Forget Barcelona! These 4 Authentic Towns Less Than 2 Hours Away Are Less Crowded

When it involves summers in Europe, Barcelona appears to be the primary vacation spot on everybody’s thoughts.

Despite the rising anti-foreigner sentiment and the surging crowds, vacationers proceed flocking to the Spanish metropolis 12 months after 12 months.

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Between strolling the charming Gothic Quarter, as you slowly make your solution to La Sagrada Familia, and lounging on the golden sands of La Barceloneta because the Mediterranean gently caresses your toes, it certain seems like heaven (occasionally).

That is, if you happen to can look previous the hectic city scenes, the angry-looking locals holding up picket indicators urging you to ‘Go Home!‘, and all of the pickpockets and scammers.

Now, if you happen to’re not precisely eager on elbowing your means by means of a mass of our bodies simply to get to the closest gelato parlor, nor watch for hours in line to enter Park Güell, these 4 smaller Catalonian cities lower than two hours away from Barcelona:

Tossa de Mar

The solely remaining fortified city on the Catalonian Coast, Tossa de Mar is finest recognized for its picture-perfect sandy seaside, hugged by bright-blue seas, its maze of cobble-paved alleys, just about unchanged for the reason that Middle Ages, and its inventive legacy.

While Barcelona is broadly recognized for its Gaudí associations, the quaint Tossa has as soon as been house to artists like Rafael Benet, a Catalan painter, Enric Casanovas, a outstanding Twentieth-century sculptor, and Marc Chagall, one of many main figures in surrealism.

They have been all drawn to the city’s romantic environment and Bohemian character, with Chagall himself naming it ‘Blue Paradise’—and guess what, the scenic coastal drive from Barcelona to Tossa takes simply over an hour (extra exactly, 1h15).

Castelldefels

If you are searching for a shorter day journey, Castelldefels is the place it’s best to go: simply reached from Barcelona, by way of a 25-minute practice trip, it boasts over 3 miles of unspoiled golden sands, lots wider and fewer crowded than the town’s important seashores, and family-friendly shallow waters.

Overlooking the historic heart, the hanging red-brick Castelldefels Castle is a must-see for tradition aficionados: it presents the very best views over the coast from its highest tower, and you’ll even go to short-term reveals in summer time.

For the foodies on the market, the coastal promenade in Castelldefels is lined with cozy cafés and seaside bars, serving scrumptious paella and freshly-caught fish at inexpensive costs, and the very best half is, you hardly ever must guide a desk! There’s nearly at all times room for walk-ins.

Besalú

Now, if you happen to do not essentially look after the seashores, and your main cause for visiting this a part of Spain is to absorb the sights, you may’t miss out on Besalú, a riverside settlement courting again to the Middle Ages at a 1h30-drive northeast of Barcelona.

Home to a Romanesque bridge, constructed all the way in which again within the twelfth century, a hilltop fortress on the confluence of two winding rivers, and one of many best-preserved Jewish Quarters in Spain, it is the type of real-life postcard so lovely it appears to be like AI-made.

Considering most day-trippers leaving Barcelona for the day will probably be headed to both Sitges or Girona, lesser-known cities like Besalú maintain flying beneath the radar, and are, thus, much more peaceable as compared.

Lleida

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An unsung cultural hub in western Catalonia, Lleida is an inland metropolis wealthy in historical past and residential to a meals scene that the majority vacationers have but to find. Trust us, a few of the finest butifarras (Catalan sausages) aren’t present in Barcelona’s La Boqueria market, however proper right here as an alternative.

Lleida can be well-known regionally for its fortress-like Thirteenth-century cathedral, La Seu Vella, and adjoining King’s Castle, each situated on high of a hill and commanding a panoramic panorama of the timeless townscape beneath.

The slim pathways in central Lleida, the historic stone buildings, and the leafy plazas all trace at its fascinating previous, and if you happen to suppose Barcelona’s is the one nightlife price touring for in Catalonia, wait till you attempt Lleida’s vibrant, bar-packed Els Vins district. This is a college metropolis, in any case.

Heading to Spain this summer time?

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