Sun • Sand • Spain: #2 More than just Barcelona

There is one ubiquitous thing about all big cities in Europe, no matter how beautiful they are, there would always be a hidden treasure, somewhere in the vicinity of that place and that would surely be an unspoiled and less crowded place. Sigtuna is an example of this around Stockholm.

I thought of making most of my time by exploring such places around Barcelona. With one side of Barcelona surrounded by sea, there are three other directions to explore, if you go north, you get to explore the pristine beaches of Costa Brava, If you go south, you’ll again reach the amazing beaches of Sitges and many more towns to follow, but if you go opposite to the sea, you’ll end up on majestic mountains of Montserrat. Let’s start exploring from Montserrat itself.

Montserrat

Montserrat (Meaning serrated mountain in Catalan) is Spain’s first National Park, It describes its peculiar aspect with a multitude of rock formations which are visible from a great distance. This is one of the coolest day trips outside Barcelona and I’d recommend it to everyone.

As you move up on the ropeway, you can enjoy this breathtaking view from the top, Spain is not all about beaches, is it?

Hidden between those fancy mountains is this abbey.

The architecture of basilica is a perfect blend of the Gothic and Renaissance traditions

There are a couple of other short treks where you can go during the day to see places like Santa Cova and Sant Joan by Funicular.

Travelling to Montserrat costs €20 for round trip.

Costa Brava

This is a place no Indian would miss at any cost if they visit Barcelona, A famous movie, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara added this to one of the must-visit places for any Indian. On top of that not only it’s easy to reach this place, but the 90-minute train ride along the beach is a delight in itself. I’d suggest visiting the Botanical garden situated on the hill in this picture.

Rock water and sky

Crystal blue waters

That’s the best part of going to that Botanical Garden

These huge cactus are one of the many many things to see in there.

The perk of climbing up the hill is the view of the sea and the city from the Cliff.

 

 

 

 

A round trip to this place costs €12, plus a €7 entry ticket for the botanical garden.

More Places to Explore

Girona

Girona is yet another place known for its medieval architecture, walled Old Quarter (Barri Vell) and the Roman remains of the Força Vella fortress. It is situated beside the river Onyar.

Castedeffels

It’s still sort of a part of Barcelona, 25 kilometres south-west of the city, The major attraction here is a castle on the hill which gives a mesmerising view of the beach, a long strip of fine-grained golden sand, the beach is about 5km long.

Sitges

If you go further south of Castedeffels, you’ll reach Sitges. It’s a coastal town south-west of Barcelona. Backed by the mountainous Parc Natural del Garraf, it’s known for its Mediterranean beaches and seafront promenade lined with grand mansions. It’s 40 km away from Barcelona.

The Video

I compiled all of my weeklong travels into this 90-second video, have a look.

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Read the part-1 of this blog here

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