The popular city of Barcelona is the capital city of the Catalonia region, which is a scenic rich region with the Pyrenees Mountain Range located to the north and the Costa Blanca coast to the southeast. So if you have stayed in the city in the past, you have surely spent time down Las Ramblas, La Ribero, browsed around the Gothic Quarter and perhaps visited the Camp Nou!
What you may not be aware of is that much of the Catalonia region is actually very reachable in a day trip from Barcelona! For some touring ideas check out our guide to the top 5 driving tours of the Catalonia region…
Barcelona to Gerona Driving Tour
This driving tour is about 103km in length, and will take you about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. Starting out from Barcelona, the key is to travel along the north east coast get onto the Gerona A7 road, then the Autopista Barcelona-Montmelo Road and the AP 7 road, which is a partial toll road.
Gerona is a pleasant and attractive medieval city, which is perched on the side of a hill and offers great space to explore. Places to look out for are the Cinema Museum, the historic Jewish Quarter and the Roman ruins in the area, notably the Roman baths. The medieval architecture is really something to savour in the town. Gerona is actually an ideal base if you wanted to make further trips to places like Olot and Figueres. It's an ideal central point to take excursions to the beaches of Costa Brava, or coastal towns such as Calella de Palafrugell.
Figueres - A Day Trip from Barcelona
After reaching Girona, you could head on for Figueres, which in total is 140km and a two hour drive from Barcelona, and to get there take the AP 7 partial toll road to Gerona, and follow the signs for Figueres. Figueres is a small town on the French border, which was the birthplace of renowned artist Salvador Dali, and the town is now home to the Dali Museum. Whether you have an interest in surreal abstract art, or just interested in the life of Dali himself, this is a must visit place to see how he lived and where he came from that made create his wonderful work.
Port Lligat Dali Museum, a smaller museum dedicated to Salvador Dali, is to be found at Port Lligat, Cadaqués. The museum is in a former residence of the artist, who lived there from 1930 until his wife became deceased in the early 1980s. Or travel to Gala Dali Castle in Púbol – which is a shrine to Dali's deceased wife and his home place for the remainder of his life.
Barcelona to Tarragona Driving Tour
The pleasant town of Tarragona is located to the southwest of Barcelona, around 115km away, and would take around 80 minutes for you to get there. Again, take the AP 7 route south from Barcelona, and you will be driving through some majestic mountain scenery en route.
Tarragona is an ancient port town, and is situated in a terrific setting, on a hill which rises over 150 metres above the Mediterranean Sea. The hill’s highest point is the Cathedral. Perhaps the main attractions in Tarragona are the Roman and Ancient ruins to be found there. This ancient Phoenician and Roman settlement is fascinating for those interested in history.
Tarragona has plenty to occupy the family, with a majestic beach nearby, the famous Port Aventura Amusement park quite nearby along with the holiday resort town of Salou.
Andorra - Driving tour from Barcelona
Andorra is a separate nation from Spain – but can be accessed by car quite easily and is well recommended as a driving tour destination from Barcelona. On route to Andorra, you will be astounded by the magnificent mountain scenery on the E9 road. With a driving distance of over 200km, it would take probably over three hours to reach Andorra.
Andorra is the only country in the world where Catalan is the first language, although French and Spanish are spoken. Andorra is an excellent destination for skiing with wonderful slopes all year round. It is also a great place for shopping due to the tax free status of the country.
Barcelona to Olot Driving Tour
Situated to the northeast of Catalonia in Spain, Olot is located 110km from Barcelona and takes nearly two hours to get there along the C17 and then the C152.
The biggest attraction of the Olot area are its volcanic craters, which are renowned as being the best preserved on the European continent. One of the most fascinating things to see here is a church that was built in one of the craters, and the view is most spectacular. Why not visit the scenic villages of Banyoles and Besalu via Olot as part of your driving tour.
So if you're heading to Spain and you want to get away from the city, Make yourself a packed lunch, find a place that offers cheap car hire and spend your trip soaking up some true Catalan culture.