Great Day Trips From Barcelona

One of the nicest places to take a vacation in Spain is in the city of Barcelona. Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalonia, a wonderful area bordered by the stunning Costa Blanca coast in the southeast and the magnificent Pyranees mountains in the north.

The city is rich in history and culture – and you can use mTrip’s Barcelona iPhone Travel Guide to help you find the city’s best attractions, entertainment, shopping, and accommodation.

If you want to take a day trip from Barcelona to another part of Catalonia, you are in luck – you can travel to many other parts of Catalonia and still be able to make it back to Barcelona within the day. Many places are accessible by train, but if the location you want to visit is not on a train route or you would prefer to travel in a more private setting, you can rent a car.

Here are some great day trips from Barcelona that you may want to check out.

Tarragona

Tarragona is a city located around 62 miles south of Barcelona. In the Roman times, Tarragona was called Tarraco and was the capital of a Roman Province. Today, you can still find evidence of Tarragona’s distant past through the city’s numerous Roman ruins. These ruins, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, include a variety of ancient buildings such as archs, sepulchers, palaces, amphitheaters and walls. There is also an archaeological museum.

PortAventura

PortAventura is the largest resort in the south of Europe. Located near Salou just a few miles north of Tarragona, the resort includes both a theme park and water park. The PortAventura theme park contains five theme zones based on different geographical locations such as China, Polynesia and the Mediterranean. There are plenty of shows, rides, restaurants and shops to enjoy in these theme parks.

Figueres

The city of Figueres is located around 85 miles north of Barcelona. The famous artist Salvadore Dali was born here, and in his honor the Dali Theatre-Museum was instituted in 1974. It is one of the most visited museums in Catalonia. Also be sure to check out the Dali-Gala Castle Museum-Home, a medieval castle that Dali gave to his wife.

Montserrat

Montserrat is a 4,000 foot high mountain. It is around 30 miles northwest of Barcelona and a very popular attraction, especially for Catholics due to the 16th century monastery located at the top of the mountain and for Catalans who come to see the statue of La Moreneta, the Virgin of Montserrat, the official patron of Catalonia.

Ryan Embly is a writer for the website CarRentalExpress.com, a provider of cheap car rentals in North America and Europe.

Image source: atsumida at https://www.flickr.com/photos/atsumida/