Catalonia Spain

Grand Tour of Catalonia: best places to see and visit

Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava in Girona
Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava in Girona
Essential sites to see on a car trip through Catalonia following the advice of the Grand Tour of Catalonia

If there is a destination in Spain with countless attractions to travel to see, that is without a doubt Catalonia.

And in fact it is one of the communities that receives the highest number of visitors each year.

If you are considering traveling to see some of its best corners, and above all you like the car trips at your leisure, as is our case, now you have the proposal of the Grand Tour of Catalonia.

It is a tourist product designed by the Catalan Tourism Agency in cooperation with the Tourism Boards and Tourism offices of the main Catalan destinations.

Grand Tour of Catalonia, route to see the best places

El Grand Tour of Catalonia It will help you plan one or more car trips depending on your interest in deepening your knowledge of the territories of this community.

If you want to make a first and quick tourist approach to Catalonia, you will be able to know the most outstanding points at a cultural and natural level in a 13 day car trip, following what is known as Iconic Route.

But if you want to travel with more peace of mind and deepen your knowledge of the tourist attractions of Catalonia, Grand Tour he proposes you five sections to cover between 5 and 7 days each of them.

Houses on the Onyar River in Girona
Houses on the Onyar River in Girona

To go through these stages, you will start from the main ones Destinations, and during them you can enjoy the most beautiful landscapes landscapes, or more interesting cultural sites, but also from wine tourism, gastronomy y activities in the nature.

to plan your tourism trip to Catalonia, it will be very interesting for you to know the details of this proposal of the Grand Tour.

For you tourism trip to Catalonia, logitravel offers you various car routes at your leisure, included sections of the Grand Tour of Catalonia, in which you already have the hotels reserved, and if you prefer, flights and rental car

In any case, it is an excellent tourist guide by highlighting the most attractive places that you should visit on any trip to this community.

Iconic Route, the best of Catalonia in 13 days

Thus, if you choose to follow the aforementioned Iconic Route, you will travel 1.500 km in thirteen days.

Starting from the City of Barcelona, the route takes you to the mountain to visit the monastery Montserrat, an essential tourist place to visit in Catalonia.

Plaza de la Seu in the historic center of Tarragona
Plaza de la Seu in the historic center of Tarragona

After passing through the region of Penedes, the route takes you to the city of Tarragona, historic Roman Tarraco, and then to Ebro Delta Natural Park.

This route takes you through the region of Priorat, a destination of wine tourism with its towns in the mountains, to the poblet monastery, one of the key cultural places in Catalonia, and the city of Lleida.

The next stage is the d'Aigüestortes National Park / Estany de Santa Maurici, and then enter the Romanesque complex of the Vall de Boí and in the Val d'Aran.

You will complete this trip by visiting the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, Dalí Theater-Museum en Figueres, Cap de Creus natural park And the city of Girona.

What are the 5 sections of the Grand Tour of Catalonia like?

On the other hand, you can consider doing some five-day or one-week getaway to visit a specific area of Catalonia.

Gaudí's Casa Batlló in Barcelona
Gaudí's Casa Batlló in Barcelona

For this case, the Grand Tour of Catalonia he proposes you five sections in which you will better deepen your knowledge of the chosen area.

Section 1: Route from Barcelona to Tarragona

Thus, the first stretch takes you from the city of BarcelonaWith its modernist buildings, Tarragona, in addition to the aforementioned Montserrat and region of Penedes, you will have the opportunity to get to know the area better Barcelona coast, with an enclave as interesting as it is Sitges.

In this section you can also visit Cardona and its castle or learn about the historical-artistic heritage of Solsona, in addition to touring the north of the Costa Dourada.

Section 2: Route from Tarragona to Lleida

On the stretch that takes you from Tarragona to Lleida, which I have already had the opportunity to do, you will pass through places as interesting as Reus, an enclave of modernism, and you can also taste the seafood cuisine of Cambrils.

At Delta of the Ebro can you sign up some nature or sports activity, and already going inward, passing through Tortosa, you have enclaves as interesting as the Ports nature area y Horta de San Juan, where you can see the traces of the presence of Picasso.

Dalí Museum in Figueras on the Costa Brava of Catalonia
Dalí Museum in Figueras on the Costa Brava of Catalonia

In this second section of the Grand Tour of Catalonia You will also have the opportunity to visit the museums that commemorate the Battle of the Ebro or wine cathedrals, in addition to tasting the wines of the Priorat and surprise you with the monasteries of the Cistercian Route, such as village.

Section 3: Route from Lleida to Seu d'Urgell

The city ​​of Lleida, where you should visit its majestic cathedral Your Vella, third section takes you to the Pyrenees to discover a landscape wonder such as the Val d'Aran or enjoy the starry sky Montsec.

In the Valley of Boi a set of awaits you romanesque churches, and this section also takes you to Aigüestortes Estany de Sant Maurici National Park.

You also have the opportunity to practice adventure sports in the Congost de Mont-Rebei and in the Noguera Pallaresa river.

Section 4: Route from Seu d'Urgell to Figueres

At stretch 4 of the Grand Tour of Catalonia, starting from Seu d'Urgell, you can enjoy the landscapes of the Pyrenees heading eastwards bordering the Cadí Moixeró Natural Park. After going through the Ripoll monastery, in the zone of La Garrotxa you will be able to know the Volcanic Zone Natural Park with its 40 volcanoes, and visit charming towns such as Besalú y Santa Pau, and Banyoles.

This route ends at Figueres, in whose museum you can be surprised by the genius of the great Dalí.

Section 5: Route from Figueres to Barcelona

El last section what he proposes to us Grand Tour of Catalonia of Figueres toward Cadaqués, a coastal town with great charm and another of the enclaves of the universe of Dali.

Cadaqués on the Costa Brava of Catalonia
Cadaqués on the Costa Brava of Catalonia

After visiting the natural enclave of Cap de Creus, your car trip will allow you to discover the best coastal places on the Costa Brava with their fishing villages.

Another stage will be the city of Girona, and later medieval inland towns as in peratalla y Rupee.

Finally, along the route you will have the opportunity to visit Vic, with its impressive main square, cross the natural enclave of the Montseny and learn about some of the fishing villages from the north coast of Barcelona until reaching the City of Barcelona.

Corner of the medieval town of Peratallada on the Costa Brava
Corner of the medieval town of Peratallada on the Costa Brava

About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

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