Can use advice on my Barcelona (and vicinity) plans

Girona has a lovely, large historic district that is great for wandering, a wall you can walk on, two excellent cathedrals (English-language audio guides available, and a quite good not-large museum. I believe it has at least one really famous restaurant; certainly there's a lively outdoor dining scene. The city feels affluent, which usually guarantees good eating opportunities. Aside from its own attractions (which are worth at least one full day), Girona is an excellent base for side trips to Figueres (Dali Theatre and Museum), Cadaques (white cubic architecture dripping with bougainvillea, and Dali house not too far away), and--in the opposite direction--the small medieval town of Besalu, which has a striking fortified bridge. All of those places can be reached by public transportation (Cadaques via Figueres). There are other beaches, too.

Sitges is attractive enough, but if I had more than 3/4 of a day, I'd much prefer to station myself in Girona. I am not a beach person, however. On the other hand, you will have just spent a week on an island; how much more beach do you want?

Actually, I'd think you'd want more time in Barcelona, but I can't get enough of the modernista architecture. Have you seen Sant Pau?

Mallorca won't be beach the whole time. I do plan to visit some of the small towns on the island. Initially the point of this trip was a Euro beach vacation BTW :-). I like laying out on beautiful beaches to work on my tan and take in the scenery that we don't get here in Los Angeles. I'm getting more away from museums because I just prefer to spend more time outdoors now (and I've seen tons of museums on my many trips to Europe).

Besalu looks totally worth visiting. Is that something I can do by public transport from BCN? How much time does Figueres need if I only want to see Dali sights?

Yes I went to Sant Pau on my last trip and it was absolutely amazing. That had already been my second time to BCN (but it had been about 10 years). And yes I couldn't get enough of the Modernista architecture myself. I still have to go to some of Gaudi's other places, such as Palau Guell and I missed seeing Casa Amatller from the inside.

I still would like to get to Sitges in part because of the gay atmosphere, however.

Hi Gabriel

What is "end of August" exactly?

Arrive 24th. Mallorca, the 26th, back to BCN/Sitges on September 2. Leave for Portugal September 6.

Can you transfer your Sitges accomm booking ?

Thu 24. Arrive Barcelona. Transfer to Sitges (2 nights)
Sat 26. Fly to Mallorca
Sat 02. Return to BCN. Train to Girona (2 nights)
Mon 04. Train to Barcelona (2 nights)
Wed 06. Fly to Portugal

Besalu is easily done by public bus from Girona and is small enough that you could make the trip from Barcelona in one day, but I'm not sure spending that much time to go just to Besalu would be the best decision. One thing about Besalu: I took an onward bus westward, and that bus left Besalu at least 8 minutes early, so be sure to get back to the bus stop (just a spot on the street) well ahead of the scheduled departure time for the return bus.

I can't help with the time needed for Figueres since I (foolishly) skipped the Dali Theatre and Museum there. Friends visited last fall and raved about it. There's a jewelry exhibition they really enjoyed, in addition to the art, so I know it was a multi-hour visit.

Edited to add: The interior of Casa Amatller is really pseudo-castle rather than modernista architecture. Not uninteresting, but perhaps not what you are expecting.

I enjoyed the Colonia Guell, but it requires a greater investment of time. There's a train ride (from Pl. Espanya, as I recall), then quite a healthy walk.

About Sitges: I suspect you may need to be there on a weekend to get the full flavor of it. I noticed in Cadaques (another beachy spot) that a lot of the art galleries seemed to be closed on the July Tuesday when I was there. I was sort of surprised. I went to Sitges on an August Wednesday and it wasn't all that lively in terms of people out on the street. I might have been in the wrong place, though. And it may be that everyone is on the beach in the daytime and out clubbing at night.

Sitges follows a fairly rigid schedule during the summer.

11:00-12:00 Breakfast
12:00-18:00 Beach (with time out for lunch)
18:00-19:00 Post beach cocktail
19:00-21:00 Siesta
21:00-22:00 Pre dinner cocktail
22:00-23:59 Dinner
00:01-02:00 Bars
02:00-05:00 Clubs
05:00-11:00 Sleep

Thanks for all the input. I'm really going to have to think things through. Yes, I can possibly rearrange doing Sitges when I arrive, but seems like it would be best to be there during the weekend. I'm not one for being out late or going to clubs, so that time frame probably won't fit my itinerary haha. DJP offers a good alternative to my itinerary, but I do still want to spend a little more time in BCN. I haven't even ventured to the Arc de Triomf or Ciutadella park area yet. And there's one restaurant I wanted to dine at on my last visit that I didn't get to.

I'll look up transport options to Besalu from BCN on Rome2Rio and see what pops up.

Ugh! It's hard for me to make up my mind when presented with these options. Lots to think about.

How about:

I cut off one day from my original Sitges itinerary, early morning train to Girona on Monday, September 4 and spend the night there. If time, make a super quick trip to Besalu (starting to have second thoughts about this one) on that day or the following day (or go to Figueres Tuesday morning). Train back to BCN on Tuesday in the afternoon.

Doable?

I'm seeing tour options from Barcelona that go to Girona and Figueres as a day group trip. Worthwhile? I normally like to do things on my own (I will be traveling solo), so maybe this would be a better option so that I don't have to lug around my luggage back and forth between towns.

I, personally, wouldn't want to cram Girona and Figueres into a single day-trip. However, I enjoyed visiting both cathedrals (with audio guides, which take time), walking the wall, wandering the streets. And the museum probably needs close to 2 hours if you go. Now, if all you want to do is spend a couple of hours wandering around some of the streets in the old town (that would certainly not be enough to see the whole area), the day-tour could work for you if it allows enough time to see the Dali Theatre and Museum. I know that I spend substantially more time in museums than the vast majority of other tourists, so I would not risk taking a package tour that included the DT&M.

The AVEs and AVANTs to Girona take only 38 minutes. Fares vary quite a lot, with bargains available if you pin down your schedule early. Some of those trains (probably especially those heading back to Barcelona late in the day) do sell out. There are slower trains (68 to 83 minutes) that will probably be cheaper (perhaps substantially so) if you end up buying last-minute tickets. They do not have assigned seats and shouldn't sell out. If you're willing to pay the price for the AVE/AVANT to Girona, you'll save a lot of time vs. a bus tour that has to deal with traffic on the road, so I don't see that the tour will be much more efficient even when you add in the need to go on to Figueres. ViaMichelin estimates the driving time at 83 minutes. Plus the time to load and unload the bus, naturally.

The regular trains from Girona to Figueres takes 28 - 38 minutes. The faster AVEs/AVANTs take just 14 or 15 minutes but go to a different station (Figueres Vilafant). Check Google Maps to see which station would be closer to the Dali site. ViaMichelin estimates the driving time at 44 minutes.

Bus schedule Barcelona to Besalu.

Bus schedule Girona to Besalu. (These buses run much more frequently.)

Google for info on luggage-storage options in Girona and Figueres if that is a concern. In Girona the bus and train stations are very close together, so you could store luggage at either one, if the service is available.

I have a perhaps-irrational bias against taking bus tours to places I could reach in one day by public transportation, and Girona/Figueres falls in that category. If you must visit both cities on the same day, I'd suggest going first to Figueres (pre-book the museum, being sure to allow time to get there from the train station) since it's impossible to predict how much time you'll want in the museum. Then stop in Girona on the way back to Barcelona.

acraven, much appreciate the detailed info. I am also not a huge fan of the bus tours. I was doing some research and if I want to save money I would be in a 40-50 person group tour, which I'm not fond of. But in looking at other well priced and smaller group tours (max 10 people), all the schedules were the same. That is, go to Girona first and then on to Figueres. Makes no sense to me because I would personally want to do the museum first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. I am not one of those people to spend too much time in museums, but when there is one that makes me want to stay longer I will do so.

With all that said, I think I will just do the following: Go back to BCN on Monday, the 4th and spend that evening and the next there. I would then take a train to Girona on Monday (I'll likely leave Sitges very early so that I don't run too far behind). Depending on timing, maybe I'll quickly check out Besalu on this day. I'll do Figueres as a half day thing on Tuesday (get there first thing in the morning when the museum opens) and that will leave me one last afternoon/evening in BCN before taking off the next morning.

Further thoughts ...
(1) Every night of the week feels the same in Sitges during high summer. It is a never ending 'weekend'. (My party schedule was a jesting observation, even though I lived it in my younger days).
(2) Girona would best be served with a 2 night stay if you wanted flexibility to visit Figueres/Besalu as well as time to explore Girona itself.

This would make a compromise but still means shifting Sitges.
Sat 02. Return to BCN. Train to Girona (1 night)
Sun 03. Visit Figueres/Besalu before an evening train to Barcelona (3 nights)
Mon 04. Barcelona
Tue 05. Barcelona
Wed 06. Fly to Portugal

Gabriel, exactly one year ago I was in Barcelona for a week for my first visit, also traveling solo at the time. I loved the city and nearby areas and towns. I will just comment on 2 of my experiences, that have been discussed here. (1) I did travel to Figueres and Girona in a single day, on my own by train. There is a relatively early (8:30 am) fast train, Barcelona Sants to Figueres Vilafont, with a promo price, currently €10,85, takes about an hour total. A local bus meets the train and takes you very near the museum for a euro or so. Pre-reserve your Dali Museum ticket and time. I spent about 2 to 3 hours in the museum, I found it nice and different but it did not blow me away as it does many people. I had the train schedules with me, and caught a brief train to Girona, where I spent until early evening. It is quite far from the station to old Girona. I walked both ways but it was tiring, at least 30 minutes each way, but the old stone city and lanes, Roman walls, Cathedral, Jewish Museum, etc. were beautiful and interesting. (Doing this again, I would take a bus or taxi to/from the station at least one way). I left my return schedule open, and caught a train when I felt like it, there were trains to BCN about hourly. (2) I do like 1-day van or bus tours when they allow me to visit more and varied interesting places than I could on my own, and find them worth the cost at times. I took a tour called "Medieval Villages of Catalunya" and loved it. The tour visited the ancient towns of Besalu and Rupit and the old, but not ancient, town of Tavernet, and lots of countryside and mountain areas around it. Spent some time in each town, and the group of 12 or so shared a great traditional lunch in Rupit, not included in the tour price. The tour featured a great guide, local from that part of Catalunya, so very knowledgeable and passionate about the area. For me, this day added a whole new view and experience of Catalunya beyond Barcelona and the smaller cities of Girona, Tarragona, etc. Enjoy Catalunya!

Larry's bus tour is an example of one I'd be glad to take.

Thanks for the input Larry. I will most likely be doing these day trips on my own so that I can everything at my own pace.

I still don't think I want to cut out Sitges, I've definitely already cut off a day. Maybe, just maybe I'll do Sitges as a day trip from BCN. However, all depends on cost since hotels/apartments in BCN that time of month are not very inexpensive.

Ok bear with me. After giving Sitges a closer look I think I kind of want to cut it out. I remember seeing fascinating pics of the Pyrenees/Andorra. Does this region make a reasonable day trip (within a 2 hour train ride) from BCN? If I'm not mistaken it kind of reminds me of the Swiss Alps.

In a word, no. You're not in fast-train territory if you're heading toward Andorra. It appears that the quickest way to get there is the Andorra Direct bus, which takes at least 3 hours. The countryside up that way is pretty, and there are some very nice towns (La Seu de Urgell and Puigcerda are two that I visited last year), but Andorra La Vella itself is by all accounts a tax-free shopping mall. (Thus the rather shocking number of daily buses heading there.) It's not the sort of place to go on a day trip from Barcelona.

I haven't been to Montserrat, but perhaps you should consider it. It's extremely accessible from Barcelona and has nice walks as well as the monastery.

I spent a fair amount of time in Andorra between 1989 and 1992, when I had friends there. Overall I would say it has limited appeal and wouldn't recommend it as a destination for your trip. The Pyrenees, also, are not really comparable with the Alps.

Great advice, I'll scratch that idea. I'll give Montserrat a look because it does seem rather fascinating.

I may do Sitges as a day thing since it's pretty close to BCN. I ended up having second thoughts because 1. The beaches don't seem to be as beautiful as those found on Mallorca and 2. Since I'll be traveling solo there's the issue of someone possibly stealing my stuff on the beach if i decide to take a dip in the sea (I know that's a possibility in Mallorca too, but I am planning on visiting mainly remote beaches/calas).

I'm going to have a look through Google maps and see if there are any coves north of BCN that might be worth checking out since it seems the beaches north of the city look better.

As far as staying in Girona, I was looking at apartments (my absolute preference vs. a hotel) and the prices are very close to what I found in BCN. So I figured there's no point in me moving from BCN if it's going to cost the same (I'll just do the old style commute).