Hi All,
I will be in Barcelona from 12/3-12/8. Not a very long trip and I want to spend most of it in the city. I am thinking of taking one day trip but don't know where to go. I am considering Montserrat or possibly Girona and/or Cadaques. I am interested in scenery, architecture, shopping and local culture. I am a single female traveller and love a little adventure. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Also, any insights on great things to do while in Barcelona would be great. Thanks!!

With the days being short, I would stick to some place within a couple of hours travel time by train, if you are not driving, Girona and Vic sound good. If you want to rent a car, then there are a lot more possibilities.

Have you looked at Maribel's Guide to Barcelona? It might help.

Thank you Robert, I have started reading Maribel's Guide. It's very good. Definitely not renting a car.

"scenery, architecture, shopping and local culture. I am a single female traveller and love a little adventure"

Montserrat is a one-pony trick of the monastery, not a very attractive one but with views on a clear day. The cable car ride there would be the adventure, but it doesn't sound like what you are looking for overall, and it might be too cold to hike.

I love Vic, but suggest you not follow the recommendations of guides that tell you to go on its market day, which makes it much harder to see the beautiful architecture of the Plaza Mayor. There are plenty of wonderful shops in Vic for shopping. You don't need to go on market day. In addition, the Episcopal Museum there is stunning and not to be missed if you are interested in Catalonia and its art and history, so the town can be enjoyed even when it is cold or somewhat rainy.

I enjoy Girona too, although it is less compact to tour and more touristy around its cathedral. There is a great treasure inside the cathedral museum, The Tapestry of Creation..

I'm going to add Tarragona to the suggestions but confess upfront I've always wanted to go, but haven't been yet.

http://gospain.about.com/od/catalonia/qt/tarragona.htm

And further, I'm going to add Reus, another place I've always wanted to go because of all the modernist architecture there.

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

http://www.reus-tourist-guide.com/

I think the way I would approach this is, once In Barcelona, if I still wanted a day trip, I'd pick on the basis of mood. If I wanted more education in Catalonian art and history and to see a smaller town, I'd head for Vic. If I wanted the birthplace of Gaudi and more architecture by Domenich i Montaner, I'd spring for off-the-radar Reus. If I wanted something spectacularly Spanish and Moorish -- not Catalonian -- I'd go for Girona. If thought I'd enjoy history and Roman ruins, Tarragona. And if I simply wanted to rest my eyes on nature and scenery, I'd bundle up and go for a hike in Montserrat.

Have a great time!

There are so many great suggestions here it is hard to choose. Girona, Vic and Tarragona are all wonderful places just to walk around and absorb. I would choose one of these over Monserrat or Cadaques.

The cathedral in Girona is stunning and the Tapestry of the Creation that Zeppole mentioned... I just could not take my eyes off it. Girona also has a great walk on the old city wall (amazing views) and lots of great cafes scattered around.

Other than that I agree with Zeppole about your "mood" and where it should take you. Your mood may not want you to leave Barcelona. And all these other places can be done on another trip when you have more time. They are soooo worth it.

Zeppole, Thanks for the suggestion of Reus. We'll be in BCN again in March and while I'm not interested in Tarragona, Reus sounds quite worth a day trip.

Sure! Please post if you go. I'm quite curious.

If you are into art, perhaps check out Figueres, about a 2 hour train ride north. Visit the Salvador Dali museum, and don't forget his jewelry collection which was a terrific surprise to us. This stop was one of DW's most talked about sites during our recent trip.

Trains run about hourly, and not too expensive. The museum is a 10 minute walk up from the train station. We left Barcelona about 10, lunched at a hotel restaurant at the top of the Rambla in Figueres. After a liesurely viewing of the museum and the jewelry collection, we were back on the train about 5 ish, as I recall, in Barcelona for dinner.

If I had to choose only one daytrip from Barcelona I'd choose Girona. It's a lovely medieval city with a compact old quarter and some excellent restaurants.

Thanks for your replies. I am leaving in about 3 hours and am very excited to see Barcelona. Looks like the weather will be lovely, much warmer than NYC right now.

We are going in January and plan to try to see Figueres and Cadaques in one Dali day. Alas, I am having a hard time finding train and bus schedules (perhaps they are not posted for next year yet, or perhaps service is reduced in low season), so I plan to stop in the tourist office shortly after arrival and seek their guidance. Note that you need an advance reservation for Dali's house in Cadaques.