Need help to start planning

Are you also flying out of Barcelona? Are you open to renting a car or do you want public transport accessible only?
Always go for the "low-hanging" fruit first and decide how much time you want in Barcelona. Then you will have a realistic picture of how far you can travel to fill the rest of your time. I would certainly focus on the immediate area--Catalonia.

Hello from Wisconsin,
Valadelphia's recommendation is spot on. Barcelona is a great city. With possibly 10 days you will likely want to go to another location for part of the time. As with every plan that is suggested, I ask, "What do you mean by 10 days?" Does that include the day you fly in and the day you depart? If so, I would say you have 9 nights and 8 days.

There is a high speed train connection with Madrid. You can get there in three hours. A few days in Madrid to taste the food and visit the world class art museums would be well worth the time and money to get there.

We rented a car and headed north from Barcelona toward the Pyrenees. There are nice National Parks and hiking trails. With a little asking around you will find interesting and delicious food in little hidden restaurants.

wayne iNWI

I know you said no beaches, but do you like beautiful coastal scenery? If so, I recommend renting a car and spending 3 or 4 days driving along the Costa Brava. Spend a night or two in Cadaques and a night or two in Girona. Near Cadaques there is a beautiful natural park for scenic walks and coastal scenery. Great food! And Dali's house in Port Lligat (next to Cadaques) is very quirky. Girona is a very interesting medieval town and you can walk along its walls. And a wonderful market, too.

Or you can head into Catalonia. Visit Besalu, Rupit and Ripoll. We didn't hike here but it's the mountains so there must be great hiking. There is gorgeous mountain scenery when driving over the Eastern Catalan Pyrenees.

You definitely need to buy a guidebook or two for Barcelona, Costa Brava and the Pyrenees.

I recommend at least 5 nights in Barcelona itself.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Costa Brava is on my list and I was thinking of spending 3 full days in Barcelona. I get in on a Wednesday and leave Saturday. Would driving out to Bilbao be doable as well within the ten days or would Madrid by train be a better place to see?

Costa Brava is on my list and I was thinking of spending 3 full days
in Barcelona. I get in on a Wednesday and leave Saturday. Would
driving out to Bilbao be doable as well within the ten days or would
Madrid by train be a better place to see?

If you had said, "I am a city gal who loves history and art museums, and want to stick to train" I think many would have suggested Madrid. It's certainly not a bad idea. When I see "hiking and nature," I think the immediate vicinity and some driving. I would not go all the way to Bilbao with that time frame, but it is possible. If you only want a few days in Barcelona and few days in the Costa Brava area, then Madrid would into the remaining time, but remember you'll have to get back to BCN. I'd consider doubling your time for Costa Brava.

Thank you. That info was very helpful.I haven’t looked into the Pyrenees so thank you Wayne for the suggestion. I think I will skip Madrid and stay around Catalonia hopefully come back another time to see more. Would you still suggest a car?

The car part would depend on your ultimate itinerary. I don't know that area well so I cannot advise--others will chime in. I'm fairly certain you can get to Girona without one, but often to get to hiking areas you need a car. I'd consult a guide book to get a good sense of the area and what is possible, then you can decide if you want to deal with driving. If you are traveling solo, I can see not wanting to drive around alone.

I know you can take a train to Girona from Barcelona, and I believe there are buses from Girona to where Dali's museum is (Figueres?) . But IMO public transportation in this area limits where you can go. I think a car will be a lot more enjoyable because it gives you more freedom and flexibility, especially if you want to hike. The natural park I mentioned near Cadaques is Cap de Creus. There is a lighthouse, olive trees, rosemary, thyme, and amazing views.

With our 3 nights along the Costa Brava, we barely scratched the surface. If it were me, after Barcelona, I would spend the rest of my time in Costa Brava and northern Catalonia. The mountain scenery and small villages are beautiful.

Exactly how many nights do you have? Sounds like you want to spend 4 nights in Barcelona, that gives you 3 full days. So you then would have 5 or 6 nights for Costa Brava and northern Catalonia. I think trying to include another destination further afield might not be enjoyable and you would spend a lot of time driving or being on some other mode of transportation, such as buses or trains.

The train to Figueres goes through Girona. You can see both in a single day. Plan to arrive at the Dali Museum when it opens, also visit the jewel collection (included in the ticket), then take the train to Girona for the rest of the day. You can lunch in either town. It's probably faster to take a taxi from Figueres to the train station, easy to get one in town. However, if you're renting a car and going north, it may make more sense to visit these places on the way.

If you arrive on Wed and leave on Sat, you have 10 nights. Assuming you arrive in the morning and leave in the morning, your first day will be a blur, just get oriented, and try to stay awake. Your last night you will want to be back in Barcelona to ensure you get to the airport with ample time.

Visit the official Barcelona TI site for a comprehensive view of all the activities, sights, and day trips (many can be done on your own).