The best day trips from Barcelona are Montserrat, Girona and Tarragona, each a full day by train, while Andorra is the one to skip unless you stay the night. Sitges and the Dalí museum in Figueres are half-day trips, and the Costa Brava only works well on a tour.
| Destination | Travel time | Transport | Self-guided | Tour | Time needed | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colònia GüellGaudí's crypt, without the crowds | 20 min | FGC train | € 15.80 | – | 2–3 h | Worth half a day |
 SitgesBeach town, promenade, two museums | 37 min | Rodalies R2 Sud | € 11–23 | € 98.50 | 3–5 h | Worth half a day |
 GironaOld town, cathedral, Jewish quarter | 40 min | High-speed train | € 25.40–42.30 | € 49.68 | 5–7 h | Worth a full day |
 PenedèsCava cellars by the station | 47 min | Rodalies R4 | € 20 | € 123.50 | 3–4 h | Worth half a day |
 FigueresDalí Theatre-Museum and jewel rooms | 57 min | High-speed train | € 44.10–63.30 | € 49.68 | 2–3 h | Worth half a day |
 Costa BravaCoves, Tossa de Mar, Cadaqués | 1 h 20 | Direct bus to Tossa de Mar | – | € 49.68 | 4–6 h | Only with a tour |
 TarragonaRoman amphitheatre, walls, old town | 1 h 27 | Regional train | € 22.20–32.20 | € 98.50 | 4–6 h | Worth a full day |
 MontserratMountain monastery, Black Madonna, trails | 1 h 30 | Train + rack railway | € 50 | € 50.15 | 4–6 h | Worth a full day |
 PortAventura WorldRoller coasters near Salou | 1 h 42 | Coach or regional train | € 55.70–61.70 | € 69 | 7–9 h | Worth a full day |
 AndorraPyrenees microstate, shops, spa | 3 h | Direct coach | € 63–70 | € 87.20 | 5–8 h | Better to sleep there |
No destination from Barcelona matches this filter.
Last checked: · Train times and fares from Renfe, Rodalies de Catalunya and FGC; coach times from the operators; opening days and ticket prices from each attraction's official site.
Three ways to use your free days, from the single trip we would pick to a full set.
With a single day, pick Montserrat, because nothing in Barcelona resembles it. Take an R5 train from Plaça Espanya before 09:00, ride the Sant Joan funicular and walk the ridge first, then visit the basilica and the throne after 12:00. Check the mountain forecast the evening before. If it shows cloud at the monastery, swap to Girona, which works in any weather.
Put Montserrat on the clearer of your two days and Girona on the other. Girona is 40 minutes away on the 08:05 Avant from Sants, and its old town, cathedral and walls fill five to six hours on foot. The two trips leave from different stations: Plaça Espanya for Montserrat, Sants for Girona. Buy both Avant legs in advance, because the numbered seats sell out on Fridays and Sundays.
Keep Montserrat and Girona, then add Tarragona for the Roman amphitheatre by the sea. Do Girona first, as the easiest of the three, Montserrat on the clearest day and Tarragona on any day except Monday, when every monument is shut. Avoid Sunday there too, since hours end at 14:30. If you would trade ruins for a beach, replace Tarragona with half a day in Sitges, 37 minutes from Sants, and keep the afternoon free in Barcelona.
What the weather does, how full it gets and which trips work best in each season.
Works bestMontserratGironaTarragonaPenedès
Works bestGironaMontserratColònia GüellPenedès
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°C) | 14 | 14.5 | 16.4 | 18.5 | 21.7 | 25.5 | 28.3 | 28.9 | 26 | 22.3 | 17.6 | 14.5 |
| Average low (°C) | 5.5 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 10.4 | 13.8 | 17.9 | 20.8 | 21.3 | 18 | 14.3 | 9.1 | 6.2 |
| Rainy days | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Climate averages: AEMET 1991-2020 normals for Barcelona Airport, as listed in the Wikipedia climate table
Trains decide the cost. Rodalies and regional trains have fixed fares and need no booking: € 5.50 to Sitges, € 8.60 to Tarragona, € 8.95 to Girona on the slow Regional. The fast Avant costs € 17.40 to Girona and € 22.40 to Figueres, and the AVE on the same track costs about double, so always choose Avant. Montserrat is a flat € 50 with the Trans Montserrat ticket. For Girona and Figueres together, the coach tour from € 49 undercuts the two train fares.
At Montserrat, buy mató, a fresh cheese eaten with honey, from the farmers' stalls, and bring sandwiches for the ridge. Girona's pastry is the xuixo, fried and filled with custard. Tarragona means romesco sauce and fish in the Serrallo quarter, Sitges means xató salad in winter and rice by the sea. On the Costa Brava order suquet, the fishermen's stew. In the Penedès, drink cava with coca de Vilafranca. PortAventura bans outside food, so eat breakfast before you enter.
The same destinations, sorted by what you want from the day.
Worth half a dayA former textile workers' village in Santa Coloma de Cervelló with Gaudí's unfinished crypt, 20 to 25 minutes from Plaça Espanya by FGC train.
Worth half a dayA seaside town south of Barcelona with a long promenade, an old quarter on a headland and two art museums, 37 minutes away by Rodalies train.
Worth a full dayA walled medieval city on the Onyar river with a cathedral and a well-kept Jewish quarter, 40 minutes from Barcelona Sants by Avant train.
Worth half a dayThe cava country west of Barcelona, centred on Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, where the Freixenet cellars stand beside the station, 47 minutes from Sants on the R4.
Worth half a dayThe home town of Salvador Dalí and site of his Theatre-Museum, 57 minutes from Barcelona Sants by Avant train to Figueres Vilafant.
Only with a tourThe rocky coast north of Barcelona, from Tossa de Mar up to Cadaqués. The nearest beach town, Tossa, is about 1 hour 20 minutes away by direct bus.
Worth a full dayA port city built on Roman Tarraco, with an amphitheatre by the sea and UNESCO-listed ruins, 1 hour 27 minutes from Barcelona by regional train.
Worth a full dayA Benedictine monastery and pilgrimage basilica set high on a serrated mountain, about 1.5 hours from Barcelona by FGC train and rack railway.
Worth a full daySpain's largest theme park, next to Salou on the Costa Daurada, 1 hour 42 minutes from Barcelona by direct regional train or 1.5 hours by coach.
Better to sleep thereA small Pyrenean country between Spain and France. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is about 3 hours from Barcelona Sants by direct coach.
