15 essentials: what to see and visit near Barcelona

You know that Barcelona It has become one of the most visited cities in the world.

Furthermore, visitors tend to repeat and it is increasingly common to also want to know the heritage of the towns around the Catalan capital.

In recent trips to Catalonia We have had the opportunity to visit several places with great heritage interest for visit around Barcelona.

They are places that are well worth an excursion to get to know them, some on the coast, others very close to the capital, and further towards the interior of the province, surrounded by beautiful landscapes that are hard to believe are so easy to get to from the Catalan capital.

Best places to see on a day trip from Barcelona

Next we are going to highlight you 15 interesting places that we have met on several trips so that you can take them into account to plan possible day trip from Barcelona.

Monastery of Montserrat

And we start with one of the emblems of Catalonia and a essential excursion on a trip to Barcelona.

In fact, approaching the Montserrat mountain It is one of the most popular activities among tourists who visit Barcelona, ​​so you will always find this place very busy with visitors.

Montserrat is the central mountain of a small mountain system on the outskirts of Barcelona, ​​which is located within a parque natural where the imposing monastery with its abbey is located.

With origins that date back to the 9th century, in this abbey you will be able to see the figure of the Virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia.

The monastery is located an hour inland from Barcelona.

For get to Monserrat from BarcelonaIn addition to your car, you can use the local train and then go up the mountain on the funicular Aero, or the rack railway.

En Monserrat you can enjoy visit the abbey and a couple of museums, but you can also walk along various routes and trails that run through the steep mountain famous for its whimsical shapes.

If you prefer, instead of going on your own from Barcelona, you can sign up for a tour to Monserrat by train, or yet tour to Monserrat at sunrise.

Gaudi's Colonia Güell 

En Santa Coloma de Cervello, on the outskirts of Barcelona, ​​just half an hour from the city center, you find the Colonia Güell where you can see a unique church in the world.

It is a magical creation of Gaudí, the great architect of Modernism whose works have become one of the great attractions of a Barcelona visit.

El Mr. Guell He was a great, immensely rich textile businessman who created a colony for his workers.

Güell he asked his friend Gaudí build with absolute creative freedom and without spending limits a church to provide religious services to the workers who were going to live in said colony.

This caused the Colonia Güell church would become the Gaudi design laboratory, where the famous Catalan architect was able to experiment with different solutions thinking about the great work of the Holy Family of Barcelona.

It is a building in which there is no type of order or pattern; To give an example, each column is different, both in terms of construction materials and its inclination.

A real madness!

In his own words Gaudí, thanks to having built this church it was a little easier for him to tackle the project of the Sagrada Familia.

San Cugat del Vallés Monastery

Very near Barcelona, just half an hour inland, you find an outstanding heritage corner that is worth a visit, the monastery of Saint Cugat.

In this Benedictine monastery founded in the 9th century, which had great importance during the 10th and 11th centuries.

Your visit will focus on its great Romanesque cloister, one of the most outstanding of this architectural style that you can see in Catalonia.

With a square floor plan and semicircular arches supported by pairs of columns, you can see capitals from the 12th century with biblical scenes, animals and artistic crafts.

Of the church that mixes the Romanesque style with the Gothic, the large rose window on the main façade will catch your attention, and inside you will be able to see three naves finished in three apses.

Manresa

One hour inland from Barcelona you will find the town of Manresa, where there are two monuments that are well worth knowing.

On the one hand, the Seu de Manresa, great basilica of Gothic style built from 1328 by the same architect of the Cathedral of the Sea of ​​Barcelona, and when you visit it you will see that in some way it reminds you of it.

Located at the top of a hill, inside you will especially be struck by the great altarpiece from 1394, the great artistic jewel of the basilica.

And on the other hand, a place that puts Manresa on the map of the greats religious pilgrimages, Cave of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

This is the cave in which the saint stayed for a year from March 1522, a period in which he lived several mystical experiences that led him to write his work in that place. The Spiritual Exercises.

In that enclave, and as a prelude to the cave, you can now see a baroque style church with a 19th century interior.

Món Sant Benet Monastery

Very close to Manresa, in Sant Fruitós de Bages, one hour from Barcelona, ​​you can visit a curious corner.

This is the Món Sant Benet monastery, that although its origins date back to the 10th century, the building that is visited is the one that was built in the 12th century of romantic style.

The monastery was abandoned during the Confiscation of 1837, but in 1905 it was acquired by the painter's family Ramon Casas, who renovated the area of ​​the old monks' cells to enable them as a residence.

Now under the ownership of the La Pedrera Foundation, among other corners, during the visit you will tour the church where you will be able to see a multimedia presentation, as well as its very interesting cloister.

But you can also visit the area rehabilitated by the aforementioned family of the Catalan bourgeoisie where you will see a collection of furniture and objects that belonged to it.

Castle of Cardona

One of the most interesting monuments that you can see in the Barcelona province is undoubtedly the Cardona castle. Located on the same route as Manresa, something further inside.

An hour and a half from the capital, this historic castle is located on top of a hill next to the town of Cardona, whose history is marked by the presence of a salt mine which you can now visit.

El Cardona castle It has experienced key moments in history and earned the fame of being a fortification that was never defeated.

Today this great castle houses a national hostel, and during your visit you will be able to see a large Lombard Romanesque style church that is located inside the fortification.

Vic

Road of the region of the garrotxa, an hour and a half from Barcelona, ​​is the city of Vic, of medieval origin, where its great Plaza Mayor, the second largest of Catalonia because of its dimensions.

In your Vic's visit you can see from a roman temple rebuilt, until cathedral of Sant Pere with a great mix of architectural styles, in which the Romanesque-style bell tower stands out.

But the paintings that cover all the walls of the cathedral made by the local artist will also surely catch your attention. Jose Maria Sert, considered the best muralist painter in the world in the 30s.

Also worth noting is the Episcopal Museum with an impressive collection of Romanesque and Gothic works of art that make it one of the most important museums in medieval art in Europe.

And, of course, you should not miss the opportunity to try the delicious Vic salchichón handcrafted.

Rupee

If I have to highlight a beautiful town in the province of Barcelona, that is without a doubt Rupee, which is located 100 kilometers north of Barcelona, ​​past the aforementioned Vic.

Rupee It is a town of medieval origin with remains of a castle from the beginning of the 11th century, located in a truly beautiful landscape environment, which extends over a hill and next to a meandering river.

I can tell you that it is a fairly touristy town, but it really has great charm walking through its cobblestone streets seeing the stone streets from the 16th and 17th centuries.

In short, a highly recommended place to take an excursion from Barcelona.

Tavertet Cliffs

If from Barcelona you are looking to take an excursion to see some beautiful landscapes, we suggest you go see the Tavertet Cliffs, in the area of Las Guillerías natural areaNear Rupee.

These are rocks that rise above the Sau and Susqueda swamps, with reddish rock groups in a forested area, with large precipices.

The landscapes are spectacular, and there you have the town of Tavertet, with stone houses, some built since the 17th century.

Sitges

Sitges has become famous in the world, apart from its beaches, for its film Festival, but whoever visits it ends up surprised by its heritage.

In fact, it is one of the most popular visits around Barcelona, ​​and with good reason! since it is a town that mixes its great beaches with the tradition of the Indians and their modernist and colonial style houses.

Coastal town located 40 kilometers south of Barcelona, ​​also in your excursion to Sitges You will have to walk through the old fishing neighborhood with its white houses.

You can also visit the Cau Ferrat museum in the artist's former home-workshop Santiago Rusiñol and Maricel Palace museum with its large art collection.

A monument that you must see is the church of San Bartolomeu, one of the iconic images of Sitges.

Canyelles

Adjacent to Sitges, 48 ​​kilometers south of Barcelona, ​​in Canyelles You find several points of interest.

In this small and quiet coastal town, what you cannot miss is its castle, its town square and Vigilance tower, from where the arrival of pirates to the town was controlled.

But what we recommend without hesitation is the Daurada Beach Club, one of those charming terraces at the foot of the sea from where you can see a spectacular sunset.

Tossa de Montbui

One hour inland from Barcelona is a curious place, Tossa de Montbui.

These are the remains of a 10th century castle located on top of a hill, which was abandoned in the 12th century, and where you can now see its church whose interior has a very interesting style very primitive Romanesque.

The conservation of this architecture is due to the fact that, since it was abandoned at the time, it has not had the usual architectural evolution in churches.

From the viewpoints of Tossa de Montbui You will be able to see other castles, because in this area that was once a border, you can still visit up to 25 fortifications.

Tarrasa

Maybe Tarrasa has been one of the places that has surprised us the most in our excursions around Barcelona.

Tarrasa It is 35 kilometers inland, and is a historic city with a strong textile industrial tradition of the Catalan bourgeoisie.

But how attractive it is Tarrasa Today it is how this industrial tradition intersperses with spectacular modernist buildings, such as the Freixa Farmhouse, which now houses the tourist office, or the Casa Alegre de Segra.

It is one of the towns that has been able to rebuild itself while maintaining the charm of the large red brick chimneys, so characteristic of the factories of industrial cities.

In your visit of Terrassa you can sign up for guided tours its modernist industrial heritage, as well as a route through its medieval history. with a tower or churches originating from between the 6th and 12th centuries.

Walls

A little further inland from Terrassa, and one hour from Barcelona, ​​you find the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac Natural Park, where the town of Walls.

It is a town with stone houses that dates back to the 10th century, which developed from the Romanesque church of San Martin,

Now when visiting the church inside you will see three naves, one of which is the pre-romanesque of the original building from that century.

On your walk through the streets of the town seeing the stone facades of its houses, you will see some beautiful corners of rural architecture.

Vilafranca del Penedes

Maybe you don't know that very close to Barcelona, one hour to the southwest, you find a very important wine area, where you can also visit its regional capital, Vilafranca del Penedes.

With the nickname of the Wine Capital, among wide expanses of vineyards we find this historic town presided over by its basilica of Santa Maria and surrounded by streets with modernist buildings.

Be sure to climb the bell tower from where you can see spectacular panoramic views of the area that on clear days reach up to the mountain of Montserrat.

En Vilafranca del Penedes You can also visit one of the wine museums oldest in Spain, where you can learn numerous curiosities about their production and characteristics of local wines.

Without forgetting the popular visits to Penedés wineries, which on our trip was to one of the best known, Bodegas Torres.

Other excursions from Barcelona

Of course, you also have many other options to make a day trip from Barcelona to see corners of heritage interest.

Just for reference I can point you out the Girona city, and also the city ​​of Tarragona, the old one roman tarraco. declared Heritage.

Or some of the closest ones corners of the Costa Brava.

You can also know the medieval towns in the Garrotxa region, in the interior of the province of Girona; walled towns like Solsona in the Lleida province o Montblanc. near Tarragona; either Tortosa, also in Tarragona, with its great cathedral.

Or also the monasteries of the Cistercian Route, such as village o Santes Creus in the province of Tarragona, or that of Vallbona de las Monjas, already in the province of Lleida.