Day trip from Barcelona
 

Hello!
My wife and I will be travelling to Barcelona for 5 days in December and I'd like to pop a day trip into our schedule. We really don't have a set schedule for our trip as to what day we are going to see the sites, we're just goign to walk around and see all the sites as we get to them, making sure to soak up the lifestyle. We're staying in an apartment and do not wish to stay overnight wherever we end up going. Ideally we would like to get some inexpensive train tickets and visit a city 1-2 hours ride outside of Barcelona. Just looking for some suggestions for places to visit that offer unique experiences and beautiful landscapes.

Also, this is the first international trip I've planned without the assistance of an agent so I would definitely appreciate insight into train tickets and where/how to get the best prices. I've tried looking up train schedules and prices but they didn't seem to be posted when I was looking...Anybody have experience with this? What are prices you've paid in the past?


Thanks for all the help!

Montserrat Shrine, Spain
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/s...rrat-shrineJan 19, 2010 – Montserrat Shrine: History, description, photos and visitor information

Montserrat, one of Europe's primo pilgrimage places for Catholics sits about an hour out of Barcelona by suburban train - from the train station you take a lift up to the high-up perched on a mountain top Montserrat shrine - with ornate church and the much venerated Black Madonna statue inside it - there are hiking trails along a Path of the Cross and the monks here are known for brewing up a really potent brew you can sample and buy.

Stunning setting.

Oh the train fare there should only be several euros or so - really cheap.

Sitges

http://www.virtourist.com/europe/sitges/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitges

Palenq, would you choose this over Girona and Figueres even if there is no interest in making a religious pilgrimage?

If no interest in seeing a shrine par excellence (regardless of religious fervor) then no I would go to Girona or Figueres - Figueras is not much of a city so you go there only IMO for the Dali museum.

Girona is a wonderful old-world city IMO

Girona is a lovely city only an hour from Barcelona.
check
http://www.renfe.com/
for times and prices.

p.s
Posted 60 days ahead of desired date. Not before,

Train fare to Girona should be minimal especially if you take the regional trains - anyway if your Q is will it break the bank no it will not - prices now posted for full fare at least will be the same as after 60 days.

we are thinking of doing Girona and Figueres on a day trip with Julia Tours. Any opinions of this vs. going alone, besides cost?

My favorite daytrip would be Girona followed by Tarragona (if you like Roman ruins this would be it) and then Vic. These are 3 very different cities.

It really depends on your interests what would make the best daytrip for you.

Thanks for all the responses! just now about 60 days away from our trip so hopefully i can find some rates and times. I'll post if i can find anything good.

I visited Sitges last week...Lovely walk by the( long) beach on a warm day.
Nothing much else oF great interest.

Hello Stuart, I'm happy for you to be visiting a most incredible city -- and surrounding area. The advice to go to Montserrat and Sitges is excellent. Montserrat can't be described -- the mile-high chunks of rocky mountain surround you on the drive up and then the lush setting of the monastery. It's a great choice for a tour.
But what I really want to tell you about is Vilafranca del Penedes. Take the regional train to this wine-country capital 40 kilometers outside of Barcelona. Walk north from the train station to the city center -- about 6 blocks. The old city, (look for the close-together and concentrated streets on a map),invites you to browse, shop in wonderful bakeries and meat shops or for trendy Catalonian fashions. Families there are plentiful and sweet. Saturday mornings is the open-air market wonderful for yummies or people-watching. The old city is pedestrian only and charming beyond compare. Choose just about any restaurant and you'll enjoy Menu del Dia -- the middle of the day dinner -- with four courses and wine for 10- 14 euros. (Enjoy this all over Spain, including Barcelona). Take a winery tour to Frexinet or Cordoniu from Vilafranca. Check out the visitor's center in the center of the old city for details. They take their siesta very seriously and all the doors close and the streets are deserted from 3 until 6:30. Staying for the evening is highly recommended as Spanish locals love their nights in the city square. Get roasted chestnuts from a street vendor or have a drink with lively Spaniards. Love them! Walking back to train station late is safe as can be -- you'll still be sharing the streets with parents pushing strollers and parents walking their kids home from a basketball game. What a great city.
I wish you a safe and wonderful trip!

I enjoyed Sitges a lot even though it is a fairly modern seaside resort but I love seaside resorts - it is also one of the Gay Travel meccas in Europe so do not be shy about same sex couples showing affection like I saw right on the train platform at Sitges' station.

Congratulations on your choice to not have a set schedule, walk around, enjoy yourself and soak up the culture. That's the way to do it in Spain! Does anyone think Tarragona is a good daytrip? I thought the Roman ruins were pretty interesting.

bookmarking

I vote for Girona. Wonderful old city; the old quarter is amazing. Can walk on top of the old wall that surrounds the city. Loved the cathedral & art museum. Great outdoor market where we bought goodies for lunch.

When we were in Barcelona last May, we took day trips to Tossa de Mar and Figueres and we enjoyed both.

Tossa de Mar has a fortified medieval old town (google it for pictures). We were told the town is invaded by tourists during the summer months, but since you are travelling in December that shouldn't be a problem. May was beautiful by the way, and the drive Barcelona - Tossa was scenic. The train follows the coast line - should be scenic also.

We had planned to combine the Figueres trip with a stop in Cadaqués by the coast, but got started to late in the morning and spent to much time in the Dali museum to have time for Cadaqués. We all enjoyed the Dali museum, but felt it was a long drive from Barcelona "just" to visit a museum.

good luck with the planning!

When we were in Barcelona we did a day trip to Montserrat. It is an awesome sight. Another day we took a bus tour that combined Girona and Figueres. It was a very interesting day. As for trains we had trouble navigating the train schedule from here, so ended up buying our train tickets there. Went to the department store travel section and they took care of our needs. (We trained from Cordoba to Toledo and later from Toledo to Madrid.)