6 Days in Barcelona: The Day-Trip Itinerary
Six days from a Barcelona base covers all five trips from our 5-day plan , Montserrat, Girona plus Figueres, Sitges, Tarragona, and the Costa Brava, then adds Penedes, Catalonia’s cava country, a genuinely easy train ride most week-long itineraries skip entirely. For the full week, see the 7-day version .
Book these before you go
- The FGC-plus-Cremallera combined ticket for Montserrat: book it online
- Dali Theatre-Museum entry for day two: check current Figueres tickets
- A rental car for day five’s Costa Brava run: compare cars in Barcelona
- A Barcelona hotel near Sants for the five train days: check rates on Booking.com
| Day | Trip | Distance / Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montserrat | 1 to 1.5h, FGC + Cremallera from Placa Espanya |
| 2 | Girona + Figueres | 40 min to Girona, another 30-45 min to Figueres |
| 3 | Sitges | 35 to 40 min, R2 Sud from Sants |
| 4 | Tarragona | 45 min to 1.5h from Sants, slower train wins |
| 5 | Costa Brava | 1.5 to 2h drive, no direct train |
| 6 | Penedes | 40 to 50 min, R2/R4 from Sants |
Day 1: Montserrat
FGC R5 from Placa Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat, about an hour, then the Cremallera or Aeri cable car up the final stretch. Combined ticket: 15.90 EUR one-way, 28.80 EUR return, per current fares on the Cremallera de Montserrat site . See the basilica, the Black Madonna, and a marked mountain trail if conditions allow before heading back the same way; visitor details sit on montserratvisita.com .
Day 2: Girona and Figueres
Fast train from Barcelona-Sants, about 40 minutes to Girona’s old town, cathedral, and El Call, then another 30 to 45 minutes on to Figueres for the Dali Theatre-Museum , 18.50 EUR online. Same line back to Sants, combined day fares roughly 19 to 42 EUR.
Day 3: Sitges
R2 Sud from Sants, 35 to 40 minutes, 4 to 5 EUR each way. Beach and Modernisme streets, a seafront lunch, frequent trains back all evening.
Day 4: Tarragona
Slower Rodalies regional train, 75 to 90 minutes, 7.50 to 9 EUR, drops you in the historic center; the faster AVE leaves you 10km out, check both on Renfe . Roman amphitheater, circus, and forum; combined 5-site UNESCO pass, 15 EUR.
Day 5: Costa Brava
Pick up a rental car, the only day on this whole plan that needs one. Cadaques, Tossa de Mar, and Begur each sit 1.5 to 2 hours out. Pick one town as your anchor rather than trying to cover the whole coastline in a single day.
Is Six Day Trips in a Row Too Much Rail and Road Time?
It is worth pacing deliberately. Five of these six days involve at least 35 minutes of travel each way, and the Costa Brava day alone adds 3 to 4 hours of driving. Treating day 6 as the lightest, most relaxed stop on the list, which Penedes genuinely is, keeps the back half of the week from feeling like a commute.
Day 6: Penedes
Morning
Rodalies R2 or R4 from Barcelona-Sants reaches Vilafranca del Penedes or Sant Sadurni d’Anoia in 40 to 50 minutes, fares 4 to 5.50 EUR. Vilafranca is the region’s wine capital and home to the VINSEUM museum; Sant Sadurni is cava’s epicenter, home to Freixenet and Codorniu.
Afternoon
Winery tours and tastings run 15 to 50 EUR per person depending on the estate and how deep the tasting flight goes. This is the most relaxed day of the whole itinerary by design, no cathedral, no museum queue, just vineyards and a long lunch.
Evening
Trains back to Sants run regularly through the evening; there is no need to rush the last tasting to catch a specific departure.
Why End the Week With Penedes Instead of Something Bigger?
Because the week needs a low-effort close after five progressively more involved days, and cava country is exactly that: a short train ride, no timed tickets, no rush, and a genuinely pleasant way to wind down before flying home or continuing on.
Book a winery tour rather than just showing up if Sant Sadurni is the target, Freixenet and Codorniu both run scheduled tastings rather than casual walk-in visits, and turning up without a reservation on a Saturday afternoon means standing in a lobby instead of a cellar.