Barcelona and Montserrat in 5 Days on a Budget
Five Days: Add Sitges to the Mix
Five days nests the Montserrat, Girona-Figueres and Tarragona days from the 4-day itinerary , then adds a full day in Sitges, the cheapest and quickest of all five gateway routes. It’s the honest middle option if a full week isn’t available; the full day-trips guide breaks down the cost math behind every leg 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 five nights; you won’t need to change base for this route.
| 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 |
| Sitges (Rodalies R2 Sud, Sants or Passeig de Gracia) | 35-40 min | EUR 4-5 |
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 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 are on montserratvisita.com .
Day 3: Girona and Figueres
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 for the Dali Theatre-Museum: 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: EUR 7.50-9 and 75-90 minutes, dropping you directly in Tarragona’s historic center, versus the faster Avant/AVE (EUR 14-16, 45-60 minutes) which 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.
Day 5: Sitges
Rodalies R2 Sud leaves Sants and Passeig de Gracia every 20 minutes or so, reaching Sitges in 35-40 minutes for EUR 4-5, the cheapest ticket on this whole itinerary. Spend the day on the beach and the Modernisme seafront promenade; trains run late into the evening, so there’s no reason to rush back.
Is five days enough to add Sitges without rushing the other four?
Yes, since Sitges is a genuine half-day trip that still fills a full afternoon comfortably, unlike trying to squeeze it onto the same day as Montserrat or Tarragona. Keeping it as its own fifth day, rather than a bolt-on to Day 4, is what keeps the whole week feeling unhurried.
Which of these five day trips should you cut if a day falls through?
Sitges. It’s the easiest to drop or swap for a rest day in the city itself, since it’s a beach and architecture stop rather than a once-only sight; Montserrat, Girona-Figueres and Tarragona are the three that are hardest to substitute.
Buy the Dali Theatre-Museum ticket online before you leave home. It’s the one reservation on this five-day trip that gets meaningfully more expensive and more crowded if you leave it for the door.