20 Day Trips From Barcelona: How to Get There and How Long

Barcelona is a good city to leave for a day. Not because there’s nothing to do in it — we live here, there’s plenty — but because within two hours of Plaça de Catalunya you can be in a Roman amphitheatre, on a mountain monastery, in a medieval village, or on a beach with nobody on it.

We’ve done most of these over the years, some of them more times than I can count, a few of them badly. Below is every one of the twenty with the thing nobody puts in these lists: how you actually get there and how long it takes.

Quick answer

The one we’d tell you to do first: Montserrat, if you’ve never been. Sitges, if you have.

Easiest without a car: Sitges (30–40 min by train), Montserrat (1 hour plus the rack railway), Girona (40 min on the high-speed train), Tarragona (about an hour).

Best with young children: Sitges, Masnou, Catalunya en Miniatura at Torrelles.

Needs a car: Montseny, Delta de l’Ebre, and realistically Besalú and Cadaqués too.

Closest: Masnou, about 25 minutes on the R1.

Furthest that still works as a day: Zaragoza — 300 km away, but the high-speed train does it in about 90 minutes.

The whole list at a glance

Destination	Approx. distance	Getting there	Journey time
Masnou	20 km	R1 train	~25 min
Torrelles de Llobregat	26 km	Car or bus	~40 min
Sitges	40 km	R2 Sud train	30–40 min
Montserrat	50 km	FGC R5 + rack railway or cable car	~1 h + 15 min
Pineda de Mar	55 km	R1 train	~1 h 05
Montseny	70 km	Car only	~1 h
Lloret de Mar	75 km	Bus from Barcelona Nord	~1 h 15
Tossa de Mar	90 km	Bus from Barcelona Nord	~1 h 20
Girona	100 km	AVE from Sants	~40 min
Tarragona	100 km	Regional train from Sants	~1 h
Platja d’Aro	100 km	Bus or car	~1 h 30
Salou / PortAventura	110 km	R16 to PortAventura station	~1 h 15
Calella de Palafrugell	125 km	Bus via Palafrugell, or car	~2 h
Besalú	130 km	Car, or bus via Girona	~1 h 40
Figueres	140 km	AVE, or train via Girona	~1 h
La Molina	145 km	R3 train, or car	~2 h
Cadaqués	170 km	Bus or car	~2 h 30
Delta de l’Ebre	190 km	Car	~2 h 15
Andorra	200 km	Bus or car	~3 h
Zaragoza	300 km	AVE from Sants	~1 h 30

Distances are approximate road distances and journey times vary by service — check before you travel.

1. Masnou

Twenty-five minutes up the coast on the R1 and you’re on Ocata beach, which is long, wide and genuinely clean. It has a good summer atmosphere without being a resort, and because the train runs along the seafront you step off the platform more or less onto the sand.

This is the one we recommend to people staying in Barcelona who want a beach day without the Barceloneta crowds and don’t want to commit to a whole trip.

Getting there: R1 from Plaça de Catalunya, Arc de Triomf or Sants. About 25 minutes. With kids: Yes — the easiest beach day on this list.

2. Torrelles de Llobregat

Twenty-six kilometres out, and the reason to come is Catalunya en Miniatura — 1:25 scale models of Catalan and Spanish landmarks, built in real detail. Children who have been dragged round the Sagrada Família all week tend to like seeing it at knee height.

There are also adventure circuits on site, graded by age and height:

• Children’s circuit — ages 4–7, maximum height 1.30 m
• Medium circuit — 8 and over
• Extreme circuit — 8 and over, minimum height 1.40 m
• Banzai zip line — 8 and over, minimum weight 45 kg, 150 m of cable

Getting there: Car is easiest, about 40 minutes. There are buses from Plaça Espanya. With kids: The most child-led day on this list. Best for roughly 4 to 11.

3. Sitges

Twenty beaches, and almost all of them work for small children — shallow, sheltered, with a promenade behind. There’s a proper old town above the seafront, and the church on the headland is the photograph everyone takes.

Sitges is the day trip we do most often, because it’s thirty-odd minutes on the train and you can go on a whim.

Getting there: R2 Sud from Passeig de Gràcia or Sants. 30–40 minutes, frequent. With kids: Excellent. Probably the best all-round family day trip from Barcelona.

4. Montserrat

The serrated mountain you can see from parts of Barcelona on a clear day, formed by wind and water into the shape that gives it its name. The monastery holds La Moreneta, the Black Madonna, and the queue to see her is part of the experience.

The Stairway to Heaven — Ramon Llull’s monument, its eight steps standing for his eight stages of knowledge — has become one of the most photographed things in Catalonia, and it’s a short walk from the monastery.

There are walking routes from the monastery at every level, from twenty minutes to most of a day.

Getting there: FGC R5 from Plaça Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat, about an hour, then either the cremallera rack railway or the Aeri cable car for the last stretch up. Combined return tickets run around €30. With kids: Yes, with a caveat — the rack railway is a hit, the monastery less so. Pick one walking route and don’t try to do more.

5. Pineda de Mar

A big stretch of beach with far fewer tourists on it than the resorts either side. The chiringuitos along the front rent out catamarans, kayaks and paddleboards, and run banana rides.

Getting there: R1, about an hour. With kids: Good, especially for older kids who want to be in the water doing something.

6. Montseny

Seventy kilometres inland, and the reason to go is walking. Routes range from a short loop to a full day, mostly through forest, and the change from coastal Catalonia to beech and oak woodland is abrupt and welcome in August.

Getting there: Car. Public transport doesn’t realistically work for this one. With kids: Depends entirely on the route. Fine with school-age children who walk; hard with a pram.

7. Lloret de Mar

Lloret’s reputation is nightlife, and it earns it. But the family reason to come is Water World, the aquatic park, which is a genuinely good day out.

If you’re not going to the water park, there are better Costa Brava towns on this list.

Getting there: No train station — bus from Barcelona Nord, about 1 hour 15. Or train to Blanes and a connecting bus. With kids: For the water park, yes. Otherwise skip it.

8. Tossa de Mar

Locals will tell you Tossa is the prettiest town on the Costa Brava and they’re not wrong. The main beach is small enough that you need to arrive early in August. The hidden calas along the coast take a walk to reach and are worth the walk. There’s a walled old town, a castle on the cliff with a restaurant inside it, and some of the best snorkelling on this coast — the water is clear and there are actual colourful fish in it.

Getting there: Bus from Barcelona Nord, about 1 hour 20. No train. With kids: Yes, but go early for the beach and bring water shoes for the calas.

9. Girona

A very colourful city, and close enough on the high-speed train to feel almost like a suburb. The Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants is the monastery that keeps turning up in Game of Thrones, and the cathedral — which took the best part of 800 years to build — has the steps that appear in the same series.

What Girona is really known for is its rivers, its bridges and the row of brightly painted houses hanging over the Onyar.

Getting there: AVE from Barcelona Sants, about 40 minutes. The regional train is cheaper and takes closer to 1 hour 20. With kids: Good. It’s a walking city and compact enough not to wear them out.

10. Tarragona

Roman Tarragona is the draw. The amphitheatre sits above the sea and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Casco Antiguo wraps around it.

Getting there: Regional train from Sants, about an hour. Note the high-speed station, Camp de Tarragona, is well outside the city — the regional train puts you closer. With kids: An amphitheatre is an easier sell than a museum. Works from about six upwards.

11. Salou

A small town that exists, for most visitors, because of PortAventura. You come back full of adrenaline and nothing else about Salou matters much.

Getting there: R16 to PortAventura station, about 1 hour 15 — the station is at the park. With kids: It’s a theme park. Yes, but it’s a full day and probably an overnight.

12. Platja d’Aro

One long main beach plus a string of smaller ones that take a walk to reach. Park Hotel San Jorge has spectacular views over the sea if you want to make it a stay rather than a day.

Getting there: Bus or car, about 1 hour 30. With kids: The main beach is easy. The smaller calas need legs.

13. Calella de Palafrugell

A posh hidden gem — a former fishing village of white houses and arched walkways with very pretty beaches and hills behind. The restaurants specialise in fresh fish and they are expensive. That’s not a complaint, it’s a warning: budget for it or eat before you go.

Getting there: Bus via Palafrugell, or car. Around two hours. With kids: Lovely, but it’s a long way for a beach day and the restaurants aren’t child-priced.

14. Besalú

A medieval village that Instagram found some years ago, and the reason is the bridge — a fortified Romanesque crossing over the Fluvià. Go in autumn or spring. In summer it’s full; out of season it’s quiet and you get the village the way it deserves to be seen.

Getting there: Car, about 1 hour 40. Bus via Girona is possible but slow. With kids: A short visit rather than a day. Pairs well with Figueres.

15. Figueres

Salvador Dalí’s home town, and the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí is the reason you come. It’s not a conventional museum — Dalí designed it himself and it’s closer to a walk-through work than a gallery, which makes it one of the few art museums that genuinely holds children.

There’s also the old town and Sant Ferran Castle, one of the largest fortresses in Europe.

Getting there: AVE to Figueres-Vilafant, about an hour. Or combine with Girona on the regional line. With kids: One of the best art days on this list. Works from about seven.

16. La Molina

A ski resort, and a seasonal one — the hotels and rentals run on the winter calendar. Because it makes artificial snow, the season holds up even in a thin year.

Getting there: R3 train from Sants, about 2 hours 30, or roughly 2 hours by car. With kids: In season, excellent. We’ve done it as a day trip and it works, though it’s a long day. More: our day at La Molina with kids and tips for sledding with kids.

17. Cadaqués

Near the French border and about as far up the Costa Brava as you can go. White houses, clear water, and the road in over the headland is half the experience.

We went in winter. It was windy — genuinely, memorably windy — and it was still marvellous. Which tells you something about how good it is in better weather.

Getting there: Bus or car, around 2 hours 30. With kids: A long drive for a small town. Better as part of a Costa Brava trip than as a day out.

18. Zaragoza

Technically not Catalonia at all — this is Aragón — and 300 km away, which sounds absurd for a day trip until you look at the train.

The Basílica del Pilar sits over the Ebro and is the thing you come for. If you can time it for October, the Fiesta del Pilar fills the city with parades, concerts and fireworks. The rest of the year it’s tapas and watching the canoeists on the river.

Getting there: AVE from Barcelona Sants, about 90 minutes. By car it’s nearer three hours, which is why the train is the answer here. With kids: Surprisingly good, because the travel is fast and the centre is walkable.

19. Delta de l’Ebre

A natural park where the Ebro meets the sea — rice fields, lagoons, wide empty beaches, and thousands of birds including pink flamingos.

It’s flat, strange, and looks like nowhere else in Catalonia.

Getting there: Car, about 2 hours 15. You need one once you’re there too — the park is spread out. With kids: Flamingos sell it. Bring binoculars and insect repellent.

20. Andorra

A separate country, wedged in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, known for skiing and for shopping — the low taxes are the reason the shops are full.

Andorra la Vella, the capital, can be seen in under an hour, which tells you that the city isn’t the point. The mountains are.

Getting there: Bus or car, about three hours each way. With kids: Honestly, don’t do Andorra as a day trip. Six hours in a car for a day is too much. Go for a weekend. More: our weekend in Andorra.

Which ones work without a car?

Four are genuinely easy on public transport: Sitges, Montserrat, Girona and Tarragona. Add Masnou, Pineda de Mar and Salou if you count the coastal Rodalies lines, and Zaragoza and Figueres if you’re willing to take the high-speed train.

Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar have no station but the buses from Barcelona Nord are frequent and fine.

Montseny and the Delta de l’Ebre need a car. So, realistically, do Besalú and Cadaqués — the buses exist but they turn a day trip into an endurance event.

Which ones work with kids?

Under five: Sitges, Masnou, Torrelles. Short journeys, flat ground, sand.

Five to eleven: Montserrat for the rack railway, Figueres for the Dalí museum, Salou for PortAventura, Tarragona for the amphitheatre, Torrelles for the adventure circuits. This is the age that gets the most out of this list.

Teenagers: Girona, Zaragoza, Tossa for the snorkelling, La Molina in winter. Anything with something to actually do.

The ones we’d skip with small children: Cadaqués, Andorra and the Delta — all of them are more car than day.

How many days in Barcelona before you leave it?

If you have three days in Barcelona, spend them in Barcelona. The city has more than three days in it and you’ll resent the train.

Four or five days is where a day trip starts making sense, and the first one should be Montserrat if you’ve never been — it’s the one that’s genuinely unlike anywhere else — or Sitges if you want a low-effort day at the coast.

Related reading

• Barcelona With Kids: Ultimate Family Guide
• Top Places to Visit in Barcelona
• Tossa de Mar beach guide
• Calella de Palafrugell
• Costa Brava best calas and hotels
• Pineda de Mar things to do
• A perfect one-day getaway to Sitges
• Masnou clean beach near Barcelona
• Charming towns of Catalonia: Rupit and Besalú
• Catalunya en Miniatura with kids
• PortAventura with kids and Hotel El Paso review
• Platja d’Aro, diamond of the Costa Brava
• Montseny natural park day trip

Day trips from Barcelona: FAQ

What is the best day trip from Barcelona?

Montserrat, if you have never been — the mountain monastery, the Black Madonna and the rack railway up make it unlike anywhere else within reach of the city. If you want a low-effort day at the coast instead, Sitges is 30 to 40 minutes by train and has more than twenty beaches.

Can you do day trips from Barcelona without a car?

Yes. Sitges (30–40 minutes on the R2 Sud), Montserrat (about an hour on the FGC R5 plus the rack railway), Girona (about 40 minutes on the high-speed train) and Tarragona (about an hour on the regional train) are all easy by train. Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar have no station but are served by frequent buses from Barcelona Nord. Montseny and the Delta de l’Ebre realistically need a car.

How far is Montserrat from Barcelona?

About 50 km. Take the FGC R5 from Plaça Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat, roughly an hour, then either the cremallera rack railway or the Aeri cable car up the mountain. Combined return tickets cost around €30.

What is the best day trip from Barcelona with kids?

Sitges for children under five, because the journey is short and the beaches are shallow and sheltered. For five to eleven, Montserrat for the rack railway or Catalunya en Miniatura at Torrelles de Llobregat. Cadaqués, Andorra and the Delta de l’Ebre involve too much driving to work as day trips with small children.

How many days should you spend in Barcelona before taking a day trip?

At least four. Barcelona has more than three days of sights in it, so on a shorter trip a day out of the city usually costs you more than it gains. From four or five days, a day trip starts to make sense.

Can you visit Girona and Figueres in one day?

Yes. They are on the same line north, Girona is about 40 minutes from Barcelona on the high-speed train, and Figueres is a short hop beyond it. Doing both makes a full day and covers a medieval city and the Dalí Theatre-Museum.