Cadaques or Tossa de Mar? - Time for one Day Trip out of Barcelona

Public transportation or rental car?

Public transportation most likely.

I have been to both Tossa de Mar and Cadaques, and they are both beautiful. However, I think it would be difficult and time consuming getting to Cadaques by public transportation. And I don't know if buses go to Cap de Creus, which is gorgeous and gives you wonderful ocean views. Perhaps you could hire a taxi to get to Cap de Creus from Cadaques.. But, overall, I think Tossa De Mar would be the easiest destination by public transportation.

Thank you all for your good thoughts. I appreciate it!

Cap de Creus is not "doable" without driving there. Yes, you could take a taxi from Cadaques... but then what? will you have the taxi waiting there all the time to take you back? In all, it'll cost you an arm a and a leg. Besides, getting to Cadaques from Barcelona will take a while (at least 2:30h, first by train to Figueres, then by taxi to Cadaques) so it's not such a good idea make it a one day trip.

Tossa de Mar is also a nice destination for a day out. For 25€ return-trip and a little more than an hour journey by bus you can visit Tossa. Check: https://www.barcelonanord.cat/en/routes/route/a/TOSSA%20DE%20MAR/

Yet, there are also literally dozens of other destinations reachable from Barcelona for a day out... just sayin'

• http://isyourhome.catalunya.com/
• https://www.barcelonaesmoltmes.cat/

Hi, all! Thanks for the great thoughts. I'm now debating between Tossa de Mar and Sitges. I know Tossa is 1.5hr from Barcelona and Sitges is 40m. I will be using public transportation to get there. Which is better for a day trip between these two, do you think? Thanks.

Not sure when your are planning to make the trip, but if it will be in summer both Sitges and Tossa will have quite a number of tourists.

Personally I have not found Sitges very appealing, even more so now that it is inundated with daytrippers from Barcelona, I read somewhere on any given day during the summer, 40-50% of the population are from out of town. I've always thought of it as the "Ramblas of beach towns", not my type of scene.

On the other hand, while Tossa de Mar does have the crowds, it also does have a very unique beach and quaint medieval old town which balances out the cons for me.

Thank you for your thoughts! It will be in a couple of weeks -- mid-June. If there's another easy-to-get-to-via-public-transport town from Barcelona you think I should visit instead of either of those two -- just let me know!

Girona is my favorite side-trip in that area (worth more than a day-trip, actually), but it is not on the coast. Very easy by train from Barcelona.

Tossa de Mar is still a good option I think, so I would not discount it just yet.

However an alternate smaller option could be a little beach community called Garraf, just a short 20 min train ride south of Barcelona. You will find mostly locals at this small but quaint seaside village. There are also many good chiringuitos to eat nearby and even a beach house designed by Antoni Gaudí. It's on the same train line as Sitges.

If you are looking for a alternative to Sitges, consider also Tarragona, if you are more interested in history and the beach is less important this port town should do the trick. Tarragona has some of the better Roman ruins in Spain, which are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. They also have a great Roman history museum called Museu Nacional Arqueològic (MNAT), showcasing various treasures from antiquity. The twisting medieval center of Tarragona also makes for a nice place for walks and dining. Tarragona is also on the same train line as Sitges, about 1 hr from Barcelona.