Thirty kilometres south of Barcelona, the picturesque seaside town of Garraf is famous for its sandy beach and colourful beach huts. The town also serves as the gateway to hiking in Garraf Natural Park, where there are plenty of easy trails to explore. One of the most popular routes in the area is a twenty-kilometre…
Category: Activities
Five-Day Hike From Vic To Besalú (Multi-day hike near Barcelona)
Spain is crisscrossed by a network of long-distance hiking trails called Senderos de Gran Recorrido, or GR footpaths. These trails usually take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to complete, making them ideal for hikers seeking a multi-day trek. This post describes a five-day hike that combines the most scenic sections of two…
Walking the Camino de Santiago from Barcelona to Montserrat (A pilgrim’s guide)
The Camino de Santiago is the world’s best-known Christian pilgrimage trail and hundreds of thousands of people set out to walk it every year. The history of the Camino de Santiago can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and although nowadays, most pilgrims only walk the 100-kilometre section from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela,…
Complete Guide to Hiking the Camins de Ronda (Costa Brava Coastal Path)
The Camins de Ronda are a series of historic footpaths that run along the Costa Brava, one of Spain’s most beautiful sections of coastline. The paths date back more than a thousand years and were originally used by fishermen to travel from village to village. From the mid-nineteenth century, the paths were used by the…
Walking the PR-C 171 in Barcelona: From Zona Universitaria to Trinitat Nova
The PR-C 171 trail is an easy twenty-kilometre hike through the Collserola mountain range, which visits the peaks of Sant Pere Màrtir, Tibidabo and El Turó de Santa Maria and offers breathtaking panoramic views of Barcelona, along the coast, and inland towards Montserrat and nearby cities like Sant Cugat del Vallès. The trail takes between…
Discovering the Public Art on Barcelona’s Waterfront (walking itinerary & map)
Barcelona is renowned for its public art, and the city’s many parks and plazas are replete with monuments ranging from traditional statues paying homage to people and events of the past to intriguing contemporary pieces by international and local artists. But it’s not just the parks and plazas which are full of art. Wherever you…
The Three Hills Walk (Urban hiking in Barcelona)
The Three Hills Walk is a popular hiking trail in Barcelona which visits the summits of three hills: El Turó de la Rovira, El Carmel and La Crueta del Coll. There are multiple variations of the route that follow footpaths and tracks through parks in the neighbourhoods of Gràcia, El Carmel, and Horta-Guinardo. The lengthier…
Hiking the Camí Ral: The Old Medieval Road from Vic to Olot
The Camí Ral is an old Medieval road connecting the cities of Vic and Olot in central Catalonia. The road was originally built during the middle ages to transport wood from the forests of the La Garrotxa region to the Royal Shipyards in Barcelona. The forty-five-kilometre section between the towns of Vic and Olot was…
Hiking the GR 6 from Barcelona to Sant Cugat
This post describes the section of the GR 6 long-distance hiking trail from Barcelona to Sant Cugat. The hike is approximately twelve kilometres long and takes about three hours to complete. The trail starts next to the Parc del Laberint, on the outskirts of Barcelona, and crosses the Collserola Natural Park to the nearby town…
From Barcelona to the Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery by Train and On Foot (A Hiker’s Guide)
The Monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat is an eleventh-century Benedictine monastery set in an idyllic mountaintop location approximately thirty-five kilometres from Barcelona. If you’ve already read my Ultimate Guide to Visiting Montserrat from Barcelona, you’ll know that the most convenient way to reach the monastery is by taking the R5 train from Barcelona, followed…
A Fan’s Guide to Seeing FC Barcelona Play at Camp Nou (written by a local)
Futbol Club Barcelona, aka Barça, is one of the best football clubs in the world, and their ground El Camp Nou is the largest football stadium in Europe. If you like football, no matter which club you support, then seeing Barça play at Camp Nou should be high on your list of things to do…
The Martinet Valley, Aiguafreda de Dalt and the Dolmen de Cruïlles (Montseny Natural Park)
This easy, ten-kilometre hike in Montseny Natural Park is best undertaken in spring or early summer when there will be water in the Riera de Martinet. You can also walk it at other times of the year, but the pools and waterfalls near the start of the trail will likely be dry. The circular route…
Electric Scooter Rental In Barcelona (Read Before Hiring A Scooter!)
Scooters are a familiar sight on the streets of Barcelona. A practical way to beat traffic jams and travel quickly around the city, the combination of good weather and easy parking make electric scooters an increasingly popular choice. If you’re visiting Barcelona for a few days and fancy having fun exploring the city on two…
Carretera de les Aigües: An Easy Walk with Fantastic Views
Often referred to as the green lung of Barcelona, Collserola National Park is a popular escape from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Easily reached by public transport, the 8,000 hectare park is crisscrossed by footpaths and cycle tracks. The best known and most accessible footpath is called La Carretera de les Aigües…
Hot Air Ballooning Near Barcelona
This year is the 25th anniversary of the company that I work for. Last week we celebrated the occasion with a team-building weekend starting with a party on Friday night. The celebrations continued on Saturday with activities, lunch at a Parador and an evening meal at the old Moritz factory. The activities were a closely guarded…
Windsurfing in the Bay of Roses – Sant Pere Pescador
Sant Pere Pescador on the the Bay of Roses is one of Spain’s most popular windsurfing venues and a regular feature on the PWA world tour. The wide bay and 5km sandy beach are ideal for windsurfers of all ages and abilities. Prevailing Winds The combination of beautiful scenery, enviable wind stats and cheap flights…
BarGelona – Barcelona’s Christmas Ice Rink
Important – This year (2015) the Barcelona ice rink changed venue to Hospitalet. I will be updating this post as soon as possible. Please check back soon! Now in it’s third year, Barcelona’s Christmas ice rink measures 1400m² making it the largest temporary ice rink in Europe. It’s covered by a giant circus tent (ex…
Barcelona Windsurfing Spots – Badalona
Badalona is just 10km north of central Barcelona. The long sandy and un-crowded beach is popular with Barcelona’s windsurfers, many of whom store their gear at one of 3 windsurfing clubs. According to the locals, the prevailing thermal wind blows stronger here than at any of the other local beaches. The sea breeze normally picks…
Windsurfing on the Ebro Delta
The Ebro Delta National Park is located 160km south of Barcelona. It is an important wetland habitat and home to about 300 species of birds. It is also one of Spain’s main rice growing areas. The strong north easterly Mestral winds which blow regularly from autumn to spring make the area popular with windsurfers and…