Day Trips and Excursions from Barcelona

Although you could spend days and days touring Barcelona and visiting its monuments and iconic buildings, you would be missing out on some of what makes Catalonia such a beautiful place. A visit to the Costa Brava will enrich your trip even more.

The villages of the Costa Brava are undoubtedly some of the most beautiful places on the Iberian Peninsula. Even Dalí himself said that Cadaqués was the most beautiful village in the world, and although he was perhaps being somewhat impartial, its beauty is undeniable.

Similarly, the villages you will visit on this day trip to the Costa Brava are worthy of admiration, both for their visual representation of Mediterranean aesthetics and for their historical interest. Especially in the village of Pals, whose medieval legacy can still be visited today.

Going even deeper into history, you can also visit the Greek and Roman ruins of Ampurias, which are worth a visit both for their size and their good preservation. This excursion includes a boat trip of about an hour and a half along the beach of Estartit, a relaxing and perfect experience for a summer day.

Duration: 9 hoursRecommended: If you want to visit the coast of Catalonia and discover its villages in a single day.

What you will see

• Calella de Palafrugell
• The Ronda Way
• Llafranc
• Pals
• Estartit
• Ruins of Ampurias

If there is one product that has earned its fame in Catalonia, it is the one that comes from its vineyards. Catalan sparkling wines have no borders and since you have such a prized wine region just over half an hour from Barcelona, it's well worth a visit to the Penedés with wine tasting.

This is a guided tour to two wineries in the Penedés with wine tasting included in each, with an aperitif of tapas and transfer to and from the winery. During the excursion both your guide and the hosts at each winery will guide you through the tasting process after teaching you about the winemaking process and the treatment of the vineyards, making this a very complete experience if you are passionate about wine.

Duration: 7 hours 30 minutesRecommended: If you are interested in discovering the wine region of Barcelona and enjoy a day of wine tasting.

Another must-do excursion on your trip to Barcelona is the one that takes you to the Spanish Pyrenees. On this guided tour you'll discover mountain villages such as Vic, Queralbs and the Nuria Valley, which you'll travel through on a rack railway train that takes you right to the top.

On this trip to the mountain range, a tour guide accompanies you in a small group for a more personalised service and tells you the historical details of the places you will visit.

Duration: 11 hoursRecommended: If you like the mountains and don't want to miss the impressive landscapes of the Pyrenean villages.

If you are in Barcelona for a few days and you also want to get to know its culture, don't forget to visit popular places like Tarragona and Sitges. On this excursion, which combines visits to these two very different places, you can experience the duality of Tarragona, a Roman city of great antiquity and historical wealth, and the leisure activities of the tourist town of Sitges.

After strolling among monuments of such cultural value as the Devil's Bridge or the Amphitheatre and the Roman Forum of Tarragona with a local guide who will tell you the details of every corner of the city, you will have the opportunity to discover and enjoy in a relaxed way the beaches of a town with a great tourist atmosphere like Sitges.

Duration: 10 hours and a halfRecommended: If you like to move around in different environments and get to know two opposite but essential places on the outskirts of Barcelona.

If spending a whole day at an amusement park is the perfect plan for you, don't think twice: PortAventura is one of the biggest in Europe and its most famous attractions are an adrenaline rush. The park is thematically designed and divided into zones, inspired by the Mediterranean, China, Polynesia, the Far West and Mexico.

Within each zone, you have attractions such as Furius Baco, a roller coaster that will put you at 135 kilometres per hour in three seconds, the Shambala, a giant roller coaster in which you will have the sensation of your seat shooting out, the classic Dragon Khan that for a long time was the star of the PortAventura poster, the Hurakan Condor, a shuttle that will throw you into the void from a height of 100 metres.

In addition to the attractions, a large part of PortAventura's appeal is its shows inspired by the traditions of each of its areas. If you're travelling to Barcelona with children, this is the excursion I recommend.

Duration: 12 hoursRecommended: If you're travelling to Barcelona with children or you love amusement parks.

Spending a whole day shopping can be the best way to unwind after so much sightseeing in Barcelona, and the best way to do that is to visit the city's brand-name outlet, La Roca Village7.

This is an open-air shopping centre in the style of American outlets, with premium brand shops and a few restaurants and cafés where you can stop for a break. At La Roca Village you can find almost any shop you can think of: Bimba y Lola, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Desigual, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Karl Lagerfeld, Loewe, Prada... and also cosmetics and casual wear shops such as Vans, UGG or The North Face.

You can choose a simple transfer to the outlet in Barcelona or choose a premium experience with discounts and lunch included. In either case, a bus will drop you off at La Roca Village in the morning and pick you up at the end of your shopping day to take you back to Barcelona.

Duration: 7 hoursRecommended: If you're spending more than five days in Barcelona or can't resist a shopping haul.

Alex's Traveller Tip

I recommend taking a tour from Barcelona if you're going to be in the city for four days or more, to make sure you see all the sights on your trip.

Not every month of the year is the ideal time to take a trip to Barcelona, especially when it comes to the Costa Brava. However, to help you decide between one excursion and another, here are the best times for each excursion throughout the year:

Excursion to the Costa Brava

The best time to visit the Costa Brava is from May to October, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 27 ºC, and days of splendid sunshine with few exceptions, which will offer you the most beautiful views of the coastal towns and the Mediterranean Sea.

Excursion to the Penedès

Almost any time of the year is a good time to take a wine tasting trip to the Penedès, but I would say the best time would be during the grape harvest, between the end of August and September, as you can explore the wine harvesting and winemaking process first-hand.

Excursion to PortAventura

Logically, the best time to visit an amusement park is during the week if possible. The best time of year to go to PortAventura is between the end of June and the end of July. The park is open until midnight and you can see one of its most famous shows, the one in the Mediterranea area.

The trick for PortAventura is to go at the change of fortnight, for example, on the 1st, 15th or 30th of July, so you avoid the large crowds of tourists from both inside and outside Spain.

As a general advice, the earlier you can get up early to make an excursion from Barcelona, the more you will enjoy a day without crowds and the more you will be able to visit in peace and quiet. If you go on a weekday excursion, you will usually find cheaper set menus in restaurants than on weekdays, when they may not even offer this option and only let you order à la carte.

As a rule, you should take a rucksack with sun cream, a bottle of water and something to snack on on any excursion. This way you will avoid having to buy any of these things at the last minute and in the tourist area where you will be charged unappetising prices. Similarly, comfortable shoes are always a good idea.

Also, I recommend paying as much as you can by card but carry some cash with you. Most restaurants and shops will accept credit cards, Barcelona and the surrounding area is very tourist-friendly.

If you've run out of things to do from Barcelona, don't worry, there are more! To enjoy Dalí's art in person, you can take a trip to the Dalí Museum in Figueras and visit Girona or the villages of the Costa Brava in a day trip experience. See all the details in my guide on Figueres and Salvador Dalí Museum Day Trips from Barcelona.

On the other hand, one of the excursions from Barcelona that I consider a must is the excursion to Montserrat, where you will climb the mountain, discover its monastery and museum and enjoy spectacular views of Barcelona from the top. You can read my guide about Montserrat Day Trips from Barcelona here.

Or you might be interested in this 3 countries in 1 day trip from Barcelona (France, Andorra and Spain), a unique opportunity to make the most of your trip to Barcelona.