Looking for hiking near Barcelona that’s more than a stroll past the Sagrada Família line? Good news: the city is ringed by mountains, and you can reach most of them on a train you board in the city center.
Spain had 10.1 million international visitors in September 2026, and Catalonia welcomed 16.4 million from January to September, more than any other region (INE figures, published November 4th, 2026).
Plenty of them never notice the forested ridges, rust-red rock towers and sea cliffs an hour from their hotel. You’re about to.
Here are the six best hikes near Barcelona, from a flat panoramic trail inside the city limits to a UNESCO-listed forest, plus how to get to each one by train and bus.
TL;DR: The Best Hiking Near Barcelona
The best hiking near Barcelona is in six places: Collserola Natural Park inside the city, the Garraf coast, La Mola in Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac, the Montseny UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Montserrat and the Costa Brava.
Easiest hike in Barcelona:
The Carretera de les Aigües in Collserola, an almost flat track above the city, reached by FGC train and the Vallvidrera funicular.
Best hikes close to Barcelona by train:
Garraf to Sitges on the GR 92 (R2 Sud train both ways) and Montserrat (FGC R5 train).
Best mountain hikes near Barcelona:
La Mola, 1104 m (3622 ft), with an 11th-century monastery on the summit, and Montseny, whose highest peak, Turó de l’Home, reaches 1706 m (5597 ft).
Best time for hiking near Barcelona:
Spring and fall. Summer is hot on the exposed trails, so start early and carry plenty of water.
Hike them all in one week:
Our Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour links Montseny, La Mola and Montserrat on foot in 8 days, from €1045 per person for 2027, with every night booked for you.
Hiking Near Barcelona at a Glance: 6 Hikes and How to Get There
Every hike below works as a day trip on public transportation, although Montseny and the Costa Brava make for a long day. Here’s how they compare.
| Hike | Getting there from Barcelona | Best for | On our tours? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carretera de les Aigües and Tibidabo, Collserola | FGC S1 or S2 to Peu del Funicular, then the Vallvidrera funicular | A first, easy hike with the whole city below you | No |
| Garraf to Sitges on the GR 92 | Rodalies R2 Sud to Garraf, back from Sitges | Sea views and a beach town at the finish | No |
| La Mola, Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac | Train to Terrassa, then a local bus to Matadepera | A real summit with a monastery on top | Yes, Day 5 |
| Montseny UNESCO Biosphere Reserve | Train to Sant Celoni or Balenyà, then a weekend park bus | Cool beech forest and the highest peaks near the city | Yes, Days 1 and 2 |
| Montserrat | FGC R5 from Plaça Espanya, then the rack railway or cable car | Rock towers, a monastery and the most famous mountain in Catalonia | Yes, Days 7 and 8 |
| Begur to Calella de Palafrugell, Costa Brava | Moventis bus from Estació del Nord to Palafrugell | Coves you can only reach on foot | Yes, Day 5 |
Hike Montseny, La Mola and Montserrat in One Week
Our self-guided Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour: 8 days, 6 hiking days, every night booked and your luggage moved for you. From €1045 per person for 2027.
1. Hiking in Barcelona Itself: the Carretera de les Aigües and Tibidabo in Collserola
Yes, you can go hiking in Barcelona without leaving the city. Collserola Natural Park covers more than 8000 hectares (19,700 acres) of wooded hills behind the city, and it’s been a protected natural park since 2010.
The classic hike in Barcelona is the Carretera de les Aigües, an old water-company track that contours along the hillside, almost dead flat, with the whole city and the Mediterranean spread out below.
It’s the easiest good view in Catalonia, and joggers, cyclists and dog walkers share it with you.
How to get there: take the FGC S1 or S2 train to Peu del Funicular, then the Vallvidrera funicular one stop up to Carretera de les Aigües. Press the stop button as you board, because the funicular only stops there on request.
Want a summit? Tibidabo, at 512 m (1680 ft), is the highest point in Collserola.
The Sagrat Cor church and an old-fashioned amusement park sit on top, so it’s the only summit near Barcelona where the reward might be a Ferris wheel. The Tibidabo funicular is there if somebody in your group votes against the climb.
2. Garraf to Sitges: the Best Coastal Hike Near Barcelona by Train
South of the city, the Garraf massif drops straight into the sea in pale limestone cliffs. The GR 92, the long-distance trail that runs the length of the Catalan coast, crosses it from the little port of Garraf to the beach town of Sitges.
The route heads inland from Garraf station through dry Mediterranean scrub and pine, and passes the Sakya Tashi Ling Buddhist monastery on the way. Then you drop down into Sitges, which has a beach, a long seafront and plenty of places to sit down. That’s the correct order of events.
How to get there: take the Rodalies R2 Sud train from Barcelona Sants to Garraf, and catch the same line home from Sitges.
The trail is open to the sun most of the way, so carry more water than you think you need and skip it on a hot summer afternoon.
Peak baggers can add La Morella, at 594 m (1949 ft), the high point of the Garraf massif, on a longer route from Castelldefels.
3. La Mola: the Best Summit Hike Near Barcelona
Look north from almost anywhere in Barcelona on a clear day and you’ll see two rounded peaks on the skyline: La Mola and El Montcau. They’re the heart of Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park, where the rock turns rust and ochre and weathers into towers and fins.
La Mola tops out at 1104 m (3622 ft), and there’s an 11th-century Romanesque monastery waiting on the summit. Very few mountains hand you a monastery for your trouble. This one does.
How to get there: take a train to Terrassa (the FGC S1 from Plaça de Catalunya, or Rodalies R4), then a local bus to Matadepera. The classic way up is the Camí dels Monjos, the monks’ path, from the Matadepera side.
On our tour: Day 5 of our Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour crosses Sant Llorenç del Munt with La Mola as an optional 8 km (5 mile) round trip. Then you sleep in Mura, a medieval village of fewer than 250 people, instead of catching the bus back.
4. Montseny: Hiking Near Barcelona in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Montseny is where hiking near Barcelona stops feeling Mediterranean. The massif is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, protected for a beech, oak and fir forest that has survived this far south since the last ice age. Then you come out on a ridge, and there’s the sea.
The two big summits are Turó de l’Home, the highest point in Montseny at 1706 m (5597 ft), and Matagalls, 1697 m (5568 ft), whose classic approach starts at Coll Formic.
On a clear day you can see the Pyrenees from the top. Our guide to Montseny Natural Park has more on the villages and the forest.
How to get there: this is the trickiest one without a car. Park buses run on weekends and public holidays from train stations such as Sant Celoni (R2 Nord) and Balenyà (R3) into the park, so check the current timetable and your last bus home before you set off.
On our tour: you skip the bus timetable completely.
Our private transfer collects you in Barcelona or Girona on Day 1 and drives you to Viladrau, at the foot of Montseny. Day 2 is the big one: 22 km (13.7 miles) and 921 m (3022 ft) of climbing through the forest to Aiguafreda.
5. Montserrat: the Most Famous Hike Near Barcelona
Montserrat is the serrated mountain of rock towers with a Benedictine monastery founded in 1025 on a ledge halfway up it.
It’s the easiest big mountain day from the city: about an hour on the FGC R5 train from Plaça Espanya, then the rack railway or the cable car up to the monastery, where the marked trails start.
The classic hike goes to Sant Jeroni, the highest point of the massif at 1236 m (4055 ft).
Montserrat has enough trails to fill its own article, so it has one: Hiking Montserrat From Barcelona covers the train, the rack railway, every trail worth your day and what to do at the monastery.
On our tour: you arrive on foot on Day 7, up the old pilgrim path, and you sleep in the monastery grounds after the day trippers have gone home. Then you wake up on the mountain on Day 8.
6. Begur to Calella de Palafrugell: a Costa Brava Hike Within Reach of Barcelona
Head northeast up the coast and the cliffs get wilder and the water gets clearer. Between Begur and Calella de Palafrugell the path drops into cove after cove, through the villages of Tamariu and Llafranc, with pine forest in between.
The Empordà tourism board lists this stage of the GR 92 at 19.5 km (12.1 miles), 741 m (2431 ft) of climbing and about 5 hours. Pack a swimsuit. You’ll want it at the second cove, if not the first.
How to get there: Moventis buses run from Barcelona’s Estació del Nord to Palafrugell, and local buses connect Palafrugell with Calella and Llafranc. It’s a long day trip, so it’s better as an overnight or as part of a longer hike.
On our tour: this is Day 5 of our Costa Brava hiking tour, 8 days along the south Costa Brava from Sant Pere Pescador to Sant Feliu de Guíxols, from €885 per person. You sleep in Calella de Palafrugell that night, which beats a bus back to Barcelona.
When Is the Best Time for Hiking Near Barcelona?
The best time for hiking near Barcelona is spring and fall. In spring the streams are running and the hills are green and full of flowers. In fall the light goes gold, the beech turns in Montseny and wild mushrooms show up on every menu in Catalonia.
Summer is hot on the exposed limestone of Garraf and the rock of La Mola and Montserrat, so start at first light and finish by lunch. Winter is mild enough for the lower hikes, with shorter days, so check your last train before you plan a long route.
Our Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour follows the same logic: it runs March to November and skips July and August, when it’s too hot. Our favorite stretch is October to mid-November, with mushroom season, cool mornings and quiet trails.
Go Deeper: an 8-Day Hike From Montseny to Montserrat, an Hour From Barcelona
Here’s the thing about day hikes from Barcelona: you spend a chunk of every day on trains and buses, and you always go back to the same city at night. Three of the best hikes in this guide happen to line up on the map. So we joined them.
Our self-guided Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour starts in Viladrau in the Montseny UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, crosses the Cingles de Bertí cliffs and Sant Llorenç del Munt, and finishes on foot at Montserrat Monastery.
That’s 6 hiking days, 117.5 km (73 miles) and 4549 m (14,925 ft) of climbing, graded Moderate to Challenging.
You sleep somewhere with a story every night: a restored 17th-century watermill, a family-run rural hotel, rural apartments in Mura, a working farmhouse and, on the last night, the monastery grounds at Montserrat. Nothing on the route is technical, just six good hiking days in a row.
What we do for you: we book all 7 nights, move your luggage between hotels so you hike with a daypack, and pick you up in Barcelona or Girona on Day 1.
We meet you in person in Viladrau for your welcome briefing, and you get GPS tracks and route notes in an app built for your trip.
Every booking includes a free custom training plan (valued at €300) and WhatsApp support throughout your trip. Flying from the US? From May 27th, 2027, American Airlines flies nonstop from Charlotte to Barcelona every day, and your arrival transfer picks you up at the airport.
| Start dates in 2027 | Price per person, double room |
|---|---|
| March, April, May, October and November (outside Spanish Easter Week) | €1045 |
| Spanish Easter Week (March 19th to 28th, 2027), June and September | €1130 |
| July and August | The tour doesn’t run, because it’s too hot |
Prefer the sea to the mountains? Our Costa Brava hiking tour hikes 96.7 km (60 miles) of coastline over 6 hiking days, and our Spanish Pyrenees hiking tour heads for the big mountains further north.
Can’t decide? Our free Hike Finder matches you to a tour in a couple of minutes.
Get Ready for Six Days of Hiking in Catalonia
Our free 6-week training plan builds the leg strength and stamina for back-to-back hiking days, even if you live somewhere flat.
Hiking Near Barcelona FAQs
What is the best hiking near Barcelona?
The best hiking near Barcelona is La Mola in Sant Llorenç del Munt, Montseny, Montserrat, the Garraf coast, Collserola and the Costa Brava. Montseny, La Mola and Montserrat line up on the map, and our Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour links all three on foot in 8 days.
Are there mountains in Barcelona?
Yes, there are mountains in Barcelona. The Collserola hills rise right behind the city, topped by Tibidabo at 512 m (1680 ft), and Collserola Natural Park covers more than 8000 hectares (19,700 acres). Montserrat, La Mola and Montseny all sit within about an hour of the city.
What is the easiest hike in Barcelona?
The easiest hike in Barcelona is the Carretera de les Aigües in Collserola Natural Park, an almost flat track along the hillside with views over the city and the sea. Take the FGC S1 or S2 to Peu del Funicular, then the Vallvidrera funicular one stop up.
Can you go hiking near Barcelona without a car?
Yes, you can go hiking near Barcelona without a car. Trains reach Collserola (FGC S1 or S2), Garraf and Sitges (Rodalies R2 Sud), Montserrat (FGC R5) and Terrassa for La Mola. Montseny relies on weekend park buses from Sant Celoni and Balenyà, so check the timetable first.
How do you get from Barcelona to La Mola for a hike?
To get from Barcelona to La Mola for a hike, take the FGC S1 or Rodalies R4 train to Terrassa, then a local bus to Matadepera. The classic route up is the Camí dels Monjos, to the 11th-century monastery on the 1104 m (3622 ft) summit.
When is the best time to go hiking near Barcelona?
The best time to go hiking near Barcelona is spring and fall, from March to mid-June and mid-September to mid-November. Summer is hot on the exposed trails, which is why the Monkeys and Mountains Mountains of Catalonia tour doesn’t run in July or August.
Is there a multi-day hiking tour near Barcelona?
Yes, there’s a multi-day hiking tour near Barcelona: the self-guided Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour by Monkeys and Mountains. It hikes from Montseny to Montserrat in 8 days, 117.5 km (73 miles), with all 7 nights booked and your luggage moved, from €1045 per person for 2027.
What is the highest mountain near Barcelona?
The highest mountain near Barcelona is Turó de l’Home in the Montseny massif, at 1706 m (5597 ft). Its neighbor Matagalls reaches 1697 m (5568 ft), and from either summit you can see the Pyrenees on a clear day.
Is there a coastal hike near Barcelona?
Yes, the classic coastal hike near Barcelona is Garraf to Sitges on the GR 92, with the Rodalies R2 Sud train at both ends. Further up the coast, Begur to Calella de Palafrugell on the Costa Brava is Day 5 of our Costa Brava hiking tour.
Ready to see the quiet side of Catalonia? Start with a day on the Carretera de les Aigües, and if it leaves you wanting more, the mountains on the skyline are waiting.
See our Mountains of Catalonia hiking tour
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