My husband and I are considering going to Barcelona but don't want to be in a city the whole time. Are there charming, beautiful towns or villages nearby for daytrips or within a couple of hours drive that can be recommended?
Thanks!

One location you might consider is Montserrat. It can be easily done by public transport (rail) or car.

I'm sort of a Montserrat naysayer, havign found it boring.

I adore Girona and the villages in that area, so if you rent a car, that is a good way to head. If you are traveling by train, though, take it from BCN to Girona and stay there. It is really a fabulous place with a beautiful casco antiguo, an old Jewish Quarter, cathedral, and good vibes all around.

When are you going? Perhaps if it is a summer trip you will want to go somewhere on the beach. In that case, I would head to Castelldefels, which is really near Barcelona, or even Tarragona.

Unlike a poster above, I liked Monserrat. Many seem to do. I also liked Girona and Sitges.

TTT

I too liked Monserrat. We enjoyed the ride there (bus). It had been foggy in the morning, so we were amazed at the sight of the mountains as it cleared. Also, we were lucky that when we arrived they were having some sort of festival with larger than life puppets or dolls.

Monica

Thank you for all of the great advice. What if we did a drive up the coast and ended up in Southern France? Has anyone done this? Is there a cute town in France you end up? If we did this, what airport should we fly out of?
Thanks again for any advice!

If you are <b>driving</b> into France I suggest you plan to drive back to Spain to fly out unless you want a possible hefty drop-off charge for the rental car.

sitges was a total highlight of the trip! we went just for the day. if you can, it's wonderful. i was there in the off season. i can only imagine how packed it is in the summer, if that's when your going.

Great point about the rental car!
I wonder how long the trip is. I know the mileage, but with the roads it's probably a long drive.

Thanks for the advice on Sitges!

Figueras, where the House-Museum of Salvador Dal&iacute; is The city is nice but the museum is fabulous.

Sitges is lovely - possibly boring, but in a relaxing sort of way - much more relaxing than the beach in Barcelona. If you like cava (and who couldn't?) Sant Sadurni d'Anoia is a nice half day trip.

Hi JES:
The trip from Barcelona to the area around Agde took us about 3 hours and that was with a diversion through Perpignan because of an accident. The toll motorway extends from France into Spain and it is fast and good. It takes you through the Pyrenees in no time.
The car rental return should be done in Spain as another poster mentioned to avoid a high drop fee. There are lots of places just over the border into France you can explore in a day or two.
If you want to stay in Spain though there are tons of things to do. My number one favourite thing to do is take the train from Barcelona to Ribes de Freser then a connecting cogwheel train from there up to the Vall de Nuria. It's a heavenly place in the mountains complete with a historic hotel, great hikes or walks, fabulous views and great ambience.
Stay overnight for the best experience. The hotel offers full or half board and the meals while not gourmet were very good.
The trains leave several times a day from Barcelona. Or if you like to drive, forget the train from Barcelona and drive up to Ribes de Freser where you can leave your car right at the train station and then just hop on the cogwheel train. (in high season you should pre book the train and hotel)
The drive upfrom BCN is lovely. There are several routes you can take some of them a bit hair raising through the mountains others just plain beautiful.
Sticking close to Barcelona check out Tossa de Mar,or follow the Dali trail through Figueres, Pubol, Cadaques and Port Lligat. Drive the coast road from Tossa de Mar to St Feliu de Guixols for a fabulous drive high above the Med. Check out Tarragona and the surrounding areas and all the other suggestions from the other posters especially Girona and the cava houses in St Sadurni d'Anoia.
You don't say how long you will be in BCN but you could spend all your time out of the city and be busy for weeks.
enjoy!

Keldar...and everyone, thank you for all of your wonderful suggestions!

Drive through Vic to Besalu and Rupit which are two of the prettiest towns I have seen in Spain. Pals is also lovely. We did an overnight trip from Barcelona to these towns and then on to Cadaques where we spent one night. I only wish we had spent more time in this area; it is on my list of places to return to soon.