Hiking in the Pyrenees - day trip from Barcelona, no car
 

Is it even possible??

My husband and I will be in Barcelona in a couple of weeks and would love to take a day trip up in to the Pyrenees to do a bit of hiking. We won't have a car - is there somewhere that would be accessible by train or bus?

If we do decide to rent a car (stressing that we most likely won't) and can get anywhere, where would you recommend for the best hiking? We're both fit people and have completed moderately difficult (10+ hours, significant elevation changes) hikes in the White Mountains in the US before.

Any feedback would be appreciated - we really want to try to get a good hike in!

Thank you,
Sarah

Getting all the way up into the Pyrenees without a car can be difficult, but you can take the train up to Vic for the day, or take a day-trip from Barcelona with Spanish Trails, something like their: Cliffs & Coves: Hiking the Costa Brava.

Never been up there, but Vall de Nuria seems easy to reach by train (and only by train).
http://www.valldenuria.com/website_v.../eng/index.asp
But not sure if it's worth while to spend that much time on the trains.

But as long as you don't mind the warmer temps in lower elevations, you can also do some hiking in closer distance to Barcelona, e.g. in the Collserola mountains, Montseny or Montserrat:
http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/parcsnaturals/
http://www.parcnaturalcollserola.cat/
http://parcs.diba.cat/web/montseny

You don't have to go all the way to the Pyrenees for some spectacular scenery - Montserrat is easy to get to in an hour from Barcelona by train (many people do, although we had a car) and there are trails from the top of the Saint Joan funicular. The walks aren't strenuous all day hikes, but you can take a picnic lunch, take your time, and be back in Barcelona for some more tapas without being exhausted. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecc...57634757873804