’s a better option: get lunch at Gastro Botànic & Co. This restaurant is also run by the Padró family and serves delicious Catalan dishes in a beautiful setting. The best thing? It’s just a 5-minute walk from the winery!
🚗 How to get there
This winery is located in a little village that can only be reached by car.
⚠️ Important!
If you can visit this winery on a weekday, we highly recommend it. Weekends are busier, and you must book days in advance. Remember always to book before going!
Les Acàcies: Visit the smallest winery in the world
📍 Location: Avinyó
💺 Travel time from Barcelona: 1 hour and 20 min
Les Acàcies is the smallest winery in the world, but don’t be fooled! Their wines are top quality (we ended up buying more than 5 bottles!), the winery’s decor is outstanding, and the visit is super interesting.
The winery is located in the heart of Catalonia, in the DO Pla del Bages, which was once one of the most important DOs in the region.
The pairing tour starts with a visit to the vineyards, the winery, and the cellar. It’s curious to see how a small cellar works, its methods, and its plans for expanding production (even though it already produces 10,000 bottles of wine annually!).
Finally, the visit ends in the stunning tasting room, where you try various wines paired with curated meats, pa amb tomàquet (bread with tomato spread), and cheese. Is there a better combination?
The tour lasts 1 hour and 30 min and costs 25 € per person.
If you’re hungry after the visit, we recommend eating at La Fabrik, located just 6 min by car from the winery. This restaurant serves delicious tapas, burgers, salads, and meat.
If you want to add another stop on your way back to Barcelona, we suggest Món Sant Benet. Visit the medieval monastery and choose one of their four lovely itineraries to discover the area on foot.
🚗 How to get there
You need a car to reach Les Acàcies winery because it’s located on the outskirts of a small village with no bus or train connection to Barcelona.
We hope this post makes you want to squeeze a day outside Barcelona during your trip! We’ll assure you won’t regret taking one (or more!) day trips from Barcelona and discovering what our country has to offer. If you think about any other authentic and interesting day trips from Barcelona, let us know! 🙂
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