Barcelona and Montserrat in 4 Days on a Budget
Four Days: Montserrat, Girona, Figueres and Tarragona
Four days based in Barcelona fits the three flagship Catalonia day trips around one orientation day: Montserrat’s monastery and mountain trails, Girona paired with Figueres’s Dali Theatre-Museum on one rail corridor, and Tarragona’s Roman ruins. Every leg runs on a regional or FGC train for a few euros, well under an equivalent guided coach. Longer trip available? The 5-day through 7-day versions add Sitges, Penedes and Costa Brava; the full day-trips guide has the cost math behind every pick below.
Book these before you go:
- Dali Theatre-Museum entry: buy online through salvador-dali.org ahead of a summer visit; desk tickets cost more and queues build by mid-morning in July and August.
- A Montserrat day tour , if you’d rather skip managing the FGC-to-Cremallera connection yourself.
- A Girona, Figueres and Dali day tour , which folds both towns and the museum ticket into one price.
- A hotel near Barcelona-Sants for all four nights; every route below starts from that station or Placa Espanya next door.
| From Barcelona to… | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Montserrat (FGC R5 + Cremallera, Placa Espanya) | ~1-1.5h | EUR 15.90 combined ticket |
| Girona (Rodalies fast train, Barcelona-Sants) | ~40 min | EUR 9-17 |
| Figueres (Dali Museum, regional continuation) | 35 min-1h further | EUR 10-25, plus EUR 18.50-22 museum |
| Tarragona (Rodalies regional, slow train) | 75-90 min | EUR 7.50-9 |
Day 1: Arrival and orientation
Base near Barcelona-Sants or Placa Espanya rather than Barceloneta or the Gothic Quarter; every route on this trip leaves from one of those two stations. Spend the rest of the day settling in, buy whatever in-town metro tickets you need, and confirm tomorrow’s FGC departure time to Montserrat before you turn in.
Day 2: Montserrat
The FGC R5 leaves Placa Espanya roughly every 30-60 minutes for Monistrol de Montserrat, about an hour’s ride. From there, the Cremallera rack railway or the Aeri cable car covers the final 5km up the mountain; the combined FGC-plus-Cremallera ticket is EUR 15.90 one-way (EUR 28.80 return), confirmed on cremallerademontserrat.cat . Budget a full day for the monastery, the Black Madonna and at least one hiking trail; current hours and funicular schedules are on montserratvisita.com .
Day 3: Girona and Figueres
Take the fast train from Barcelona-Sants to Girona, about 40 minutes for EUR 9-17. Spend the morning in the old town, the cathedral steps and the Jewish quarter (El Call), then continue by regional train to Figueres, 35 minutes to an hour further, for the Dali Theatre-Museum. Entry is EUR 18.50 online (EUR 20.50 at the desk) most of the year, rising to EUR 22 online in July and August. A direct fast train from Figueres-Vilafant back to Barcelona rounds out the evening.
Day 4: Tarragona
Take the slower Rodalies regional train, not the AVE: it’s EUR 7.50-9 and 75-90 minutes, but it drops you directly in Tarragona’s historic center, while the faster Avant/AVE (EUR 14-16, 45-60 minutes) leaves you at a station roughly 10km outside town. The UNESCO-listed Roman amphitheater, circus and forum run about EUR 5 per site, or EUR 15 for a combined 5-site pass that pays for itself after three stops.
Is it worth renting a car for this four-day trip instead of using trains?
No. All four routes above run on a direct FGC or Rodalies train that’s cheaper and less stressful than driving Barcelona traffic or hunting for mountain parking at Montserrat. A car only earns its cost on a Costa Brava add-on, which isn’t part of this four-day version at all.
Can Girona and Figueres really be done as one day?
Yes, and they’re built to be paired: both sit on the same rail corridor, with Figueres only a short regional hop past Girona. Trying to add a third stop to that day, though, is where it stops working; Montserrat and Tarragona each deserve their own full day instead.
Buy the Dali Theatre-Museum ticket online before you leave home. It’s the one reservation on this four-day trip that gets meaningfully more expensive and more crowded if you leave it for the door.