Day Trips from Barcelona

As wonderful as the city of Barcelona is, sometimes you need to escape the crowds, especially as the tourist season reaches full swing. Here are a few suggestions for getting out of the Ciudad Condal on public transport.

About 30 minutes south of the city, Sitges is one of the most popular beach resorts, and not only with the international gay community. Fine stretches of sand, a pretty whitewashed old town and plenty of good bars and restaurants make Sitges and ideal place for families as well. Trains leave about every half hour from Sants and Pg de Gràcia stations.

Montserrat is an incredible mountain made of rock that eerily looms up over the Catalan countryside. Walking here is incredible but natural assets aside the Montserrat is also deemed the ‘spiritual heart of Catalonia’. An enormous monastery is nestled on its upper peeks, where people come to pay respects to La Moreneta, or the black effigy of the Virgin Mary, which dates from the 12th century. There are regular trains from Espanya station to the foot of the mountain, from where you can take either a funicular or cable car to the top (for the latter make sure you disembark at the ‘Montserrat Aeri’ station).

Collserolla is an expansive, natural park that cradles Barcelona over gently rolling hills. One of the most popular routes, particularly for cyclists, is the Carretera de les Aigües that you can reach by getting off at the Peu de Funicular station on the FGC train network.

Tibidabo Tibidabo - Touring the mountains near Barcelona

Tibidabo Tibidabo, the top of mountain Serra Collserola is the highest place of Barcelona. On this place you have a beautiful panoramic view over the city but there is also an attraction park and a church. From almost every spot in Barcelona you can see the highest point of the mountain and especially the church Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor.

The church is the eye catcher of the mountain and is the first thing you see when you step out the funicular (cable car). You can visit the church for free, only for the lift you will have to pay €2,-. But when you are not interested in the church, you can also visit the old attraction park. This park is not really changed since it opened its doors in 1899. Some attractions of that time are still working.

One of this attractions is the red airplane L’avió. This plane turns circles since 1928. One century ago, this airplane was used for flights between Barcelona and Madrid.

Transport The Tibibus brings you from Plaça Catalunya directly to the attractionpark Tibidabo. But you can also take the train to Avenida de Tibidabo, this is line L7. And from there you can take bus 195 who brings you to the funicular. But in place of this bus, you can also take the historic Tramvia Blau.

Bike Tours in Barcelona

For the people who like to visit Barcelona in a very interactive way, then maybe a bike tour is a nice option.

ButgetBikes is a company that offers a couple of different bike tours around Barcelona. Barcelona is an excellent city to enjoy a bicycle tour. A tour guide will accompany you and explain about the culture and history of Barcelona along the route.

Gaudi tour - When you are interested in architectural buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi , you can choose for a cycling route that shows you all the highlights of Antoni Gaudi. Besides La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló and Casa Mila by Gaudi, you will visit other less-well known but very interesting architecture in the city. Along the way, your guide will tell you the facts and history of Barcelona’s buildings. The main route leads through the centre of the city via the neighborhood Eixample. The trip will take 3 hours.

Flamenco tour - This cycling route takes you through a colorful part of Barcelona, La Barceloneta. During the bike tour, your guide will tell you everything about flamenco in Barcelona. This bike tour is included with a Flamenco Workshop. A professional flamenco dancer will learn you the basic of Flamenco dancing. This trip will take 4 hours.

Tapas Tour - This culinary cycling tour shows you Barcelona’s most characteristic Tapas-bars and restaurants. During a few stops at these tapas bars and restaurants, you can taste the Catalan Tapas. This trip takes you through El Raval, La Ribera, El Borne and La Barceloneta. Your guide will tell you everything about the delicious culinary culture of Spain. The tapas are not included in the price. This trip will take 3,5 hours.

Pink tours - BudgetBikes also offers a guided gay-tour by bicycle through Barcelona. Men and women are welcome to enjoy the route. This tour serves as a good preparation for approaching the nightlife, highlighting the hottest Bars and Discos in Barcelona. Also during this trip, you will see some cultural aspects, some spectacular 19th century Barcelonese Modernist-style architecture and visit some gay bookstores in Barrio Gotico. This trip will take 3 hours.

Barcelona is Gaudí!

Born in 1852 as a son of a coppersmith who suffered from a rheumatic illness, what caused the inability to play with other boys, Antonio Gaudí developed an impressing eye for nature and its forms.

If you are planning to do a trip to Barcelona you will be surprised that this huge city is pockmarked with many masterpieces of this unique architect. Some of them are hidden by the noisy life and the high buildings of Barcelona, but still they are an eye catcher for everybody that passes the way from the famous “Plaza Catalunya” up the northern part of Barcelona.

To visit all of them you would need to stay at least 2 days. Not just because there are lots of other tourists that have the same objective; no, you will realize after a few minutes that you can find in every corner something new and unique. With its strong influence of nature and the stunningly adorable variety of shapes and forms “Gaudí’s Barcelona” is to be considered as one of most beautiful cities in the world.

I will give you a short recommendation for how to divide your stay to nit get overwhelmed by the amazing ambience of Gaudí’s masterwork:

Day 1 in Barcelona:

• Start journey at “Plaza Catalunya” (not too late; other tourists!)
• Enjoy the walk along “Passeig de Gracía” and you will find after 5 minutes the first master piece of Gaudí, Casa Batlló.
• Continue strolling on the Barcelona Broadway (how I call “Passeig de Gracía” J) where all the famous designer settled down and after 10 minutes you will have (my favorite) Casa Milá, “La Pedrera” (“The stone pit”) to your right. Here you will not only be able get a very close experience of Gaudí’s work, you can also buy tickets for miscellaneous events on its top. We have been there for a jazz night. Awesome!
• If you still have time and you feel beauty take the metro to “Sagrada Familia”. This huge and very impressing cathedral is still under construction, but REALLY worth to see. Half Gaudí, half modernism and a fantastic view over all Barcelona from its top.

Day 2 in Barcelona:

• Take all the time you need to visit “Parc Güell”!!! You will need a lot of time to see everything, BUT take it and enjoy a cold beer or ice cream in the unique ambience that one of the most ingenious virtuosos of architecture has created and you will assume that “Antonio Gaudí is Barcelona”.