A weekend or a day from Barcelona
Day trips from Barcelona
The Costa Brava, medieval stone villages, Roman cities, the Pyrenees and Andorra a few hours away: ideas for a weekend break or a day trip from Barcelona.
Updated 19 October 2026 · How we make our guides
The Costa Brava and the coast
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SpainCadaqués
Dalí’s whitewashed village beside Cap de Creus, with his house-museum at Portlligat a short walk away.
What to see in Cadaqués -
SpainTossa de Mar
The walled Vila Vella above a clear-water beach, one of the most photogenic villages on the coast.
What to see in Tossa de Mar -
SpainCalella de Palafrugell
Boats on the sand, white houses with arches and coastal paths between coves.
What to see in Calella de Palafrugell -
SpainSitges
Beaches, the mansions of returning emigrants, the carnival and the film festival, half an hour away by train.
What to see in Sitges
Cities and towns steeped in history
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SpainGirona
The Jewish quarter, the cathedral and the colourful houses above the Onyar, less than an hour away by train.
What to see in Girona -
SpainFigueres
The Dalí Theatre-Museum, the most surreal museum in Spain, and Sant Ferran Castle.
What to see in Figueres -
SpainBesalú
A fortified Romanesque bridge and an almost intact medieval village, at the gateway to the volcanic Garrotxa.
What to see in Besalú -
SpainTarragona
A Roman amphitheatre, circus and walls facing the Mediterranean, with a beach next door.
What to see in Tarragona -
SpainLleida
The Seu Vella watching over the city from above: little known and very beautiful.
What to see in Lleida
Mountains and the Pyrenees
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AndorraAndorra la Vella
Shopping, the Caldea spa in neighbouring Escaldes, snow in winter and hiking in summer, about three hours away.
What to see in Andorra la Vella -
AndorraCanillo
The gateway to Grandvalira for skiing and the Roc del Quer viewpoint, hanging over the valley.
What to see in Canillo -
SpainAlquézar
A village perched above the Vero river canyon, with walkways and canyoning in the Sierra de Guara.
What to see in Alquézar -
SpainOrdesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Waterfalls, beech forests and huge rock walls in the oldest national park in the Pyrenees.
What to see in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
A little further afield
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FranceCarcassonne
France’s most famous walled medieval city, with its fairy-tale towers, about three hours away.
What to see in Carcassonne -
SpainPeñíscola
The castle of Pope Luna on a peninsula jutting into the sea, in Castellón.
What to see in Peñíscola -
SpainMorella
A walled town high on a mountain inland in Castellón, with its castle at the top.
What to see in Morella
Frequently asked questions
What pretty villages are there near Barcelona?
Besalú, Cadaqués, Tossa de Mar, Calella de Palafrugell and Sitges are the classics; a little further away, Alquézar, Morella and Peñíscola.
Where to go on a day trip from Barcelona?
Sitges, Girona, Tarragona, Figueres or Montserrat can all be seen in a day, and you can reach all of them by train.
Where to go for a romantic getaway near Barcelona?
Cadaqués, Calella de Palafrugell or Besalú; and in winter, a snowy weekend in Andorra or the Pyrenees.
Where to see snow near Barcelona?
In the Catalan Pyrenees (La Molina, Baqueira Beret, Vall de Boí) and in Andorra, with Grandvalira and Pal Arinsal.
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More travel ideas
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Reviewed 19 October 2026. Dates and seasonal warnings: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.
Cover photo: Alberto-g-rovi (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.