Help with Barcelona, Catalonia itinerary this winter
 

I need some input from experts of this area! I'm trying to finalize our itinerary for 2 weeks over Christmas and New Years. I don't like to always be hopping around, but we want to venture outside of Barcelona by train and/or car to see some of the countryside and smaller towns. The challenge, i think, is the fact that Christmas and New Years fall in the middle of the weeks that we are traveling and I'm guessing that it is best to be in Barcelona over those days as there is more activity. I did do some checking and there are some things open on the holidays in Barcelona that we can visit, if we plan properly.

So here is a rough idea of an itinerary.

Our flight is already booked. We fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona. This was because we initially thought we were going to meet our daughter in Cordoba first, but that has since changed. We have been to Madrid before, but will stay there a couple of nights to hit a couple of places that we want to return to.

Dec 21: Arrive in Madrid early am
Dec. 22: Madrid
Dec. 23: Train to Barcelona, arrive 1:30pm
Dec. 24 Barcelona
Dec. 25 Barcelona
Dec. 26 Train to Tarragona in am. Explore Tarragona then rent car and drive to Els Guiamets, staying at Hotel Rural Cal Torner
Dec. 27 Els Guiamets -- wine tasting in Priorat
Dec. 28 Drive back to Tarragona, train to Girona; arrive Girona 1:30p
Dec. 29 Girona
Dec. 30 Girona and environs (rent car and drive around, possibly Cadiques, etc or up into mountains)
Dec. 31 Train to Barcelona
Jan. 1 Barcelona
Jan. 2 Barcelona
Jan. 3 Barcelona
Jan. 4 early am fly home

Am i trying to do too much? We don't have to be in Barcelona during both holidays if you think there is another place we should be that would make the trip flow better. Should i throw somthing out? Maybe just a day trip to Girona? However, we would like to drive some and see some of the coast. I know my husband would like to so the wine visit, if at all possible, but I don't want to feel like we are always on the move.....

I welcome any input people may have.

I would also like input re: recommended restaurants for Dec 24, 25, 31 and Jan 1. Many are closed and I would like to hear what others have done or would recommend.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Have you already researched renting a car in Tarragona? The reason I ask is, I recently rented a car there and it was a bit of a fiasco.. it is better to rent at the Reus airport. So maybe it is better in your case, to rent a car at Barcelona airport and drive down to Tarragona.

You might also consider staying in Tarragona for a couple of days with a day trip into the wine country. There is a wine shop called Vino Vi in Tarragona that does wine tours in the Priorat. https://vino-vi.com/

New Years Eve in Barcelona sounds pretty awesome!

Based on some feedback, we are thinking of adding Valencia to the mix. So does an itinerary like this make sense?
Dec 21. Madrid
Dec. 22 Madrid
Dec 23 train to Valencia
Dec 24.Valencia
Dec. 25 Valencia
Dec. 26 Train Tarragona. Rental car to EL Guiamets
Dec. 27 Els Guiamets
Dec 28 Els Guiamets
Dec 29 Tarragona. Train to BCN
Dec. 30 BCN
Dec 31. BCN
Jan 1. BCN
Jan 2. BCN
Jan 3 BCN
Jan 4 fly home

I really would like to go to Girona and I guess we could do it as a day trip from BCN. But I thought it would be nice to rent a car out of Girona and drive to some of the smaller towns in Northern catalonia as well. Is there something I should cut out and do Northern Catalonia or is this itinerary best?

Girona as a day trip from Barcelona is very doable. But you won't have time to visit Girona, rent a car, drive somewhere else and take a train back to Barcelona on the same day. Days are short in December, it will be dark by 5 pm.

I love, love Valencia... a beautiful city with great beaches ( often
overlooked by visitors to Spain) Only1:40 by AVE from Madrid.
You might wish to investigate closing around Christmas and New Years

I'm from Barcelona and really know about Catalonia area. I think Girona is much better than Valencia.
Girona city is amazing, with a lot of history, charming ambient and good food. But Girona's area is also highly recommended. I suggest all the Costa Brava (with beautiful beaches and amazing towns like Cadaqués, Tossa de Mar, etc.), the Pirineus (the mountains between Catalonia and France with nature and typical villages), Figueres (with the Dali's museum) and beautiful towns like Besalú, Camprodon, etc... Google it or get more info about the area in http://www.costabrava.org/

Another tip: If you like the wine culture, you can visit another wineyards and wine producers zones like Penedés (about 30m from Barcelona by car).

Christmas and New Years can be tricky and expensive. It's high season and most restaurants will be closed on Christmas and New Years Day. As far as visiting bodegas during this time, you'll have to check to see which ones will be open. Most are closed for the holidays.