Day trips from Barcelona with your own private driver

Montserrat and the Penedès, an hour or less away

Montserrat is about 60 km from Barcelona, around an hour on the A-2 and C-55. The car drives up the mountain road to the monastery, so you do not depend on the rack railway or the cable car. If you want to hear the Escolania boys' choir, check its times on the monastery website before you fix the departure. Inside the basilica you can climb to the shrine of La Moreneta, the Black Madonna, and the Sant Joan funicular takes you up to the walking paths at the top of the mountain.

The Penedès wine region is about 45 km away. Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is the home of cava, and Vilafranca del Penedès is the main town. Book your winery visit ahead, or tell us which winery you have in mind and we will plan the car around it. Your chauffeur drives, so everyone can join the tasting.

Girona, Figueres and the Costa Brava

Girona is about 100 km away, a little over an hour on the AP-7. You explore the old quarter on foot: the cathedral, the Call (the old Jewish quarter) and the walk along the city walls. Figueres, home of the Dalí Theatre-Museum, is about 40 km further north and pairs well with Girona in a single day.

From the bridges over the River Onyar you see the coloured houses hanging over the water, Girona's best-known view. The old quarter also holds the 12th-century Arab Baths. For a full day, leave Barcelona early and keep Figueres for the afternoon.

On the Costa Brava, Tossa de Mar is a little over an hour away, Calella de Palafrugell a good hour and a half, and Cadaqués about 2 h 15 min. In summer the roads into coastal villages fill up and parking is scarce, so your driver drops you close to the old town and picks you up at the same spot. In Tossa, walk up to the walled Vila Vella; between Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc, the camí de ronda coastal path follows the sea for about twenty minutes on foot.

Sitges, Tarragona and the southern coast

Sitges is about 40 km away, 35 to 45 minutes on the C-32. Its old town wraps around the church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla above the seafront, a few steps from the Cau Ferrat Museum, once the home and studio of the painter Santiago Rusiñol. Tarragona, an hour and a quarter away, keeps its Roman amphitheatre by the sea and long stretches of its walls, and you can combine it with Sitges on the same day. The remains of Roman Tarraco have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Your day, your timings

You choose the departure time, the stops and how long to spend in each place. Your driver waits while you explore a village, have lunch or join a tasting, then takes you on to the next stop. We collect you from your hotel or accommodation in Barcelona and bring you back to the same place.

When you plan, add up the driving time there and back and leave room for lunch. Two nearby places, such as Montserrat and a Penedès winery or Girona and Figueres, fit into a relaxed day. Three places far apart usually make the day too long. If you are only in Barcelona for a cruise port call, our cruise shore excursions service plans the day around your all-aboard time.

For two or three people the Mercedes E-Class is enough. For up to seven, the V-Class has room for everyone and for the cases of wine you buy at the winery. Groups of 8 to 19 travel by minibus. Child seats are free if you request them when you book.

Your driver is not a tour guide

Our chauffeurs are not licensed tour guides and do not give guided visits inside monuments or museums. Their job is to drive you, wait for you and drop you at the right entrance. If you want a guided visit, book a licensed local guide at your destination and we will match the car's timings to the visit.