Recommended Day Trip from Barcelona

Are you going to Montserrat? If not, that is pretty spectacular. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed visiting Girona. We spent a couple days there but people do it in a day, as well.

I certainly second the suggestion of Girona, the beautiful and historic old stone city merits part of a day, an entire day, or a few days. For an idea, parts of Game of Thrones were filmed here. My first time, I took the AVE train to Figueres and visited the Dali Museum, then caught a train to Girona where I spent the afternoon and evening, then returned to Barcelona mid-evening.
For a different day-trip idea, I took a daylong bus tour called “Medieval Villages of Catalunya” which drove through the countryside and visited Besalu, Rupit and Tavertet — I loved it!

I really like the Dalí Museum in Figueres, north of Barcelona (big fan of his artwork). I have seen several tours out of Barcelona that not only visit his Museum in Figueres, they also visit his whimsical house in Cadaques, which is relatively close by to Figueres.

If you want to strike out on your own, Tarragona is just a short train ride south of Barcelona. They have some of the best Roman ruins in all of Spain. I would start at the Museu Nacional Arqueològic (MNAT) then have lunch at my favorite place in Tarragona Restaurant Antic which is right next door to the museum. Then I would walk down to the Roman Amphitheater.

I took a day trip to Girona via the AVE train. Highly recommend going there. Some earlier posts have listed what to see and do....they are spot on. I was there at the beginning of their flower festival. Half of Spain showed up. It was really crowded, but definitely worth it.

I also spent half of a day at Montserrat. I needed more time to do some hikes, but it was also a day well spent.

Thank you all for the suggestions! That helps me narrow down my options a bit. Much appreciated! :-)

SOME IDEAS FOR AN EXCURSION OUT OF THE CITY (by train and/or bus)
...

• GIRONA
• FIGUERES -note this and Girona are relatively close to each other
• SITGES
• MONTSERRAT
• BESALÚ
• TARRAGONA
• VIC
• ROSES
• TOSSA DE MAR

or perhaps attending an event or, better still, a "festa major" somewhere in the region can be another great option to immerse yourself in Catalan culture.

If you prefer more traditional text-based advice:
http://catalunya.com/ -Catalonia’s Tourism Agency
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/ -Barcelona’s Tourism Agency
http://en.costabrava.org/ -Costa Brava Tourism Agency
http://www.baixemporda-costabrava.org/en/
http://www.lleidatur.com/ -Lleida and Pyrenees-Aran Tourism Agency
http://www.visitpirineus.com/ -Pyrenees-Aran Tourism Agency
http://www.turismeamposta.cat/en -Terres de l’Ebre Tourism Agency
http://www.bcn.cat/ -Barcelona City Council
http://www.girona.cat/turisme/eng/index.php -Girona City Council
http://www.tarragonaturisme.cat/ -Tarragona City Council
...
Enjoy!

Enric-- thank you so much for the generous amount of information!

I will be in Barcelona in late September, in time for La Merce.

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/events/la-merce/barcelona-la-merce.html

I will also take a day trip to Tarragona for yet another festival.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ca&u=https://tarragonadigital.com/tarragona/programa-actes-santa-tecla-2018&prev=search

Thank you all for the suggestions! That helps me narrow down my options a bit. Much appreciated! :-)

Well, Courtney, I hope my post didn't "undo" too much whatever you had already "narrowed", LOL!

Enric-- not at all. I rarely get so much time in just one city, so it's actually a little more challenging than if I just had 2-3 days (in which case I'd only have time for the highlights). I between your list and the opinions others shared, I'm sure I'll make a good decision. ;-)