8 Best Day Trips from Barcelona: Beaches, Mountains & Medieval Towns

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I love Barcelona, but some of my favorite days there involved actually leaving it. The city is dense and urban, but within 1-2 hours you can completely change your environment. I’m talking medieval streets, whitewashed Mediterranean towns, mountain monasteries, volcanic villages, and more.

These are the parts of Spain that most people who visit Barcelona miss, so if you’re planning a longer trip or living in the city, here are 8 of my favorite day trips from Barcelona, Spain.

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Best for: People who want a little of everything
How to get there: Car, bus, or tour from Barcelona

The first Barcelona day trip on my list is 📍Tossa de Mar, one of my personal favorites. Only about an hour and a half from Barcelona, it has this beautiful mix of sandy beaches, rocky coves, and a historic medieval old town that makes the day feel both relaxing and adventurous.

I loved wandering the cobblestone streets of the city, climbing past old stone walls and towers, then heading higher for panoramic views over the town and coastline. The scenery feels dramatic from above, with turquoise water, little coves, and the old fortress rising right beside the sea.

Tossa is also a great choice for the adventurous type. You can snorkel, scuba dive, kayak, or paddleboard (which is what I did) along the coast.

For me, Tossa de Mar is one of the best all-around coastal day trips from Barcelona. To get here you can drive or take a bus. If you don’t want to deal with transportation this Costa Brava day trip from Barcelona is the option I’d look at.

Best for: Dramatic scenery, religion, culture, & hiking
How to get there: Train, tour, or rental car

Next up on this list is a Montserrat day trip from Barcelona. Montserrat isn’t simply a monastery, and it isn’t simply a hiking spot either. It’s this dramatic destination where huge, rounded rock formations rise above a centuries-old monastery etched into the side of the mountain.

I love this day trip because it gives you a mix of outdoor adventure, Catalan culture, and religious history. You can explore the monastery, step inside the basilica to see the Black Madonna, then head higher into the mountains for a completely different view of the complex below. I took the funicular up and followed trails that passed smaller chapels and viewpoints, and seeing the monastery from above really put the scale of the landscape into perspective.

I did both the monastery and hiking, but I wouldn’t treat Montserrat like a checklist. Lines around the monastery, especially if you want to see the Black Madonna, can take more time than you expect. Decide which side of Montserrat matters most to you, then treat anything extra as a bonus.

You can get here on your own by public transportation or by driving, but if you’d rather not figure out logistics on your own organized tours are also available.

Best for: History, architecture, wandering
How to get there: Train or rental car

Want to feel like you stepped back through time, but without the Gothic Quarter crowds? Go checkout 📍Girona, a Medieval city just 45 minutes north of Barcelona by train.

What I like about Girona is that it feels bigger and more varied than some of the smaller towns on this list. Parts of the city feel modern and completely livable, but once you enter the historic center, the atmosphere changes. Cars disappear, the streets narrow, and suddenly you’re wandering over old stone pathways, through shadowy alleys and up staircases surrounded by centuries-old buildings.

One of my favorite things to do was walk along Girona’s old city walls, where you get views over the historic rooftops, church towers, and the newer city beyond. I also enjoy wandering the narrow streets around the cathedral and seeing the colorful buildings along the Onyar River, which give Girona a completely different look from its medieval center. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you may recognize parts of the old city too, since several scenes were filmed here.

Best for: Slow travel, photographers, couples
How to get there: Car

About a 2.5-hour drive from Barcelona is 📍Cadaqués, another gem along the Costa Brava. Known for its picturesque white buildings overlooking the Mediterranean, there’s something about this beautiful little town that reminds me of the Greek islands. It has bright blue water, whitewashed buildings, and narrow streets that feel almost dreamlike.

In contrast to Tossa de Mar, Cadaqués has more of a relaxed vibe. I loved wandering without much of a plan, exploring little alleyways, popping into boutique shops, stopping for lunch and ice cream, and taking an absurd amount of photos along the way.

For me, this city is the kind of place where simply wandering around is part of the experience. If Tossa is where I’d go for activity and adventure, Cadaqués is where I’d go to slow down and soak in the scenery.

Best for: Greenery, hiking, natural pools
How to get there: Car

After spending time in Barcelona’s dense, urban environment, 📍Les Planes d’Hostoles feels like a complete reset. This part of La Garrotxa is filled with forest trails, small waterfalls, and clear natural swimming holes tucked into the landscape.

I loved how peaceful it felt to hike beneath the trees and come across little pools of water along the way. At one point I remember dragonflies hovering over the water, which made the whole place feel almost magical. It was less about reaching one big viewpoint and more about slowing down, walking through the greenery, and stopping whenever somewhere looked beautiful enough to sit for a while.

If you’re craving a nature escape from Barcelona, especially somewhere lush and quiet, this is one of the places I’d recommend.

Best for: Strolling cute towns, shopping, and beach day
How to get there: Train

Sitges is one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in Barcelona, and getting here is a suepr easy 40 minute train raid. With its beautiful waterfront and the 📍Church of Sant Bartomeu rising above the sea, it feels vibrant without being overwhelming. You’ve got beaches, narrow stone streets, boutique shops, cafés, bars, and restaurants all packed into a very walkable center.

I’ve come here more than once just to wander, shop, spend time at the beach, and stop for food or drinks along the waterfront. There are also some lovely rooftop spots where you can grab a cocktail and take in views over the town and sea.

Sitges is also known for its strong LGBTQ+ community and lively social scene, which gives it a fun, open atmosphere. If you want an easy coastal escape with plenty to do beyond the beach, Sitges is one of the best options.

Best for: Countryside, photography, scenic road trips
How to get there: Car

If you want something that feels completely different from Barcelona, Castellfollit de la Roca is one of the most unusual places on this list. This tiny village in La Garrotxa is built on top of a giant cliff formed by ancient lava flows, with old stone houses and a church perched high above the valley below.

Castellfollit de la Roca feels truly epic. The narrow stone streets already feel like something out of a movie, but once you reach the 📍Església Vella, the church at the edge of town, the setting really hits you. Deep green valleys fall away on either side, and the village feels almost almost surreal, suspended high above the landscape.

Castellfollit itself is small, so I’d combine it with a longer day exploring La Garrotxa, where you can hike and stop in small historic villages along the way. This is also one of the day trips from Barcelona where I’d recommend having a car so you can move around freely and make a few scenic stops.

Best for: Swimming, sun, doing very little
How to get there: Train

If anyone tells you they went to Barcelona for the beaches, they’re lying. Maybe that’s harsh, but if I’m honest, the city beaches are definitely not my favorite. In summer they’re crowded with tourists, and the sand isn’t entirely natural either; Barcelona regularly replenishes parts of its coastline with added sand.

Which is why my next suggestion for a day trip from Barcelona is simple: take a proper beach day farther down the coast.Two beaches I enjoy going to in the summer are 📍Platja de Gavà and 📍Castelldefels. They feel calmer, more spacious, and you’ll generally find more locals mixed in than at the busy beaches around central Barcelona.

This isn’t really a sightseeing day trip. Bring a towel, go for a swim, grab lunch nearby, and spend a few hours doing absolutely nothing. For me, it’s the better option when I want the Mediterranean without the Barceloneta chaos.

If you don’t want to rent a car, some of the easiest day trips from Barcelona by train are Girona, Sitges, and Montserrat.

Girona: The AVE (high-speed trains) leave from the Barcelona Sants Station, making this one of the quickest and easiest rail trips from the city.

Sitges: The Rodalies train will take you directly to Sitges from Barcelona. What’s great is that you can catch it from multiple stations in the city: Barcelona Sants, Passeig de Gràcia, and Estació de França.

Montserrat: The FGC R5 train leaves from Plaça Espanya toward Manresa. From there, you’ll need to take one more mode of transportation, a cable car or the rack railway up the mountain.

For the other destinations on this list, I’d personally favor a car rather than trying to piece together multiple train and bus connections.

One of the things I loved most about living in Barcelona was how easy it was to completely change scenery for a day. You can go from crowded city streets to medieval villages, mountain trails, quiet beaches, or waterfall-filled forests in just a few hours.

There isn’t one “best” day trip from Barcelona, it really depends on what you’re craving. If you want history, head to Girona. For beaches and adventure, I’d choose Tossa de Mar. If you want mountains and culture, Montserrat is hard to beat. And if you’re simply craving somewhere green and peaceful, head toward La Garrotxa.