Two Weeks in Catalunya—itinerary help

Hi, sounds like a really fun time for your family!! Catalonia in general is very family oriented. Here would be my answers to your questions

Are there any events/festivals that we should try to coincide with? Castells, fire festivals, flower carpet displays? We are there over Corpus Christi and summer solstice. Are certain cities not to be missed at these times?

I have fond memories growing up in Barcelona of the Noche de San Juan (June 23), this is when family and friends gather to light bonfires and set off personal fireworks (from the roofs of apartments no less!). You can find dancing/festivities going on in most neighborhood squares, like one giant party.

Should we go south of Barcelona at all or just north?

While the Costa Brava gets all the big name press, the Costa Dorada (Golden Coast), south of Barcelona is delightful. It's a land full of ancient olive trees, citrus groves, sandy beaches, lazy beach towns, time-warped castles, and Roman Ruins. You can use Tarragona as a home base to explore the area, PortAventura the largest theme park in Spain is very close by.

If four or five home bases turns out to be the ideal (Barcelona, Girona, Cadaques... what would be the fourth/fifth?)

You could either do Tossa de Mar if staying north or Tarragona if wanting to explore south.

Is a day trip to Monserrat a must?

I don't think so. I prefer the 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. There is local wine tasting onsite, if you are interested.

Hope this all helps! :)

Out of all the many, many sights I've seen in this world, Montserrat is one of my very favourites. It's not just about the monastery, per se, but about the setting. To me, it is very much a "must see," rivalled on my visit to Barcelona only by the Sagrada Familia.

The Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres is an easy day trip from Girona by train. The fast trains go to the Figueres Vilafant station, which I think is close to a mile from the Theatre-Museum. (Google Maps will give you a good walking-time estimate.) The slower trains go to the Figueres station, which is a bit closer to the Theatre-Museum. The Theatre-Museum is more or less in the middle, between the two stations. There's a bus that runs from Figueres Vilafant to a stop fairly near the Theatre-Museum. I believe it goes on to the Figueres Station. It seems to be timed to meet the fast trains arriving at Figueres Vilafant, but if your train arrives late, the bus will not wait, so you should be prepared either to walk into the center of town or call a taxi.

The Theatre-Museum ticket also covers the nearby and fabulous jewelry collection. You should buy your timed ticket for the Theatre-Museum online before arrival. I don't know that you need to do it particularly early, but time slots can sell out. Bus tours sometimes show up, and it would be disruptive to your sightseeing plans if you were told you needed to come back in 3 or 4 hours. Figueres isn't one of Spain's most attractive towns, so it's not a place where I'd want to have to kill a lot of time.

There's bus service between the Figueres station and Cadaques, so if you prefer not to drive that road twice to make a day trip to the Theatre-Museum possible, you do have that option.

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback!

Here's the current plan, and a few more follow up questions:

June 12-16 (4 nts) Barcelona

16th (1 nt) TBD Thinking we could venture south toward Tarragona (Poblet and Miravet) or visit Monserrat and then move on that day. Not sure best home base for night. If going south, Tarragona was suggested. Any others to consider? I was a little interested in heading toward Berga if it would be worthwhile during the Patnum. (Any thoughts on that?)

17th-20th (3 nts) Girona--Side trips to Besalu and Figueres. Will probably arrive via Garroxta route
**We will be there over Corpus Christi Sunday. Any tips related to that? I know they lay out flower carpets in Sitges. Do they do that here, too? I thought I recalled that. Maybe Tossa del Mar does, too?

20th-23rd (3 nts) Calella de palafrugell OR Begur—Side trips to Pals and Peratallada (Any thoughts on best home base?)

23rd-26th (3 nts) Cadaques
*We will arrive on summer solstice. Any tips related to that?
*On the 26th we should be at BCN around 11am for a 2pm International flight. Sound okay to depart Cadaques that day?

Thank you again!!
Ashley

I would not want to be in Cadaques the night before a flight from Barcelona. Via Michelin says it's about 110 miles, and the first stretch of road as you head out of Cadaques toward Figueres is highly scenic (read: two lanes and very curvy). An accident on that stretch of road could cause a blockage, possibly leading to a missed flight. I won't comment on other types of traffic delays because I have no useful knowledge there. There's also the theoretical possibility of a car breakdown.

My philosophy is that I want to be within an affordable taxi ride of my departure airport the night before any flight. That way, I don't have to panic if something like a strike crops up.

We've had some reports recently (in the COVID era, I mean) from folks who allowed more than three hours at the airport for their transatlantic flights home and did end up needing the extra time. Personally, I'd be allowing four hours at a major airport these days. It took me about three full hours to get to my BCN gate back in 2016; the United check-in line was super-long that day.

I agree with acraven about not wanting to be in Cadaques the night before a flight out of Barcelona. We spent one night in Cadaques, which is gorgeous, and the drive there over the mountains is beautiful but it's a white-knuckled drive! I checked my journal from that trip, and I noted that there were about 125 hairpin curves one way! And no guardrails! So it's impossible to drive fast on this road. So even if you don't encounter a delay on the road from an accident, you cannot drive fast on that road, regardless.

Thank you—we were hesitating about that. Appreciate the advice.

Any other opinions on choosing Calella de palafrugell OR Begur as a home base?