The 100% discount on Rodalies and Media Distancia tickets opens up a world of possibilities for train travel around the territory. Suddenly, the world is our home, and journeys whose price forced to include the value of transport in the travel budget suddenly become a ride at zero cost. You can consult the Rodalies maps on the Renfe website, and start preparing yourself for the fact that traveling around Catalonia will be literally free from September, and that’s why we recommend some getaways where the Rodalies trains arrive that, currently, are not cheap, and that thanks to the bonus, we can do without spending a euro, and dedicating that budget to, for example, a good lunch at our destination. The getaways that we recommend are worth it, so you can go looking for a free weekend to travel for free by train in Catalonia.
Ribes de Freser, the gateway to the Pyrenees (R3 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat – Puigcerdà)
One of the best places in the Pyrenees to reach with a train ride. The administrative and economic capital of the Vall de Ribes manages to transport you to a fairy tale just by getting off the station. Surrounded by the green mountains of the Catalan Pyrenees, from above the village is a small brown snake that fits into a rugged environment. The destination is well known among the people of Barcelona because from the village leaves the Núria rack railway, which leads to the ski resort of Vall de Núria, one of the few combinations that allow you to go skiing from the capital by public transport. But also, from Ribes there are many hiking trails that are worthwhile and, for the quieter ones, it is enough to take a walk along the rivers that cross this small entrance to the Pyrenees.
Portbou, the border where Walter Benjamin died (RG1 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat – Figueres / Portbou and R11 Barcelona Sants – Portbou)
The last village of Catalonia has the beauty and mystery of border towns. To its own aspect of Costa Brava town, with a small beach wedged between small but steep cliffs, joins its condition of hinge place. A train station that occupies the same area as the village dominates the activity of Portbou and reminds us that this is a space of exchange. Its architecture dates back to the early twentieth century, and unlike other places on the Costa Brava, more crowded, this one retains the modernist look of the old bourgeois resorts. Its beach is beautiful, its streets also and the environment that explore the coastal paths, of course also. But no visit to Portbou is complete without visiting the Walter Benjamin Memorial, in front of the beautiful Portbou cemetery that houses his tomb. The sculpture, a slide to the sea masterfully camouflaged in the landscape, recalls the death of the philosopher in this village while fleeing Nazism, a death that Fraqnuism hid and whose memory serves to recall some of the dark passages of Spanish and European history of the twentieth century.
Ebro Delta, bike ride through the rice fields (R16 Barcelona Estació de França – Tarragona – Tortosa / Ulldecona)
Perhaps one of the best kept secrets of Catalonia. The Ebro Delta is the Costa Brava of the south, an incredible natural paradise where you always wonder, upon arrival, why you have not gone on more occasions. The train leaves us in Deltebre, in the middle of the Delta, from there mobility is complicated, but there is a good option: renting bicycles. The two wheels are the ideal transport to move between the green and flat rice fields and approach the wild beaches of this natural park, where the wind blows and the sand is fine. To crown the day, a paella with rice and cuttlefish and a beer with the clean air of the Delta caressing our cheeks. Some hotels or a campsite installed on the beach are perfect options for those who want to leave the train until the next day.
Montblanc, the medieval fortress of Sant Jordi (R13 Barcelona Estació de França – Lleida (via Valls) and R14 Barcelona Estació de França – Lleida (via Tarragona and Reus)
The village – castle. Founded in the 12th century to protect the route from Lleida to Tarragona in a location that one understands when one reaches the top of this walled hill. From the viewpoint that crowns the highest point of this Mont Blanc you can clearly see all the surrounding valleys and the road that, even today, connects the two Catalan capitals. The imposing wall of Montblanc is perfectly preserved, and walking along its perimeter is a kind of history in the open air. Inside the old town are concentrated the church, the main square or the old Jewish quarter, as if we were in Girona or the center of Barcelona. You have to be prepared to feel like a true knight: according to legend, the fight between Sant Jordi and the dragon took place in front of these very walls.
Hostalric (Line R11 Barcelona – Portbou)
Hostalric is a medieval village located about 65 kilometers from Barcelona, which is located in the region of La Selva.When we visited it, we made a route through the medieval village visiting all its points of interest such as the Torre dels Frares, Plaça dels Bous, its main street and the wall that surrounds the village.
Afterwards we stopped to recharge our batteries at the Parrufu bar, a place of really good classic food, to finish the visit by visiting the castle that is located in the fortress of Hostalric.
Port Aventura, the missing attraction ( 16 Barcelona Estació de França – Tarragona – Tortosa / Ulldecona and R17 Barcelona Estació de França – Salou – Port Aventura).
It needs little introduction. The great amusement park of Catalonia already has more than two decades of history, and if until now the price of spending a day there could be a deterrent adding tickets, transportation, etc., now you can save on transportation by arriving for free by train to the Salou-Port Aventura stop to get into the roller coasters. Classic attractions such as Dragon Khan or Stampida have been added years ago to others such as Furious Baco or Shambala, seeking to compete with some of the fastest roller coasters in the world. And speaking of speed, the same train stop takes us to Ferrari Land, the park for lovers of the cavallino rampante.
These are some of the best free getaways that you can now do with the 100% bonus on Rodalies and Media Distancia trains, but check the map of Rodalies lines and make a custom trip, you will surely find many more places to travel for free from September.
The Sant Joan funicular: go up to Montserrat like a queen (R5 of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC): get off at Monistrol de Montserrat and take the rack railway there).
Montserrat is the great unknown jewel of Barcelona. An impressive natural heritage half an hour from the city that functions as a small Pyrenees at the gates of Barcelona. All of it is a wonder, but if we want to enjoy it comfortably, nothing like the Sant Joan funicular.
This rack railway will allow us to save the distance of 118 meters of unevenness between the esplanade and the area of the cave of the Santa Cova, where legend has it that some shepherds found the image of the Moreneta. At this altitude (one thousand meters above sea level) we can also enjoy incredible views of the surroundings and, if you are in the mood, walk to the top of Sant Jeroni (1236m. altitude) and enjoy even more of the mountain.
Garraf Coast: Sitges, Casetes dels Pescadors del Garraf, Vilanova i la Geltrú… (R2 of Rodalies de Catalunya, stops in Garraf, Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú).
The Garraf coast is, perhaps, one of the unknown of Barcelona. A natural treasure that, because it is so close, we often ignore, and that hides secrets like the cassettes of Garraf, luxuries like the town of Sitges or charming towns like Vilanova i la Geltrú, the beach town where everyone would like to live. And all at the stroke of the R2 line, which takes us along the coast on a route where the tracks run, literally, at the edge of the sea.
Monastery of San Jerónimo de la Murtra. Metro L1 (red) Singuerlín stop.
In the middle of the Serralada de Marina Park, between Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet, stands the Monastery of San Jerónimo de la Murtra, a Gothic treasure founded in 1416 by the merchant Bertran Nicolau. This Hieronymite monastery, which was an important religious and cultural center, is today a haven of peace next door in the heart of Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
The Güell family acquired it in 1947 for its restoration and conservation. To visit it, it is necessary to make a reservation in advance, and it can be easily reached from the Singuerlín metro station, line 1. In addition to the monastery, the area offers attractions such as the Genís cave, a Bronze Age burial site, and the Iberian settlement of Puig Castellar, inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century BC by the Layetans.
Sant Pol, what time is it? (Rodalies, line R1, stop Sant Pol de mar)
Legend has it that at the time of the sundials the people of Sant Pol’s clock broke down and, to avoid greater evils, they decided to cover it, making it lose its usefulness. Since then the people of Sant Pol have been asked “quina hora és” to make fun of it. Just to see that clock is worth visiting this beautiful town on the Catalan coast, with dream beaches and a beautiful old town. An ideal beach getaway by train. Take the opportunity to visit the church of Sant Pol, the castle of Montpalau or the Municipal Museum.