Barcelona and Carcassonne

Carcassonne and Barcelona are about three and one half hours away from each other. I haven't been to Carcassonne, (would love to go) but have been to Barcelona many times and really like it. You can drive to Carcassonne, or there are trains with similar travel times. I've been to Barcelona in the fall and in the spring, both good times to visit. I'd avoid the summer.....probably really crowded. Barcelona is touristy but we drove to Andorra and the towns between Andorra and Barcelona are small and the people are warm. Our drive home from Andorra (it was a day trip) included driving through a section of France. The drive was gorgeous, but on a Sunday afternoon, no restaurants along our drive were open! I recommend you study the information in the Rick Steves Spain guidebook or the website. It will be VERY useful! As an added bonus (if it works for you) the airfares to Barcelona can be more reasonable than other European airports.

In September, 2019, Carcassonne was the most disappointing stop of our two week trip to Barcelona, the Basque country and stops en route. It is super touristy, cheesy, and nasty to the point of human feces on the street. It is the only stop on our itinerary that we regret. Conversely, we loved the Dali Theatre and Museum in Figueres. In Barcelona, favorites were Sagrada Familia, of course, and Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau.

In summer 2021, we visited Carcassonne and really enjoyed our visit. There was no feces on the street. Yes, Carcassonne is touristy in that it is crowded (but what place isn't these days), and there are gift shops inside the fortress. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at one of the restaurants inside the fortress, in fact, it was one of the best meals of our trip. We were expecting a mediocre meal because it is a popular place for tourists, so we were pleasantly surprised.

I loved Carcassonne, make sure you stay overnight though as it's a zoo of tourists in the daytime, but after 5:00 you can have the place to yourself. If you're a morning person it's worth getting up at sunrise see it glow against the east wall.

I think you may want to consider visiting Monserrat and hiking in that area; it’s near Barcelona but far enough away to get in some quality nature time.

Love Barcelona and can offer more advice about it but have not been to Carcassone (would like to as it looks amazing).

Seems like quite the detour to make your way all the way north to Carcassonne? Do you have to fly out from Barcelona again necessitating backtracking? There are plenty of historical sites in and around Barcelona if you want to avoid a logistical headache, especially since you will only have 8 days at your disposable 😉

What kind of history are you interested in? Here are some places you could consider closer to Barcelona:

Ancient History:

Tarragona:

Tarragona is a port city located in northeastern Spain, known for its rich ancient Roman history. It's home to the Tarraco Archaeological Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with ruins of a Roman amphitheater, circus, and forum, which allow visitors a glimpse into the area’s historical significance.

Empúries:

Empúries, on the Costa Brava, is renowned for its Greco-Roman ruins. Originally established by the Greeks as a colony and later expanded by the Romans, it provides a beautiful blend of historic architecture and natural beauty of the Costa Brava.

Medieval Moorish History:

Zaragoza:

While many know Zaragoza for its baroque Nuestra Señora del Pilar basilica, it also boasts a rich Moorish history as the capital of its own Moorish kingdom. The Aljafería, a stunning Islamic palace, stands testament to this, featuring detailed Islamic art and architecture from its time as the residence for Muslim, Jewish, and Christian monarchs.

Girona:

Girona, a city characterized by its medieval architecture, also holds a significant Moorish history. With a well-preserved Jewish quarter and a complex history of religious and cultural exchanges, it offers explorers fascinating insights into the interaction of Moorish, Jewish, and Christian cultures throughout the centuries. There is also a preserved defensive wall that surrounds the medieval core of the city that you can walk on top of.

Medieval Christian History:

Poblet Royal Monastery:

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and still active 12th-century Cistercian monastery. It was a fortified medieval royal residence and contains the unique hanging tombs of the old Kings of Aragon.

Peñíscola:

With its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, the old town of Peñíscola sits on a big rock that juts out into the sea. The town is dominated by a large Knights Templar castle that looks like something out of the Crusades. Recently, Peñíscola was used as a filming location in the T.V. series Game of Thrones.

I agree with Allan that you will have a more enjoyable trip if you stay overnight. There are fewer crowds and another reason we enjoyed our dinner is seeing Carcassonne illuminated in the evening.

Thank you, Carlos for your suggestions. If not helpful to the OP, it is to me!!

Thank you, Carlos for your suggestions. If not helpful to the OP, it is to me!!

Happy to help, I'm a big history buff myself so I love to share with others who share the passion for history, especially of my home country :) There are plenty of other historic places I could list but I don't want to overwhelm you guys haha.

Though I'll also mention the preserved walled medieval city of Olite, which can be done as a daytrip from Zaragoza. I'd describe Olite as the "Spanish Carcassonne", with a fraction of the tourists as its French counterpart. The Royal Palace of Olite was the seat of the old Kings of Navarra. For me, it's one of the more impressive medieval castles in Europe. There's even a Parador Hotel inside the Royal Palace that one can spend a night or two.

Hi Alisha

You found your match, I am local and I am also a history nerd too, especially from my turf here in Catalonia :)

Yet, you don't mention whether you'll be moving around in public transportation or by car, and this will certainly make a difference on what to recommend.

Also, I personally am fond of not spending hours on end on the road to go from one place to the next, so I tend to recommend a base or two and then day getaways from there. Does this match your travel style?

I’ll second some of the sites on the list Carlos recommended, and elaborate just a bit. We just loved Zaragoza. Its history, well presented in the local museum, stretches back to pre-Roman times.

The Alaferia Palace is not the only muslim site. You can see remnants of muslim architecture incorporated into later structures in many places. The palace ,itself, was taken over by Ferdinand and Isabella; and you can see their amendations. There are also many examples of Art Nouveau buildings all over the historic center.
There is a good museum of local archaeological finds at Empuries.
With such a short trip, it doesn’t seem sensible to spend so much time traveling between places. Also, imo, Carcasonne is super touristy. Souvenir shops at every turn.

We spent a night inside the walls of Carcassonne which was fun but I wouldn’t suggest anyone going out of their way to visit it.

Though I'll also mention the preserved walled medieval city of Olite,

Damn you Carlos. Yesterday I'd never heard of Olite or even considered northern Spain, and now after your suggestion and then finding a Trip Report with photos you posted a few years ago, my list just got longer.

THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH!!! Seriously, this is amazing. I'm going to skip Carcassonne most likely and visit some of the spots you wonderful folks have mentioned. I am a little worried about transportation. My husband loves to rent a car, but he hates driving in cities. I wonder if we can take buses out to these historic spots? Or maybe we can just rent a car and only use it to get out of the city and use public transportation while inside Barcelona. I'm thinking early November for this trip. Thanks again!

There's express-train service to Girona, Zaragoza and Tarragona. Buy tickets early for the best price if you're confident of your timing. There can be considerable variation from train to train, too. Take a look at the travel times to be sure you aren't over-paying and only saving a few minutes.

Spain is a bit unusual in that its fast trains sometimes sell out. I don't know about the trains heading north from Barcelona (to Girona) or down along the coast (to Tarragona), but that risk does exist for trains to Zaragoza, because those are the key trains to Madrid/Cordoba/Seville. Just don't wait till the day before you want to travel to check on ticket availability (aside from that probably costing you extra money).

Olite has less-rapid (regional express) and quite infrequent rail service from Zaragoza, so you'd need to plan that trip carefully. It's possible the schedule for Sunday is thinner than on Monday-Saturday. I think there's bus service from Logrono, so approaching that way might be an option. Olite was a very enjoyable, back-of-beyond experience as of 2016. The Royal Palace notwithstanding, the town didn't have a lot of tourist services. In the words of a travel writer, "You may starve to death, but you will not be bored." There are restaurants, but I bet they keep local, rather than tourist, hours, so plan to have lunch on the Spanish schedule.

I'm not familiar with Carlos's other tips, but I bet there's bus service. You can probably avoid renting a car.

If I had a car and some extra days, I'd drive south and see Cuenca (on the fast rail line between Madrid and Valencia), Teruel (on the slower rail line between Zaragoza and Valencia) and Albarracin (accessinble only via once-a-day bus). Albarracin really requires a two-night stay for an adequate visit because of the bus schedule). But there is more than enough in northern Catalunya to keep a visitor busy.