Are you a lover of nature? Well, we’ve got a great list for you. If you’re visiting or even if you live in Barcelona you will find natural spaces near the city that are perfect to get lost and enjoy a day outdoors.

Here are a few of the best natural parks near Barcelona, where you can take a quiet day trip. All these spaces are ideal to discover with your friends or family and offer you beautiful spots where nature shows its best side. Go discover them!

Montserrat Natural Park

Since 1987 when it was declared a Natural Park, the mountain of Montserrat has offered countless attractions, both for nature lovers and for those seeking spirituality in the heights. It is a really well known and famous mountain range in Catalonia, one of the most visited and loved mountains near Barcelona. Apart from offering climbing routes and nature excursions, up there you will find a monastery and once you arrive you will be able to meet and visit the famous “Moreneta”, the Virgin of Montserrat.

There is also a shop and a market for honey, cheeses and various foods that will help you fully embrace the experience. At Montserrat there is also art at the Museum of Montserrat which houses everything from ancient world archeology to works by painters such as Caravaggio, El Greco, Picasso or Dalí. Around 50km from Barcelona, it is an ideal location to visit with the family or friends and it can also be easily accessed by car or you can use the commuter train and then go up the mountain either on the Aero funicular, or the rack railway.

How to get to: Montserrat Natural Park

 

Montseny Natural Park

This is another amazing mountain near Barcelona. Everyone in Catalonia knows the beautiful and magnificent Montseny Natural Park, an excellent option to enjoy the purest and most peaceful nature. This place was declared a natural park in 1978 and by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. The views offered here are impressive. From the highest peaks you can see the Catalan coast and even the city of Barcelona. It occupies a large area and is of Spain’s most important natural parks.

This mountain and its scattered villages invite us to disconnect for a time. To get to know this ‘collage’ of Mediterranean and Alpine landscapes it’s best to discover it slowly. One of the best things to do is take a hiking route where you can get to know the Montseny in all its splendor. Inside the park, there is a famous mountain: La Matagalls, which is a must see.

This park is also renowned as a top mushroom hunting spot in the Autumn / Fall.

How to get to: Montseny Natural Park

 

El Garraf Park

El Garraf is one of the parks with the most caves and it is right next to the Catalan capital! Occupying a good part of the coast, near towns such as Sitges, and going inland. The vegetation and the environment is very rough, but depending on the area of ​​the park where you decide to go on an excursion, it will seem like a different place. This park is one of the 12 natural spaces belonging to the Barcelona Provincial Council.

As you can imagine, there are numerous hiking trails, ​​all of them full of interesting viewpoints and things to see. There are signposted paths to get into the natural beauty and culture of the park. You will be able to cross the Camino de les Costas, the Masías del Garraf, the medieval road and the paths of the Miradores and the Mediterranean. This place stands out for the aspect of its steep karst rocks and areas of a clayey character, alongside spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea, thanks to its proximity to the coast. A perfect hiking route to do at any time of the year, due to the mild temperatures in the area.

How to get to: Garraf Natural Park

 

Vilafranca del Penedès

You may not know that very close to Barcelona, ​​an hour to the southwest, you find a very important wine-producing area, where you can also visit its regional capital, Vilafranca del Penedés, the capital of Alto Penedès. Villafranca deserves a relaxed visit, as there is much to discover in it. Here you’ll find the VINSEUM Museu de les Cultures del Vi – one of the oldest wine museums in Spain – which overlooks the Basilica of Santa María, a Gothic building with gargoyles in the shape of real and fantastic animals. On Saturdays in summer and autumn you can climb its bell tower to watch the sunset accompanied by a glass of excellent wine.

With the nickname of the Capital of Wine, in Villafranca del Penedès you can taste good wines and cavas by visiting some of the local wineries among wide expanses of vineyards, such as Mascaró and Pinord. But perhaps it is better to walk the Camí del Vi, a walking trail lasting three hours through the vineyards that shows the cycle of the vineyard, the pruning system, the different types of grapes and the different ways of making wines and cava.

How to get to: Vilafranca del Penedés

 

Collserola Park

Collserola Park is one of the largest parks near the city. It is a mountain range that embraces Barcelona and allows you to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city without straying too far away from it. You can climb this mountain range that protects the city and represents its main green lung. It’s a place to enjoy nature, go hiking, cycling or even horseback riding. With more than 8,000 hectares of surface, it is considered one of the largest Spanish metropolitan parks. When passing through the mountain, you can find fountains and architectural elements of great importance, such as churches and monasteries.

Within its limits there are two natural reserves: the Font Groga and the Rierada-Can Balasc. You can take the funicular to the Tibidabo amusement park, from where you can get fabulous views of the entire city. You can enjoy the best views here, there are viewpoints on each side: from Torre Baró, in Nou Barris, which overlooks the Montseny, and from the Finestrelles pass, in Les Corts, which covers a panoramic view of the city to the Maresme. Or instead you can go to the other side of the mountain to walk along its many trails. It groups marked routes with paths in which movie viewpoints are offered.

How to get to: Collserola Natural Park

 

Barcelona is a great city that combines the attractions of a modern and cosmopolitan city, and great beaches, with close access to some having some of the most important natural parks in Catalonia. Enjoy these locations this summer as well as our Montjuic Segway Tour and you’ll have a blast.