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The white houses and church of Cadaqués above the bay, with the low hills of Cap de Creus behind

Sample journey · 9–11 days

Catalonia, from Gaudí to the volcano woods

Barcelona, Girona, Cadaqués, the Costa Brava coast path & the Garrotxa

Photo: Boris Hadjur / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Catalonia has its own language, its own kitchen and its own sea, and a single journey can take in its whole range. Barcelona is a city where Gaudí's houses stand beside Gothic courtyards and the beach begins a few metro stops away. Beyond it lie Girona and its old Jewish quarter, the Empordà plain with its wineries and medieval villages, the Costa Brava, whose rocky coves and fishing towns in many places remain much as Dalí once painted them, and a quiet interior where beech woods grow on the lava of extinct volcanoes.

The route adapts easily to families or couples: drives are short, usually under an hour and a half, and the stays range from a boutique hotel in Barcelona's old town to a stone mas, a farmhouse among the olives, and a house with a terrace above the sea. For children there are castles, boats and swims in the coves; for adults, the cooking Catalans call 'sea and mountain', and evenings when children are still playing in the village squares after ten.

The route

The journey

  1. Barcelona
  2. Girona
  3. Figueres
  4. Cadaqués & Cap de Creus
  5. Begur & Calella de Palafrugell
  6. The Garrotxa & Besalú
  7. Barcelona
  1. The rooftops of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter and the cathedral towers, with hills beyond

    01Days 1–4 · Barcelona

    Gaudí, Gothic and the sea

    Three nights in a city best known on foot. On the first morning, the Sagrada Família, when early light falls through its coloured windows, then Gaudí's houses on the Passeig de Gràcia. On day two, the Gothic Quarter and El Born: narrow lanes, the cathedral roof, the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar and the Boqueria or Santa Caterina market for lunch. In the afternoon, Barceloneta beach or the cable car up Montjuïc, with its gardens and the Miró Foundation. On day three, Gaudí's Park Güell in the morning while it's still cool, and a free afternoon; children may like the aquarium or the funicular up to the old funfair on Tibidabo. In the evenings, vermouth and tapas in the squares of Gràcia, where Barcelona life runs late.

  2. Girona's coloured houses above the Onyar river in sunset light, seen from a bridge

    02Days 4–6 · Girona

    Coloured houses above the Onyar

    Less than an hour by high-speed train from Barcelona, and two nights in Girona, where the car journey begins. The coloured houses stand straight above the Onyar river, best seen from the red iron bridge designed by the Eiffel workshops. The old town climbs in stairways: the cathedral, with one of the widest Gothic naves in Europe, the Call, one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Spain, with a small museum, and the medieval walls, along which you can walk part of the town from above. On day two, a slow morning, ice cream on the riverbank and, if you like, an outing to a nearby Empordà winery. Girona is also known for its cooking, so at least one dinner here deserves a long evening.

  3. A white and blue fishing boat on calm water beside the white houses of Cadaqués

    03Days 6–8 · Figueres & Cadaqués

    Dalí country and the tramuntana

    Half an hour to Figueres and a morning in the Dalí Theatre-Museum, which the artist created in his home town and where he is buried; even those who don't love Surrealism tend to enjoy it, and children are usually captivated. After lunch, a winding road over the hills to Cadaqués and two nights in a white fishing town that Dalí, Picasso and many other artists loved for its light. On day two, the bay of Portlligat and Dalí's house, visited in small groups at a pre-booked time, and in the afternoon the Cap de Creus natural park, the easternmost point of the Iberian peninsula, where wind-carved rocks take the strangest shapes. The tramuntana often blows here, a strong north wind that clears the sky but can change the day's plans.

  4. Calella de Palafrugell at dusk: white houses and arches along the bay on the Costa Brava

    04Days 8–10 · Begur & Calella de Palafrugell

    The coast path, cove to cove

    About an hour and a quarter south lies the Baix Empordà, and two nights among the hills above the sea, in a stone house or a small hotel near Begur. The main day is the Camí de Ronda, the old coastguards' path that winds along the cliffs, through pine woods and down steps into the coves. The stretch from Calella de Palafrugell to Llafranc and Tamariu takes only a couple of hours with stops to swim, so it suits families with older children too. In the evening, Calella's fishing boats drawn up on the sand and dinner under the arches by the water; in July, havaneres are sung here, sailors' songs that came from Cuba. The next day, the medieval village of Pals and the rice fields on the plain, or simply a cove, a book and a long lunch.

  5. Besalú's medieval bridge over the river, with its gate tower and stone houses

    05Days 10–11 · The Garrotxa & Besalú

    Beech trees on lava

    About an hour and a quarter inland lies the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone natural park, where several dozen extinct volcanic cones hide among green hills. On the way, Besalú, a medieval town with a long Romanesque bridge and gate tower over the river, and a rare surviving Jewish ritual bath, a mikveh. One night in a country farmhouse near Olot. In the morning, an easy trail through the Fageda d'en Jordà, a beech wood growing on an old lava flow where the leaves turn gold in autumn, and a climb into the crater of the Santa Margarida volcano, with a small chapel standing at its bottom. For children it's a geography lesson in the open air. In the afternoon, about an hour and a half to two hours back to Barcelona airport.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Sagrada Família in the morning

    Coloured light from the windows across stone columns that rise like trees.

  2. 02

    The Dalí triangle

    The Theatre-Museum in Figueres and the house at Portlligat: two different worlds of the same man.

  3. 03

    The Camí de Ronda

    The old coast path between pines and rocks, with a swim in every cove.

  4. 04

    The Garrotxa volcanoes

    A beech wood on lava and a chapel at the bottom of a crater: a very different Catalonia.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More time by the sea

    A third night on the Costa Brava allows a boat trip along the cliffs to the Medes Islands marine reserve, where snorkellers often see plenty of fish.

  • With children

    In Barcelona, fewer museums and more beach and parks; in the Garrotxa, a second night, horses or bikes along the old railway line.

  • In spring or autumn

    May to June and September to October are usually the most pleasant: the sea is still warm in September, and the coves are far quieter than in July and August.

  • With the Pyrenees or the Priorat

    From the Garrotxa it's only a few hours to the high Pyrenean valleys, and south of Barcelona lie the terraced vineyards of the Priorat; either makes a fine extension.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is roughly May to June and September to October. In July and August Barcelona and the Costa Brava coves are very busy, and in some places summer parking and road access to the beaches are restricted.
  • Tickets for the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and Dalí's house at Portlligat are sold for set times and often sell out in advance, so we book them as we plan the journey.
  • A tourist tax is charged on overnight stays in Barcelona and across Catalonia, usually paid at the accommodation; the amount changes, so we check it before you travel.
  • The journey is planned by train to Girona, then by car. Roads on the Costa Brava and Cap de Creus are winding, and the tramuntana wind sometimes changes boat and walking plans.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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