Looking for Costa Brava day trips from Barcelona?
Squeezing a day outside Barcelona from your trip and venturing to Costa Brava is one of the best things you can do! There, you’ll discover medieval villages, fisherman towns, crystal-clear beaches, and many adventure opportunities (both on land and sea).
Keep scrolling for seven cherry-picked Costa Brava day trips from Barcelona!
* Post written for the first time in June 2023 and updated in September 2024.
Stunning Costa Brava day trips from Barcelona
Tossa de Mar
Tossa de Mar is a beautiful coastal town and one of Costa Brava’s villages closest to Barcelona. It offers panoramic views across the Mediterranean Sea and is famous for its sandy beaches, lighthouse and, of course, historic fortified medieval village, the only example of a fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast!
You can travel to Tossa de Mar on your own or join a trip from Barcelona that includes transportation, food, and activities.
There are several guided trips we recommend in Tossa de Mar depending on what you like to do:
- Kayaking and snorkelling trip: This is an excellent option if you want to combine some exercise with a visit to Tossa de Mar Old Town. This trip lasts 12 hours and includes kayaking, snorkelling, eating in a traditional restaurant, and exploring the beautiful medieval town.
- Sightseeing and hiking trip: Join a local guide and explore Tossa de Mar and its surroundings in this 9-hour trip. It’s a great way to learn about the city’s history and hike to the nearby coves (level easy). The trip includes transportation and guiding, and you can either bring your lunch or book a local restaurant.
If you’d prefer to go on your own, you can get to Tossa de Mar by bus from Barcelona. The journey takes 1 h 15 min, and there are many buses daily.
And what can you do once there? Check our Tossa de Mar guide for everything you can do, from hiking and scuba diving to chilling at the nearby coves or wandering around the medieval street. In the guide, you’ll also find restaurant recommendations where you can try authentic local foods from the area, like fideu脿, arr貌s negre, or tapas.
Cycling trip through medieval villages
Besides crystal-clear coves and fisherman towns, Costa Brava is also home to many charming and well-preserved medieval villages. Up for discovering them on two wheels?
Take the bus from Barcelona Estaci贸 del Nord to Palafrugell, which takes 2 h 15 min. Once in Palafrugell, head to BikeOn (a 20-minute walk), a bike rental service with super friendly staff and great bikes (gravel, road, and e-bikes).
They have designed several routes to explore the area, and we recommend this cycling route that will allow you to discover Pals, Gualta, and Peratallada, three of the most beautiful medieval villages in the area.
If you find yourself more comfortable with a guide than a self-guided tour, BikeOn also offers a guiding service.
If you opt for this trip, we wouldn’t recommend doing it in July and August, as the temperatures are scorching during the day and the villages are most crowded. May, June, September, and October are excellent months for this cycling adventure.
Dal铆-themed trip
As you might know, the famous surrealist artist Salvador Dal铆 was born and lived for a long time in Costa Brava. The region’s landscape inspired him and can be observed in his paintings.
If you want to know more about this eccentric surrealist painter, you can’t miss the Dal铆 Theatre Museum in Figueres and his house in Port Lligat.
The first is one of the world’s best museums dedicated to the artist. The inside is full of works from Dal铆, but the building is also a piece of art! It’s a quirky pink castle-like building with giant eggs on the rooftop, known as the world’s largest surrealistic object.
The second is a house in the little village of Portlligat, north of Cadaqu茅s, where Dal铆 lived from 1930 to 1982. During that time, he turned what used to be a fisherman’s hut into a surrealist house! There is a pink-lips sofa in the garden, egg sculptures on the rooftop, quirky sculptures in the interior… You get the idea!
To take this day trip, you have two options: join a guided tour or do it on your own. The first option is more comfortable and relaxed because you don’t need to worry about transportation or tickets. And, of course, going by van is much faster than by bus.
However, if you prefer the second one, you’ll have to take the train from Barcelona to Figueres (approx. 2 h journey), spend the morning in the museum, and later take the bus to Cadaqu茅s (1 h 15 min journey and only 4 buses a day!). Dal铆’s house in Portlligat is 15 minutes (walking) from the centre of Cadaqu茅s. To get back to Barcelona, you can take a bus from Cadaqu茅s (approx. 3 h).
Adrenaline trip to Sant Feliu de Gu铆xols
If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush and excellent panoramic views of the Costa Brava, you’re in for a treat!
In Sant Feliu de Gu铆xols, you’ll find the only via ferrata on Europe’s coast. The route is 480 meters long and can go as high as 20 metres, offering impressive views of the Mediterranean Sea.
This activity is 100% suitable for beginners. However, we highly recommend going with a guide if you’ve never done a via ferrata before or feel more secure with an instructor. For more info on this via ferrata, check our “Via ferrata Cala del Mol铆 guide“.
To get to Sant Feliu de Gu铆xols, you can take a bus from Estaci贸 del Nord in Barcelona, and you’ll be there in 1 h 30 min. The buses run approximately every two hours.
鈿狅笍 Important!
We recommend climbing the via ferrata early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the high temperatures during midday.
To complete your day trip, you can get lunch at one of the many delicious restaurants in the city centre. Great ones are El P铆caro (tapas), 220 sushi (Japanese food), and Taverna La Cava (Catalan food).
You can also grab some takeaway food at Org脿nic (healthy food like poke bowls, quiche, and smoothies) and eat it at the main beach.
If you’re up for a challenging hike, you can walk to Tossa de Mar聽following the Cam铆 de Ronda聽(it takes around 6 hours!) and then take the bus back to Barcelona.
Multi-adventure trip
Can’t decide if you want to hike, snorkel, kayak, or cliff jump? Why not do everything?!
We bring you an activity-packed day trip to explore Costa Brava in an adventurous way.
The trip聽includes sea kayaking聽in Sant Pol de s’Agar贸’s crystalline waters, picnicking in a hidden cove, snorkelling, and cliff jumping. You then have free time to explore the city, enjoy a drink, or hike聽the beautiful coastal path known as Cam铆 de Ronda.
This trip lasts 10 hours, and you don’t need to worry about equipment, transportation or photos; it’s all included.
We joined this trip in July 2024 and had a wonderful time. Our guide, Tim, taught us many things about our country and marine life that we didn’t know, and he also showed us some pretty incredible spots (like a hidden cave in the sea and a secret cove). All in all, it was a really complete and wonderful day (it felt like we were on holiday in another country!馃槅).
Kayaking in s’Agar贸Learning about sea urchins
Girona and Costa Brava trip
Costa Brava’s capital, Girona, is a gorgeous city with an incredible historical centre and a vibrant atmosphere. It was also one of the popular Game of Thrones filming locations!
But the best is yet to come. Girona is strategically located between the sea and the mountains and is close to many Costa Brava villages. So, if you only have one day to escape Barcelona and venture to Costa Brava, you can mix a trip to Girona with a coastal town and experience both.
The easiest way to do so is to join a guided tour. We recommend this small-group 9-hour tour with a local guide and transportation to and from Barcelona. In the morning, you’ll spend time in the coastal area of Costa Brava, moving then to Girona to discover the city.
If you’d rather discover Girona and Costa Brava on your own, you have many options. Many buses link Barcelona with several coastal towns, so you can spend the morning exploring the beaches and coastal paths. After lunch, you can take a bus to Girona and discover the city in the afternoon/evening. Check our Girona guide for our favourite things to do there.
To get back to Barcelona, hop on the high-speed train from Girona station, and you’ll reach the capital in less than 1 hour! It will be an intense date, but 100% worth it!
Foraging and kayaking trip
Are you curious about edible plants and algae? Do you want to discover the Costa Brava in a unique way? Then, hop on a bus from Estaci贸 del Nord to Palam贸s and sign up for a Marine tapas in kayak adventure.
This guided tour involves kayaking along the coast of Palam贸s, snorkelling, and hiking the Cam铆 de Ronda with an expert botanist. During the experience, he explains which algae and plants are suitable for foraging and how they can be eaten and cooked.
Actually, you won’t be doing this activity with any botanist; you’ll do it with the gastro botanist of the Celler de Can Roca, a famous 3-star Michelin restaurant in Catalonia!
For more info on this activity and to learn about our experience, check our “Herbocaiac, a foraging and kayaking adventure in the Costa Brava” guide.
After paddling and swimming, we’re sure you’ll be pretty hungry! Nice options for lunch are Kaos Palam贸s (innovative tapas and rice dishes), Txoko Donostiarra (tapas) and Nonna Paquita Ristorante (pizzeria).
Is Costa Brava worth visiting?
Absolutely yes! It’s a wonderful area with charming villages, hidden emerald coves, and plenty of adventure opportunities. Also, the food is delicious there, and it’s sunny all year round!
Although we recommend spending more than one day in Costa Brava to fully live the Mediterranean life, we understand that not all travellers have the time. Therefore, day trips to the Costa Brava from Barcelona are an excellent option for getting a taste of this coastal region.
Costa Brava travel tips
馃挰 Language
The primary language spoken in Costa Brava is Catalan. However, all locals speak Spanish, and due to its popularity as a tourist destination, many people also speak English.
馃尀 Weather
Costa Brava enjoys sun all year round. Temperatures are pleasant in spring, autumn, and winter, whereas it gets pretty hot in summer. We’re talking 30-38 潞C.
馃搮 Best time to visit
It depends on your preferences and activities.
Summer (June to August) offers great temperatures for water sports like scuba diving, kayaking, and swimming. However, it’s when you’ll find more crowds, and you need to book everything way in advance.
Autumn (September to November) and spring (March to May) provide pleasant temperatures for cycling, hiking, and sightseeing with fewer crowds. To us, April, May, June, September, and October are the best times to go.
Winter (December to February) is the lowest season. No crowds at all and pleasant temperatures, so it’s perfect for hiking! However, you might find some restaurants and accommodations closed.
馃憻 Footware
Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes, such as sneakers or hiking sandals, as there will be a lot of walking and hiking on most of the Costa Brava day trips from Barcelona we’ve mentioned before.
Cam铆 de Ronda is a hiking path, so we don’t recommend doing it in flip-flops.
馃捀 Tipping
If you’re eating out, it’s good to know that tipping is not mandatory in Spain. But, if you love the food and service, then by all means, tip! It will be greatly appreciated.
We hope this post makes you want to squeeze a day outside Barcelona and discover the beautiful Costa Brava region! We’ll assure you won’t regret it. If you think about any other day trips to Costa Brava from Barcelona, let us know in the comments! 馃檪
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