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English10 places to visit near Barcelona
- Montserrat: the monastery, founded in 1028, is 60 kilometres from Barcelona, about 1 hour by car. It welcomes about 2.5 million visitors a year and is home to La Moreneta, patron saint of Catalonia since 1881.
- Reachable by train: Colonia Güell, built in 1890 for the industrialist Eusebi Güell with a church by Gaudí, is 20 kilometres away, on the R4, S3, S4 and S8 lines. Vilafranca del Penedès, the wine capital, is 55 kilometres away on the R4 line.
- Medieval towns: Cardona and its castle, 95 kilometres away, with the 11th-century Torre de la Minyona; Besalú and its Romanesque bridge, 132 kilometres away; Peratallada, listed as a historic and artistic site in 1975, 130 kilometres away.
- Natural sites: Castellfollit de la Roca has 1,000 inhabitants on less than 1 km² and stands on a 50-metre basalt cliff. Taüll, 265 kilometres away, is the gateway to the Vall de Boí.
- Key point: most of these places are less than two hours away by car, and several can be reached by train or by Teisa and Sagalés buses.
The Catalan capital is one of the most beautiful places in Spain, and also the most visited. You will spend several days exploring the city, but if you have enough time, we recommend visiting the 10 most important places nearby.
Montserrat Monastery, a classic!
Set in the mountain range of the same name, this has been, since it was founded in 1028, one of the most important places to see near Barcelona. Every year the monastery welcomes about 2.5 million visitors.
As well as enjoying a magnificent view, you can visit the abbey and several museums. Take the opportunity to see the Virgin of Montserrat, popularly known as La Moreneta, patron saint of Catalonia since 1881.
Distance from Barcelona: 60 kilometres, about 1 hour by car.
Colonia Güell, an extravagant place to see near Barcelona
Another of the most interesting places to see near Barcelona is Colonia Güell. This extravagant place was built in 1890 when the textile industrialist Eusebi Güell decided to move his cotton mill, El Vapor Vell, from the Sants district to Santa Coloma de Cervelló.
The businessman asked his friend Gaudí to build a church for the workers of the colony with complete freedom, which made the site a true design laboratory for the artist.
Distance from Barcelona: 20 kilometres (20 minutes by car). You can also get there by train on the R4, S3, S4 and S8 lines from Plaza de España, which is also one of the most important places to visit in Barcelona.
Sitges, a film town
Sitges is one of the best-known towns in the country thanks to its 26 beaches, its Film Festival, its fiesta and its famous carnival, which is surely one of the best in Spain.
This lovely town also has a rich modernista heritage left by the intellectuals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You can also visit the Palau de Maricel, the Cau Ferrat museum, the Casa Bacardí, the Romantic Museum or the Church of San Bartolomé and Santa Tecla facing the sea.
Distance from Barcelona: 40 kilometres (45 minutes by car).
Cardona and its imposing castle
A key place to see near Barcelona is Cardona and its castle. This huge and beautiful medieval fortress, in a privileged spot on top of a hill, has been the stage for many historical events and was never conquered.
With Romanesque and Gothic features, this impressive castle is now home to a Parador hotel. A fascinating place steeped in history, ideal for spending one or more nights.
Do not miss the Torre de la Minyona, from the 11th century, and the church of Sant Vicenç, a place with almost a thousand years of history, in perfect condition.
Distance from Barcelona: 95 kilometres (1 hour 20 minutes by car).
Rupit i Pruit, a very photogenic village
Rupit i Pruit is in the Osona district, one of the most visited and most beautiful areas to see near Barcelona.
A lovely place of medieval origin, with old stone houses and reddish roofs from the 16th to the 18th century. Its narrow cobbled streets, its lovely church and its fantastic castle will take you back in time.
The village sits in truly magnificent scenery, ideal for photos, next to a hill and a winding river.
Distance from Barcelona: 107 kilometres (1 hour 35 minutes by car). You can also take a Sagalés bus to Vic and then another bus from the same company to Rupit.
Mura, a place where time stands still
Located in the natural park of Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac, Mura is one of the most beautiful villages to see near Barcelona. A place of cobbled streets on different levels, with a well-preserved medieval quarter where time seems to have stopped.
Distance from Barcelona: 1 hour 10 minutes by car. Although this lovely village is close to Barcelona, it is not easy to reach by public transport: you need to take the commuter train to Manresa and from there an intercity bus to Mura.
Distance from Barcelona: 56 kilometres (1 hour 15 minutes by car).
Vilafranca del Penedès, the wine capital
If you love wine culture, Vilafranca del Penedès is one of the must-see places to visit near Barcelona.
Known as the Wine Capital, Vilafranca del Penedès is a historic town set among vast vineyards and presided over by the Basilica of Santa María. It is surrounded by lovely streets with medieval and modernista buildings.
Distance from Barcelona: 55 kilometres (52 minutes by car). You can also arrive by commuter train on the R4 line from Barcelona Sants station.
Besalú, medieval charm
Besalú is without doubt one of the best-preserved and most interesting medieval towns in Catalonia. Before entering the town, you can admire its most popular and most photographed spot, the Romanesque bridge reflected in the river.
Also in Besalú, you can visit the Synagogue and the Mikveh, as well as the church-hospital of Sant Julià, the monastery of Sant Pere, the church of Sant Vicenç and Casa Cornellà.
Distance from Barcelona: 132 kilometres (1 hour 30 minutes by car). You can also get there by direct bus with Teisa (Olot-Barcelona via Banyoles line).
The small town of Castellfollit de la Roca
Castellfollit de la Roca is considered, with only 1,000 inhabitants and less than 1 km² in area, one of the smallest towns in Catalonia and in all of Spain.
This small place is bounded by the Fluvià and Toronell rivers, which over the years have eroded the rock and created a spectacular 50-metre basalt cliff, on top of which sits Castellfollit de la Roca.
Small as it is, this lovely town has several sights not to miss: the church of San Salvador, Calle de la Iglesia, Plaza del Cingle and the Josep Pla viewpoint.
Distance from Barcelona: 121 kilometres (1 hour 45 minutes by car). If you prefer public transport, you can get there by direct bus with Teisa (Olot-Barcelona via Banyoles line).
The town of Guimerà
Guimerà is worth the detour, especially for its medieval past, which you can discover by walking through its streets and stone houses. It is a place where you go back a few centuries in time. Guimerà is in the Corb Valley, in the province of Lleida. Walk along the river: you will enjoy an incredible view of Guimerà, which sits on a hillside and proudly shows the south side of its castle and church.
Distance from Barcelona: 126 kilometres (1 hour 39 minutes by car).
The historic and artistic site of Peratallada
Peratallada is another Catalan town frozen in the Middle Ages, declared a historic and artistic site in 1975. The town is very well kept and preserved: you will find plenty of charming corners and all kinds of picturesque details. This fortified town, surrounded by a moat, is for us one of the towns you must see in Catalonia.
Distance from Barcelona: 130 kilometres (1 hour 40 minutes by car).
The picturesque village of Calella de Palafrugell
Calella de Palafrugell, Viajeros Callejeros
Calella de Palafrugell is a town that, like Cadaqués, keeps the charm of an old fishing village with its boats and white houses. Some of the best coves on the Costa Brava are nearby, and a perfect Camino de Ronda coastal path leads to Llafranc. It is one of the most popular destinations in the area and one of the most beautiful towns in the province of Girona.
Distance from Barcelona: 122 kilometres (1 hour 30 minutes by car).
Back to the 10th century in Monells
Monells, in the Baix Empordà, is a small medieval town whose architecture is protected as European cultural heritage. Close to the Rissec river, with a magnificent Plaza Mayor and a small but well-preserved historic centre, it is without doubt one of the towns you must see in Catalonia.
Distance from Barcelona: 125 kilometres (1 hour 35 minutes by car).
Cadaqués, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain
One of the unmissable places to see near Barcelona is without doubt Cadaqués (a lovely place considered one of the most beautiful places in Spain). A beautiful Mediterranean town with white houses that has kept its original fishing village look thanks to its late development.
The town has inspired many artists, such as Federico García Lorca, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, who spent their summers in Cadaqués.
Distance from Barcelona: 173 kilometres (2 hours 20 minutes by car). You can also get there by direct bus with the Sarfa bus company.
Taüll, one of the must-see villages in Catalonia
Taüll is a tiny village in the Lleida Pyrenees, set in the beautiful Vall de Boí. The valley's Romanesque Churches Route highlights its two churches: Sant Climent de Taüll and Santa Maria de Taüll. It is the ideal village for spending a few days in a rural house. You can also visit the Aigüestortes National Park and Lake Sant Maurici.
Distance from Barcelona: 265 kilometres (3 hours 30 minutes by car).
A getaway to Pals
Pals is another of the towns you must see in Catalonia and one of the most beautiful towns in the province of Girona. In the heart of the Empordà, the Gothic village of Pals stands on top of a hill, with a historic centre full of narrow streets, towers and stone houses that make it a very special place.
Distance from Barcelona: 129 kilometres (1 hour 40 minutes by car).
In the heart of the Montsant: Siurana
Siurana is without doubt the most beautiful village in the province of Tarragona. It sits on a large limestone rock in the Prades mountains and offers an incredible panoramic view over the whole Siurana river valley and its reservoir. The Romanesque church, the remains of the Moorish castle, the views and the idea of a walk through this small village will make you want to see it with your own eyes.
Distance from Barcelona: 145 kilometres (2 hours 10 minutes by car).
Source: Losviajesdedomi
Thomas Rouer is the founder of Alveo Search and the CEO of the Alveo group. Based in Spain for almost ten years, he develops property services designed for the specific needs of foreign buyers.
His expertise covers every aspect of buying property in Spain: understanding the market, searching for and selecting properties, negotiation, financing, paperwork, tax and securing the purchase process.
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