Beyond Barcelona
Places to Visit in Catalonia
Everyone goes to Barcelona. Almost nobody goes where Catalonia is actually extraordinary. Here's the rest of it.
The case against spending all your time in Barcelona
Barcelona is genuinely excellent and you should go. But Catalonia is also Girona — a medieval city with better-preserved Jewish history than anything in the Catalan capital. It's Tarragona — Roman ruins of a scale that would be a major attraction anywhere else in Europe, here inexplicably undervisited. It's the Costa Brava, where Dalí grew up in a fishing village and the coves still require a walk to reach. It's the Pyrenees, with Romanesque churches from the 11th century sitting in high valleys where you may be the only visitor.
The train network makes this easy. Girona is 38 minutes from Barcelona by high-speed train; Tarragona is 35. Sitges is 40 minutes by regional train. The whole of Catalonia is accessible from Barcelona on day trips, and most of it is significantly cheaper and less crowded than the capital.
The itinerary we'd suggest: two or three nights in Barcelona, then base yourself somewhere else — Girona, Tarragona, or a Pyrenean village — for the rest of your time. Use trains. Eat where locals eat. The experience of Catalonia improves considerably once you leave the tourist infrastructure of the capital behind.
Train tip
Place Profiles
Girona
A medieval walled city with one of Europe's best-preserved Jewish quarters, a cathedral that dominates the skyline, and…
Best season: April–June, September–October
Explore →Sitges
A beautiful seaside town that hosts Europe's best horror and cult film festival in October and one of its most famous…
Best season: Year-round; beaches June–September; festival October
Explore →Tarragona
The capital of Roman Hispania, now a working port city with extraordinary ruins, the best beaches closest to Barcelona,…
Best season: May–October
Explore →Barcelona
Yes, you know it exists. Gaudí's unfinished cathedral, Picasso's formative years, El Born's cocktail bars, and the best urban beaches in Europe. The briefing: don't sleep in the Gothic Quarter if you value rest, do walk the Gràcia and Poblenou neighbourhoods, and for the love of god skip the tourist menú at La Boqueria.
Highlights
- →Sagrada Família (book tickets a week ahead)
- →Park Güell (timed entry required)
- →El Born district for food and bars
- →Barceloneta beach — better than its reputation
Montserrat
The serrated mountain 50km from Barcelona is home to a Benedictine monastery founded in the 9th century and an extraordinary landscape of stone pinnacles. A half-day trip by train and cable car. Don't just see the monastery — walk the Sant Joan path for altitude and views.
Highlights
- →Rack railway or cable car from Monistrol
- →Basilica and the Black Madonna
- →Sant Joan walking trail (2 hours)
- →Views of the Pyrenees on clear days
Costa Brava
The 'wild coast' north of Barcelona runs from Blanes to the French border — rocky coves, crystal water, fishing villages, and the Dalí triangle (Figueres, Cadaqués, Púbol). The coves are genuinely beautiful; getting to the best ones requires walking or a kayak.
Highlights
- →Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres
- →Cadaqués — Dalí's home village
- →Kayaking the Cap de Creus headland
- →L'Escala for Greek ruins at Empúries
Penedès
The limestone plateau southwest of Barcelona is where Catalan cava comes from — and where to understand why cava is not just cheap prosecco. The Codorníu and Freixenet caves are open for visits; better still is finding a small producer in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and doing a tasting.
Highlights
- →Codorníu cava caves (modernista architecture)
- →Sant Sadurní d'Anoia for small-producer visits
- →Vilafranca del Penedès market
- →Calçotada season (January–April)
Catalan Pyrenees
The mountains north of Catalonia offer skiing in winter, hiking in summer, and year-round access to Romanesque churches from the 11th and 12th centuries that are extraordinary and largely empty. The Vall de Boí — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — has nine Romanesque churches in a single valley.
Highlights
- →Vall de Boí UNESCO Romanesque churches
- →Aigüestortes National Park
- →Skiing at La Molina or Baqueira-Beret
- →Cadí-Moixeró nature reserve hiking
Read the Full Guide
Girona: The City Everyone Skips (And Why You Shouldn't)
An hour from Barcelona by train, Girona has medieval walls, a Jewish quarter, and a cathedral that feels more significant than almost anything in the capital.
Read article →