Unique Day Trips From Barcelona
Private, Customized Barcelona Tours and Experiences
Customized Barcelona Wine Tours
An entire winery at your fingertips – a unique experience available exclusively for our clients!
Family-Run Wineries
With over 600 square miles of rich terrain, sunny but mild weather year-round, and cool coastal breezes, ‘El Penedès’ is Catalunya’s most well known wine-growing region, and one of the largest and most multifaceted in Spain. The majority of the Penedès’s wineries are small and still run by members of their founding families, who continue to employ the same philosophies as their ancestors did long ago. Due to its many slopes and varying altitudes, the Penedès boasts world class reds, whites, sweet wines, and of course, ‘cavas’: the Catalan pride and joy.
We’d love to whisk you away to Wine Country for a day to discover our favorite of all the Penedès wineries: a small, quaint, beautiful, family-run ‘bodega’, set alongside a 300-year old farmhouse, with vineyards that are 100% organic. Unlike the region’s more commercial wineries, this one does not receive tourists, so… you’ll have the vineyards and winery all to yourselves!! One of the family’s two sons will take you on a private tour of the bodegas, inside and out, and lead you through a top-notch, professional 5-wine tasting session, including two reds, two whites and one cava. They’ll also take you for a ride through their vineyards in a 4-by-4, to teach you about the local grape varieties and different types of soil, while you admire the surrounding landscapes. These brothers are incredible, and are truly committed to making sure you are able to appreciate the distinct beauty and craft of their family’s winemaking tradition.
After your private tour and tasting session, we will take you to a nearby ‘masia’ (a centuries-old stone mansion) where you’ll be able to relish the regional flavors in an upscale, traditional Catalan feast. Your meal will include elaborate gourmet dishes, dessert, and high quality wines. If you consider yourself a “foodie”, this option comes highly recommended.
You will ride to and from the wine country in style, in a comfortable private car or minivan with a driver, which is very convenient after a day of wine drinking; you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
This is a full-day experience, which includes 3-4 hours to explore the winery and partake in the tasting session, two hours to enjoy your gourmet lunch, and 2-3 hours of travel time.
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are several different ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and I’m sure we can find a way to accommodate you…
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & Driver* -
Duration
Full-day (8 hours, approx.)*
*Although we highly recommend the above itinerary, we can modify it in the following ways: include an extra winery; visit a closer winery for a shorter day with less travel time; visit a winery that’s accessible by train; visit a winery near the coastal town of Sitges, where we can see the town and enjoy a paella lunch along the beach, or where we can leave you to explore, shop, and sunbathe on your own.
Barcelona Day Trip: Sitges
Experience the Mediterranean with all of your senses.
Sitges by the Sea
Speckled with white stucco buildings against a gorgeous aqua-blue sea, the quaint, historic town of Sitges sits just South of Barcelona, along the Mediterranean coast. Famous for its eleven beaches and 300 annual days of sunshine, Sitges is also a cultural “Mecca” and one of the gay capitals of Europe, having been home to renowned artists during the Bohemian movement of the late 19th Century, and a hub of the liberal counterculture in the 1960’s. This town of 30,000 inhabitants quadruples in size every summer and also while hosting the Sitges International Film Festival in October, and ‘Carnival’ in February, each of which attracts crowds from around the world.
Many are drawn to Sitges for its relaxing atmosphere, great seafood, acclaimed ‘malvasia’ wines, and wonderful shops, tucked into narrow, seaside alleyways. ‘Barceloneses’ flock there for summer fun and to enjoy the bustling nightlife.
Come explore this charming town with us, on foot, with the sun overhead and the cool sea breeze at your back. You’ll immediately understand Sitges’s eternal allure for artists and expressive types; many clients ask to be left there after the tour is over. While touring the town, we will visit one or two small museums along the way, each set in beautiful historical buildings. At the end of the tour, we’ll stop for a spectacularly fresh ‘paella’ lunch along the beach.
Sitges by the Sea is a full day excursion that lasts either 6-7 hours, or 8-9 hours, depending on whether you choose the full- or extended-day option. In order to maximize your experience, we’ve designed a full itinerary, so unless otherwise requested, free time is limited. Therefore, you might consider the extended-day option, if you’d like more free time for sunbathing on the beach or browsing through the wonderful clothing, shoe, and wine shops in the town center.
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are various ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and I’m sure we can find a way to accommodate you… Ask us about the “Bare Bones”, “Deluxe”, and “Bells n’ Whistles” options…
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting There
Car & driver. Train -
Duration
Full-day (7 hrs, approx)
Extended-day (9 hrs, approx)
Both the full- and extended-day options include approximately 5 hours to explore the town on foot, visit its small museums (if applicable) and delight in a leisurely lunch along the beach, and 1-2 hours of travel time.
Museum(s) visited depend on time of year and hours of operation. Possibilities include: Museu Romantic (18th Century home of a wealthy Sitges family containing its original furnishings & collection of 200-year-old dolls), Casa Bacardi (learn from a member of the Bacardi family – originally from Sitges – about the family’s revolutionary rum distillation techniques and how to make (and drink) the “perfect” Mojito), Cau Ferrat (quaint and beautiful former home of modernist painter Santiago Rusiñol, right on the water), and Museu Marical (small art museum with spectacular views, and former home of American billionaire Charles Deering).
Barcelona Day Trip: Montserrat
Follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims – seek the Black Virgin Mary on her sacred hilltop.
The Sawed-Mountain Monastery
Long ago, this strange mountain, located an hour inland from Barcelona, with its massive jagged, rock formations, was deemed ‘Montserrat’, or “sawed mountain”. It was there that an image of the ‘Moroneta’ (Black Virgin) miraculously appeared over 1000 years ago. A monastery was then built atop this revered mountain, which soon became a destination for devout Catholics from all over Europe, who traversed hundreds of miles on foot, to ask the Moroneta for miracles.
With us, you’ll have the chance to explore the ancient monastery and the surrounding flora and fauna, while taking in the magnificent 360-degree views from atop the highest peak, accessible by ‘Sant Joan’s’ cable car. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit the ‘Santa Cova’ (the “Holy Cave”, where the Virgin appeared), which you’ll also reach by cable car, or via a charming footpath, as you stroll amidst the scents and peaceful sounds of nature. Depending on the day, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the renowned Montserrat boys’ choir, whose sweet voices will whisk you away for a few brief minutes.
After visiting the sacred mountain, you’ll be our guests for lunch in a 14th Century, stone ‘masia’ along the ancient Royal Road, where the married couple who runs the establishment will serve you an upscale Catalan feast fit for kings, in your own private dining room.
The Sawed-Mountain Monastery excursion is a full-day experience, which includes 5-6 hours for touring and lunch, plus 2-3 hours of travel time.
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are various ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and I’m sure we can find a way to accommodate you… Ask us about the “Bare Bones”, “Deluxe”, and “Bells n’ Whistles” options…
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & driver. Train & Funicular. -
Duration
Full-day (7-8 hrs, approx)
In general, our Montserrat excursion will neither include the small museum nor the audio-visual experience, as we feel the day is more than complete without those two add-ons. If you’d like to include either of these extras, however, this can easily be arranged.
Barcelona Day Trip: Tarragona
Explore an alluring seaside city, once a capital of ancient Rome.
The Great ‘Tarraco’
Two-thousand years ago, the city of Tarragona – known then as ‘Tarraco’ – was one of the most important in the Roman Empire. Located an hour and a half south of Barcelona, and built on a terraced slope, ascending upward from the Mediterranean coast, Tarragona is not only rich in history but also breathtakingly beautiful. With waves that crashed upon its mighty walls, and its main temple, visible from miles away atop the imposing hillside, the city must have been quite a sight for those arriving by sea. Due to Tarraco’s abundance of ruins – all pointing to a triumphant past – many have deemed it the “Mini Rome”. In fact, Emperor Augustus considered it the most spectacular city in his empire after Rome, and lived there himself for three years.
On this excursion, you will meander leisurely through the cobblestoned streets and picturesque ‘plazas’ to unearth the relics of Tarraco’s venerable past, while soaking up the delectable charm of modern-day Tarragona. We will illuminate, for you, its most fascinating historical monuments, including the stunning Romanesque-turned-Gothic Cathedral, built on the former site of the temple to the Emperor; the Circus Maximus, around which four-horsed chariots once skidded dangerously; and the amphitheater, where the roars of thousands once provided the only glint of hope for scantily-armed gladiators forced to compete with bloodthirsty beasts.
To escape the summer heat, we’ll take you to a shady spot to sip on a refreshing glass of fresh ‘horchata’. And, for lunch, you’ll have your choice between a wonderful buffet-style restaurant, offering a wide selection of the most traditional, homemade dishes, or a finer dining option, on the charming outdoor patio of a former Baron’s mansion.
The Great Tarraco is a full-day experience, which includes approximately 5 hours to explore the city on foot, discover its many monuments, and have lunch, plus 2-3 hours of travel time. In order to maximize your experience, we’ve designed a full itinerary, so unless otherwise requested, free time is limited.
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are various ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and I’m sure we can find a way to accommodate you. Ask us about the “Bare Bones”, “Deluxe”, and “Bells n’ Whistles” options.
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & driver. Train -
Duration
Full-day (8 hrs, approx).
Barcelona Day Trip: Tour Dali Museum and Girona
Aesthetic, artistic, historic and gastronomic stimulation.
Girona & Salvador Dalí
With views of the snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance, and a river running through its historic core, Girona is picturesque and seductive. It’s also one of Spain’s oldest cities, proudly flaunting architecture from the Roman, Moorish, Romanesque and Gothic periods, all within walking distance of one another. Hidden in its maze of age-old cobblestoned alleyways, are high-end boutiques and restaurants that add to this city’s captivating allure. And, don’t forget the significance of Judaism in Girona, possessor of Spain’s second-ever Jewish History Museum and most well preserved medieval Jewish quarter, not to mention the birthplace of Nahmanides – perhaps the most revered Talmudic scholar of the ancient world.
The nearby town of Figueres was the childhood home of Salvador Dalí, the most zanily original artist of all time. Dalí was a bizarre and loveable genius, famous not only for his surrealist paintings and sculptures, but also for his eccentric personality and avant-garde technical contributions to the world of art. After achieving international success, the artist returned to his hometown, where he designed and built a museum dedicated to his life and works. The Teatre Museu Dalí itself is a masterpiece as shocking and impressive as the unique collection displayed within and arranged by Dalí himself.
We’ll start your day in Figueres, with an unforgettable private tour through the fantastical museum, where we hope to help you understand the multiple facets, mindsets, and artistic styles of the Surrealist pioneer. We’ll then whisk you off to historic Girona, where you’ll stroll through ancient archways and down narrow alleyways, en route to unlocking the secrets of each of the city’s golden eras. Along the way, you’ll visit the ‘Call’ (historic Jewish quarter), the Gothic cathedral and Arab baths, and – time permitting – will have the chance to amble along the Roman wall, or make a stop at the Jewish Museum.
Amidst this full-day itinerary, we wouldn’t want you to lose sight of the importance of food as an integral part of your cultural discovery! We’ll top off your Girona experience with a leisurely lunch in one of the wonderful restaurants for which the city is so widely known. You’ll have your choice of traditional or Michelin-star. Either way you choose, we’ll take you to our top pick, so not to worry!
This excursion lasts an entire day and includes approximately 6-7 hours for touring and lunch, plus 3 hours of travel time. In order to maximize your day, we’ve designed a full itinerary with limited free time.
If you would prefer to visit only either the Dalí Museum or Girona, as opposed to both, we’d be happy to arrange that for you. Just say the word!
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & driver. Train -
Duration
Full-day (10 hrs, approx).
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are various ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and I’m sure we can find a way to accommodate you. Ask us about the “Bare Bones”, “Deluxe”, and “Bells n’ Whistles” options.
Tour Around Catalunya, Near Barcelona
Escape the tourist mobs, and retreat to Catalonia’s gorgeous countryside.
Medieval Villages & Sanctuaries
Catalunya has everything from breathtaking coastlines to majestic mountain ranges, and of course Spain’s most cosmopolitan city. Many who travel to this region are in and out of Barcelona in a few days, en route to other European cities. However, those who allow for extra time to explore the region’s interior are in for an unexpected treat: enchanting medieval ‘pueblos’, resplendent snow-capped sierras, gushing streams and falls, dramatic cliffs and valleys, lush green pastures and thick oak forests.
Put yourself in the hands of our expert mountain guide for a day, and reach magical hamlets and enjoy spectacular vistas from cliff-top abbeys that, for centuries, were accessible only by monks. You’ll understand why, long ago, the extremely devout chose these spots for getting away to contemplate life and feel close to God. The sites remain fairly isolated and tourist-free, even today. Ride from place to place in a comfortable private car or minivan, while admiring the pristine wilderness of Catalunya and learning the history along the way. Traipse through thousand-year-old chapels and over Romanesque bridges, and be prepared to ask your guide anything about the surrounding flora and fauna as well; there’s nothing this guy doesn’t know! After a morning full of walking, driving, and village-hopping, enjoy a large, traditional meal in a rustic mountain lodge that no tourist would find on his or her own.
This is an adventure you can do at four different times throughout the year and enjoy an entirely unique experience on each occasion: Pure views and sunny skies during the summer months; blossoming flowers and pleasant temperatures in the spring (be sure to bring something waterproof!); for much of winter, an eerie fog that adds an air of mystery to the old stone walls and cliff-top panoramas; and our personal favorite, fall, when you’ll literally be swept away by the phenomenal contrast of colors, from bright yellows and deep ochers, to rich reds and browns, with evergreens speckled throughout.
As we want to ensure that you see as much as possible in one day, this is a full-day excursion, in which half of your time will be spent in the car. And, you’ll likely leave pretty early in the morning.
In order to get the most out of this experience and visit what we consider to be the most special places, we highly recommend a very full day of visiting multiple sanctuaries and ‘pueblos’ – some a couple of hours from Barcelona – which will inevitably include various hours of travel time. However, we are happy to modify the itinerary to include fewer or more nearby stops.
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & Driver -
Duration
Full-day (10 hrs, approx).
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are several different ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and we can certainly find a way to accommodate your requests.
Tour Spain’s Northern Coast
Follow in the footsteps of the 20th Century’s artistic elite, and marvel at the vistas that inspired their work.
The Three C’s (a.k.a. “The Road Trip”)
Cadaqués, Cap de Creus and Cotlliure, or “The Three C’s”, are possibly the three most beautiful and picturesque settings along the Catalán coast. While Cadaqués and Cap de Creus are on the Spanish side, Cotlluire (or ‘Collioure’) is located just North of the border, in France. Each place is unique and enchanting.
Visit all three in a one-day Road Trip, with your own expert guide, who will pick you up early in the morning. Together, you’ll set out on this one-of-a-kind adventure, with the wind in your hair.
1st Stop: Cadaqués, the most illustrious town of the ‘Costa Brava’. You’ll meander down curvy cobblestoned alleyways to explore this quaint white fishing village, with blue doors and windows. A romantic summer getaway, Cadaqués maintains its magical glow year-round. Depicted in countless films, novels, and other works of art, this tiny paradise has long sparked the creativity of poets, writers, painters, and the like, including the legendary Catalán Surrealist, Salvador Dalí, who used the town as the backdrop for many of his masterpieces. The peculiar genius lived in a nearby, secluded cove, in a quirky “palace” which he designed.
2nd Stop: head ten minutes up the coast to Cap de Creus, one of the most special places on earth. The easternmost tip of Spain, it consists of unusual rocky landscapes (resembling the moon!), sparse vegetation, and steep cliffs overlooking hidden coves and turquoise water, into which you can dive directly from the rocks. The only manmade structures are a lighthouse and rustic restaurant, where we’ll stop for a fantastic lunch, with astonishing views. Their specialties are fresh fish and, oddly enough, curries! You’ll be enraptured by the singular energy of this remarkable spot.
You won’t want to leave, but we’ll pull you away and onto your third and final destination.
3rd Stop: Cotlliure, yet another storybook town, with winding streets and a castle overlooking a crystalline bay. Having belonged to the Roman and Visigothic empires, and to the kingdoms of Roussillon, Aragon, Mallorca, the Hapsburgs, and the Bourbons, Cotlluire’s dynamic history is apparent everywhere you look. Like Cadaqués, Collioure was also an artists’ refuge, most notably to the Fauvists. Reproductions of works by Henri Matisse and André Derain line the streets, each placed where its original was painted. Braques, Picasso, Dalí, Chagall, Mackintosh, Machado and Foujita were just a few of this ‘pueblo’s’ other notable regulars. Don’t forget to sample their fine local red wine, “Collioure” (named after the town), or the Banyuls dessert wines, famous throughout Europe.
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are different ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll happily find a way to accommodate your requests…
The Road Trip is a very full-day excursion, in which half of your time will be spent in the car.
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & Driver -
Duration
Full-day (11 hrs, approx.)
In the winter months, when the sun sets earlier, we recommend shortening your Road Trip to include only Cadaqués and Cap de Creus, or Cotlliure. Without the pressure of a third destination, you’ll be able to explore each town and their surroundings in greater depth, and at a more leisurely pace.
Barcelona Day Trip: Costa Brava, Barcelona
Catalunya’s best-kept secret: unparalleled beauty in Barcelona’s backyard.
Picturesque ‘Costa Brava’
No one ever seems to give Catalunya credit for possessing some of the most stunning coastal settings on the Mediterranean. Though it doesn’t receive the worldwide press of the French and Italian Rivieras, the Greek Isles, Corsica and Mallorca, Catalunya’s Costa Brava is every bit as glamorous, and by many counts, more beautiful; it’s certainly more undiscovered. Just over an hour away from Barcelona by car, and spanning 130 miles to the French border, the “Brave Coast” is speckled throughout with tiny picture-perfect towns and charming fishing villages, jagged rocky cliffs which look down over secluded beaches and hidden coves, with a sparkling sea that ranges in color from deep aqua-blue to emerald green. It really is the closest thing to paradise on earth.
Obviously, one could spend multiple days on the Costa Brava, soaking in the ambience of several towns along the way, each more remarkable than the last. We’d love to take you up there for one special day to give you a memorable taste of what it’s all about. We’ll take you to a few whitewashed villages, each a precious gem, with its own seductive qualities; one with a medieval castle right on the water! If the weather is right and you’re up for a swim, you can reach magical tucked away coves via scenic coastal trails. If you’re adventurous, we dare you to dive in from the rocks as the locals do! One thing is for certain: the Costa Brava’s waters are rejuvenating. And, after a day in the sun, there’s nothing quite like sitting back in a shady beach-side restaurant to enjoy an authentic ‘paella’ lunch, or fresh ‘chipirones’ (fried baby squid) and an ice cold ‘clara’ (beer mixed with lemon soda).
We think the absolute best time for this excursion is mid-June or late September, when the crowds are sparse and the weather is great, although the Costa Brava is magnificent year-round. The towns do come to life in the warmer months, however visiting in the winter makes for an enchanting, and distinct, Costa Brava experience. Specific towns visited may vary, but will likely include some of the following: Tossa de Mar, Calella de Palafrugell, and Begur, with possible additional stops for unforgettable, off-the-beaten-track bathing opportunities, or to explore nearby medieval villages and little-known mountaintop sanctuaries. We will always do our best to avoid the most touristy spots.
As we want to ensure that you see as much as possible, this is a full-day excursion, in which nearly half of your time will be spent in the car.
As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are several different ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and we can certainly find a way to accommodate your requests.
This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.
Please let us know what you’re looking for…
We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!
-
Getting Around
Car & Driver -
Duration
Full-day (10 hrs, approx.)
In order to get the most out of this experience and visit what we consider to be the most special places, we recommend the above itinerary, however, we are happy to modify it to include fewer or more nearby stops.