Offbeat Barcelona and Catalonia: 3 Days
Three Days, Three Trains, Zero Rental Cars
Three days covers Montserrat, a paired Girona and Figueres rail day, and a half-day Sitges beach fix, all on regional trains with nothing that needs a car. This extends the 2-day itinerary with one more day; the 4-day version adds a Costa Brava cove that finally justifies a rental.
Book these before you go:
- A guided Montserrat day trip, if juggling the FGC and Cremallera schedules yourself sounds like effort: check tour options on GetYourGuide
- A combined Girona and Figueres day trip, one booking instead of two train changes: browse the combo tour on Viator
- A Barcelona-Sants-adjacent base for all three nights: check rates on Booking.com
| Stop | Distance | Time from Barcelona-Sants |
|---|---|---|
| Montserrat | ~50km | ~1-1.5h (FGC train plus Cremallera) |
| Girona | ~100km | ~40 min (fast train) |
| Figueres | ~140km | ~55min-2h (paired with Girona) |
| Sitges | ~35km | ~35-40 min (R2 Sud) |
Day 1: Land, Base Near Sants, Montserrat
Fly into Barcelona-El Prat and take the Aerobus or the Rodalies R2 Nord into the city, both under forty minutes to Barcelona-Sants; skip the standalone airport metro ticket unless you already hold a Hola BCN card, since a bare T-casual does not cover the L9S airport leg. Check into a base near Barcelona-Sants or Placa Espanya, the two stations both remaining day trips start from. Drop bags, then take the FGC R5 line from Placa Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat, about an hour, and ride the Cremallera rack railway the last five kilometers up the mountain (fifteen minutes; combined train-plus-Cremallera ticket EUR 15.90 one-way, EUR 28.80 return, fact-checked July 2026). The Benedictine monastery holds the Black Madonna, La Moreneta, and the jagged massif behind it has hiking trails a lot more dramatic than a single afternoon usually implies.
Day 2: Girona and Figueres, One Rail Line, One Day
Girona is about forty minutes from Barcelona-Sants by fast train (EUR 9-17 one-way), and its medieval old town, the Onyar river’s stacked colorful houses, and El Call, one of Europe’s best-preserved Jewish quarters, easily fill a morning. Figueres sits further up the same rail corridor, fifty-five minutes to two hours depending on whether you catch the fast Avant to Figueres-Vilafant or the slower regional service into the closer-in station; the Dali Theatre-Museum charges EUR 18.50 online in low season, rising to EUR 22 in July and August (fact-checked July 2026), and booking online beats the desk rate every time.
Day 3: Sitges, the Half-Day Beach Fix, Then Departure
Sitges is the shortest ride on this list: the R2 Sud line from Barcelona-Sants or Passeig de Gracia takes 35-40 minutes for roughly EUR 4-5, every twenty minutes. Between the beach, the Modernisme-era mansions strung along the seafront, and a plate of fideua at a table with an actual sea view, three or four hours does the job; head back into Barcelona for an early dinner and pack for a flight out of El Prat the next morning.
Do I Need a Rental Car for Any of These Three Days?
No. Montserrat runs on the FGC and Cremallera, Girona and Figueres both sit on the same regional rail corridor, and Sitges is a short Rodalies ride, so a three-day trip built purely on these stops never needs a car at all.
Should Girona or Figueres Come First on Day 2?
Girona first, generally, since its old town rewards an unhurried morning while the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres can be toured properly in two to three hours. Arriving in Figueres by early afternoon still leaves enough time before evening trains back to Barcelona.
For the city itself, from Sagrada Familia’s finished tower to the pickpocket warnings, see the Barcelona guide . The 4-day itinerary adds a Costa Brava cove that finally justifies a rental car on top of this same three-day base.