Barcelona Day Trips: Sitges and Casteldefels

One question I often get asked is about the best beaches around Barcelona. For me, and for a city beach, both Barceloneta and the Olympic Village beaches are absolutely fine - but then again, I'm lazy and want everything on my doorstep! For those looking for an out-of-town beach, maybe a little quieter, then there are many choices - up towards the Costa Brava there are nudist beaches such as Sant Pol (they have a non-nudist section, too) which involves jumping the train lines to access. Little coves like Begur are wonderful sleepy fisherman's towns which are great places too, but as I've mentioned before in this series, I'm mainly writing these posts for people visiting the city with no transport of their own, and places easily accessible via public transport.



So for me, two of the best beaches you can access easily from Barcelona are Sitges and Casteldefels. The best way to get to either beach is to take the train from the main train station, Sants. The trains going in the direction of the airport usually always stop at Casteldefels and Sitges.

Sitges is a really nice little town, and is famous for it's gay community which light up the streets during Carnaval in February. It also has a great Cinema festival which leans towards horror movies, and is a beautiful little resort. Housing here is very expensive and many footballers and "famous" people live or have lived in and around Sitges. The beach itself is actually quite small, and it's almost like a cove - the church at the top of the town, overlooking the arched beach below. The beach itself is actually quite shallow - i.e. there's not a huge amount of room before you get to the waves, so sometimes it can get a little fight-for-your-towel-space, but it's immaculately kept with grass verges along the boardwalk, and some great little seafood restaurants, too. Sitges for me, also seems to have it's own macro climate, and many a time I've visited with friends and as we've left Barcelona it's been cloudy, and we plan to just have a look around the cobbled streets of the town, but on arrival it's clear skies and glorious sunshine!

Casteldefels actually has two train stops, and depending on how busy you want the beach to be, then you can choose. The stop marked Casteldefels actually drops you in the centre of town. From here, you can walk under the bridge around 10 minutes to the bottom and reach the sea (head towards the petrol station). This beach is huge in comparison to Sitges, with loads of room to lay down or play beach sports. There's only 1 bar, though, so if you plan on having lunch there, or want a little more variety, then maybe the next stop is for you. Casteldefels Platja (beach in Catalan) is the next stop along, and is a lot busier in terms of shops and bars, restaurants, etc. Although you're only around 15 minutes outside Barcelona, it can seem like another kind of holiday altogether, and a real escape from the city.

Coming to Barcelona soon? Check out these apartments for rent in Barcelona and for a quick look at the top sights, see this Barcelona guide.

Flickr Credit

Barcelona Day Trips: Montserrat

Continuing the series of Barcelona day trips, this is another great one. Montserrat literally means "the serrated mountain" and makes reference to it's jagged form against the surrounding landscape which is completely flat. There is a Monastery on top of the mountain, and various walks can be enjoyed to view the fantastic views.



This is one day trip I can recommend using the great public transport services.
From Plaça Espanya, you can take a train around 40 minutes to Olessa de Montserrat which is a beautiful train ride inland. You will see after leaving Barcelona that the surrounding land is particularly flat and then all of a sudden a huge collection of rocks seem to just shoot out of the ground creating peaks - this is Montserrat. The train leaves Plaça Espanya from around 8:30am onwards each hour and drop you at the bottom of the mountain with two options of getting up to the top.

First is the zip train, or cremellera - so called as the train tracks have teeth and the train's wheels are like cogs which sit in the teeth, like a zip. The alternative is the cable car which leaves right outside the train station. Both of these methods will take you right up to the top where the monastery is. Those travelling in a car often have to park along the long winding road which takes you to the top, and then walk the rest of the way, which on busy days can be quite a hike.

One of the highlights of the Montserrat trip is the close-up viewing of the Black Madonna with infant Jesus seated above the church altar, and almost everyone makes the climb through the back altars to worship or admire the Virgin Mary so rarely seen in this manner. There are many theories as to why the Virgin Mary is portrayed in this way; due to fire damage, natural wood, or the ageing process. I've heard different stories on each occasion I've been there (and there have also been various fires, although not in the church itself). According to the wikipedia page, "la moreneta" was unable to be moved by the monks, who built their monastery around her, and that the statue is a Romanesque sculpture dating from the late 12th Century - some believe to have been carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the church.

Also worth a mention are the side trips such as the Angel trail, which can be enjoyed from the peak of Montserrat. Funicular trains take you to the highest points above the Monastery itself, and other routes - varying in length and time - can be taken at a leisurely pace, giving magnificent views of the surrounding countryside for those who are not only visiting for the Christian side of things.

Have you been to Montserrat recently? Please leave a comment and let us know your thoughts. For nearby accommodation to Montserrat, try apartments for rent in Barcelona, which can offer considerable savings for groups. Also, see this great Barcelona guide for other tips and ideas whilst visiting the city.

Flickr Credit (all my photos of Montserrat have family or friends in front of the best views!!)

Barcelona Day Trips: Dali Museum

Here's another Barcelona day trip, and perhaps the most popular for those wishing to make a side trip to somewhere interesting - The Salvador Dali Museum in Figueras. The Wacky Spanish painter has some fantastic works on display here, and even the building itself stands out - labelled the "largest surrealistic object in the world".


The museum is actually one of three dedicated to Dali's works, the other two in nearby Cadaques and Púbol. This museum, an old theatre, houses over 4000 works of sketchings, paintings, jewelery, holograms, and other such artistry many dedicated to his muse and wife, Gala. Dali worked for over a decade transforming the municipal theatre, and it is a magnificent building and fully helps appreciate the genius and surreal nature of the man. Of building the museum here, Dali said;

“Where, if not in my own town, should the most extravagant and solid of my work endure, where if not here? The Municipal Theatre, or what remained of it, struck me as very appropriate, and for three reasons: first, because I am an eminently theatrical painter; second, because the theatre stands right opposite the church where I was baptised; and third, because it was precisely in the hall of the vestibule of the theatre where I gave my first exhibition of painting.”

Access to the museum is a little more difficult that some of the other day trips from Barcelona, but the official website offers various options. As this post is catered mainly towards those people who will not have their own mode of transportation, I have excluded the directions of coming by car.

Train: RENFE train line from Barcelona to Portbou. Stop in Figueres. The Dalí Theatre-Museum is 12 minutes walking.
Bus: SARFA regular line, station in Figueres. The Dalí Theatre-Museum is 12 minutes walking.

Fairly easy, right? Have you been to the Dali Museum ? I'd love to hear your comments and reflections. Was it worth making the trip from Barcelona, and how did you do it ? Any preferred means? Please let me know.

If you're looking for accommodation coming to the museum, I can recommend apartments for rent in Barcelona instead of a hotel room. And if there are more than just a couple, then try apartments for groups in Barcelona, too for considerable savings!


Flickr credit for image.

Barcelona Day Trips: Cava Tours

Not that there are infinite ways to entertain yourself in Barcelona, but some people who visit the city like to combine a side-trip with the city visits, so I thought about writing a series of posts this month about the most popular day trips from Barcelona. We'll start with the Cava Tours - there are half a dozen, but I'll choose an easily accessible one, bearing in mind that everyone may not be travelling in the luxury of their own vehicle.



One of the first things to note is that the Penedes region which produces most of Catalan Cava is a beautiful area, and at around 45-50 minutes from Barcelona city centre, is a wonderful day trip for those people who like to get into the hills and nature. Without a doubt this trip is easier in your own car (or perhaps an organised coach trip, of you don't have a "designated driver" and all want to do a bit of tasting.

Otherwise, you can use public transport. Trains leaving the city centre head for Sant Sadurndi d'Anoia which is the little town right around the main vineyards. Directly outside the RENFE train station for Sant Sadurni is the Freixenet Cava Winery, and it's also one of the prettiest from the outside, too.

If you do have a car, then you can continue from Freixenet (the first one as you turn off the main motorway) and head towards the tiny village of Sant Pere de Ruitdebitlles (try saying that after a few glasses of cava) - easy as it's the only road, so just follow your nose. Here you'll pass more of the same, with Codorniu, Seguras Vuidas, etc. Seguras Viudas is the one pictured below, and is a magnificent place with immaculately kept hedges along the entrance. It's worth clicking on the picture below to see Montserrat in the background (another popular day trip).



All of the cava tours are generally free, and they just have a convenient stop in the shop at the end of a tour (which by then you fancy buying a couple of bottles anyway). Also, many of the vineyards have picnic facilities which (upon the purchase of a bottle or two) you can use as a lunch stop, too. If you fancy getting in touch with nature and away from the busy city, I can well reccomend the trip.

Looking for accommodation for your trip? Try Apartments for rent in Barcelona for considerable savings on hotels. Also, for a heads up on the rest of the sights to see in the city, see this Barcelona Guide.