Great getaways from busy Barcelona

Barcelona makes for a great base to explore its surroundings with efficient public transportation. Here a couple of places you shouldn´t miss during your abroad experience!

Montserrat 

A huge Benedictine monk monastery standing at the base of a 800-meter-high craggy mountain. Its a great place for rock-climbing and hiking. If you are into this, bring a jacket, hiking shoes and some food. The few couple of places where you can get food up there are not very good and expensive. The largest hiking trail will take you to Sant Jeroni peak, where you will feel on top of the world.

How to get there head to Plaça Espanya and hop on a Rodalies Line R5 train to Manresa. After that, leave at Aeri station and take a 5 min cable-car ride to the top. The most spectacular ride!

Figueres

The most famous attraction in Figueres is the Dalí Theatre and Museum. A museum created by the one and only Salvador Dali in his hometown. The Dalí Theatre and Museum is a truly unique space, with the works on display carefully curated by the artist himself. The artist´s corpse was even buried in the museum in 1989, his body lays in a crypt below the stage floor. If you didn't get enough with the museum, visit the Dali Jewels section, (my favourite part), it has thirty-nine jewels in gold and precious stones as well as twenty-seven drawings and paintings on paper that Salvador Dalí made for the  jewels designs between 1941 and 1970. Getting to Figueres is simple, just take the train that departs from Sants Station. The journey is about 2h long. 

Students price for the theatre-museum is 10 euros.

Dali Jewels students ticket price is 5 euros. 

Cadaqués

Very close to Figueres, this picturesque town is located in the easternmost point in Spain. Salvador Dalí kept for decades a home studio in nearby Portlligat. 

You can visit Casa Salvador Dalí, the labyrinthine seafront house where the painter lived and worked for five decades. 

Tip: You should book your tickets a couple of weeks in advance. 

Feeling more adventurous? Then you should explore Cap de Creus Nature Reserve. This spot promises scenic hiking routes, bursting vegetations, cliffs, and beautiful coastlines. 

Now how to get here? From Figueres, walk to the bus station for two minutes. Get a ticket to Cadaqués that costs€ 5.50. Travel time is one hour. Be sure to stay awake; the road is packed with scenic views!

Girona

Girona is incredibly lovely and colourful town. Situated 99km northeast of Barcelona in the heart of Catalunya, Girona is the perfect place to escape to for a day trip or even for the weekend. Its a must to check out Girona’s Gothic cathedral, Game of Thrones fans might recognise which scenes have been filmed here. You should also discover the extensive Jewish quarter and the many museums and art galleries. 

Sitges 

About 35 kilometres South of Barcelona on the Costa Dorada lies the picturesque town  of Sitges. You can get here easily by taking a train from any train station in the city, Passeig de Gracia, Estación de Francia, or Sants. The journey is only 35 minutes long. I would recommend to visit this town during the major events like Carnaval de Sitges (usually in February), the Sitges Gay Pride held in June or the Festa Major in August. 

Port Aventura (Salou)

Want to feel some adrenaline running through your veins? Being the largest theme park in Spain, PortAventura Park has many things to offer, from thrilling rides, entertaining shows to world’s within a world. You can visit Polynesia, China and Mexico without stepping foot outside of the park! Then there’s the aquatic park – perfect for cooling off in summer. It even has its own beach, complete with lapping waves. Ferrari Land is the latest addition and adds an Italian thrill to the park, complete with a replica Colosseum! Ferrari Land is for lovers of speed and is home to Europe’s highest and fastest rollercoaster.