Best Hiking Trails Around Barcelona

Hiking Barcelona is one of the many things you can add to your itinerary while staying in this wonderful coastal city. There are many hiking trails within easy reach of Barcelona that will take you into either a stunning mountain range, a natural park, or even our favorite coastal foot trail.

Chances are though, you won’t have the time to try out every hiking trail while in Barcelona as there are beaches, culture, and lots more to be explored too.

This is why we have brought together the best hiking trails around Barcelona so you can choose one or two trails that suit you best, and can spend the rest of your holiday lapping up what beautiful Barcelona has to offer!

Montserrat National Park

Sitting just outside of Barcelona is the stunning Montserrat National Park and if there is one spot I’d recommend to enjoy some hiking trails on a day trip it is this magical place.

The national park features the Llobregat River, a pre-coastal mountain range, and tons of awesome species too.

You can find up to 1250 species of plants and trees in the form of old oak tree forests, tropical and Mediterranean shrubs, and lots more. The beautiful oak tree forests are incredible to hike through.

It is not just plants and trees you will find, there are lots of bird species, wild goats, lizards, and lots more to see as you follow the hiking trails.

You will have multiple hiking trails to choose from but the one I recommend is from the Funicular de San Juan (superior station) to Montserrat.

It is quite long at 7.5 km but isn’t too challenging and the distance covered gives you every chance to see the best of this stunning natural park.

Tibidabo Mountain

Another of my favorite and best hiking trails near Barcelona are the ones that go up Tibidabo mountain.

From the top you can see reaching views over the city and across the Mediterranean Sea, it truly is magical but don’t expect to have the hiking trail to yourself as it is very popular plus there is an amusement park at the top which is fund for kids.

Tibidabo is the highest mountain in the Serra de Collserola mountain range with a summit of around 1800 feet above sea level. At the top, you will find a stunning old Roman Catholic Church, amazing views, and the amusement park of course.

There are several routes that will get you to the top and you can choose from the short way (described below) or the long way which is double the distance and double the time.

Vall de Núria

Heading off to Vall de Núria might require more than a hiking day trip as it is located in the Pyrenees right on the French and Andorra border. You might think it is about an hour from Barcelona but this is not the case, it is 3 hours or so by car and a little faster by train.

Vall de Núria is more than a natural park, it is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Pyrenees and I would recommend staying there for more than one night so you can really enjoy the vibe.

Be sure to bring hiking boots and warm clothes as it can get super cold even in summer at the higher altitudes. You can either go off on your own trail or join a special tour that takes you around the most beautiful parts of the area.

If you are visiting Barcelona in winter, you can actually head to this amazing area to enjoy some winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.

I would recommend doing the Queralbs to Núria Valley hike as it showcases the best of the area and it is a chilled hike that you can take your time with.

Costa Brava

A wonderful hiking day trip close to Barcelona is discovering the wonderful Costa Brava coastline.

The trails around the Costa Brava provide hikers with stunning views of the Girona Pyrenees, stretches of rugged coastline, hidden coves, private beaches and lots more.

There are quite a lot of different coastal hiking trails to choose from around the Costa Brava, and they are all fantastic.

You will stroll through delightfully charming fishing villages where you can stop for lunch, find deserted beaches where you can enjoy a private picnic, sea caves, and coves – it is the best way to experience this coastline.

A great route I would highly recommend is from Palamós to Calella de Palafrugell as it captures some of the loveliest parts of the Costa Brava and I would definitely stop for a fresh seafood lunch at one of the fishing villages.

Parc del Garraf

The Parc del Garraf is a bit of a special scenic park to hike around and is very easy to get to from Barcelona.

Sitting just half an hour outside the city by train or car, you will find yourself immersed in some of the most beautiful and peaceful surroundings the area has to offer.

This natural park covers more than 30 km of wilderness and has a deep Tibetan history to boot. Located on the Sitges Coast, you can pick from a range of hiking trails that will take you around white sand beaches, a Buddhist monastery (Plana Novella), and a private piece of land with ancient castle ruins now used as farmhouses.

As a bonus to exploring this wonderful park, you can also do some yoga and meditation classes while you are there if you are into that sort of thing.

One of the best hikes in the Parc del Garraf is without doubt from Sitges to Vilanova i la Geltrú. It is quite long at 14 km but it takes you through all the best parts of the area with sweeping views from limestone cliffs across the Mediterranean.

You should be able to finish it in 5 hours and have more than enough time to relax afterward.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

Parque Natural del Montseny

Parque Natural del Montseny, aka Montseny Natural Park, sits about 40 kilometers outside of Barcelona to the north and is one of the most incredible places to hike around Barcelona.

The Parque Natural del Montseny is composed of a stunning mountain range and is made up of the Montseny massif, and became a protected park in 1987 after the Government of Catalonia made it so.

This part of Catalonia is quite magical and is full of mountains, natural springs, and it is where Spain gets more than 50% of its bottled water, so you can only imagine just how lush the area is, and it is perfect for hiking.

You will have to choose from a few different routes when hiking around the area and the one I would recommend is going from Pantano de Santa Fe to Turó de l’Home to Les Agudes. This route is quite a long one and it should only take you around 5 hours to do the 14 or so km.

Along the way, you will see the best this area has to offer and will be blown away, promise!

Image courtesy of Flickr

The Collserola Park

Collserola National Park has already been featured as it is where you will find the Tibidabo mountain hike we mentioned earlier.

But, there are lots more hiking trails to choose from since Collserola Park is the biggest metropolitan park on the planet and it is only 10 minutes outside of Barcelona. It is very popular with the locals so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

There are loads of different trails to choose from in this lovely park and there are even restaurants along the way so it is great for family days out too. The views across the city and the sea are to die for and the bird watching is pretty awesome too.

You will also find great features like waterfalls, and rivers plus be able to see things like eagles, turtles, and more.

Montjuïc

The area of Montjuïc sits on one of the smallest hills surrounding Barcelona and is more of a cultural hiking experience more than anything else.

The area is home to the Olympic Stadium, the Joan Miró Foundation, stunning public gardens, and the wonderfully historic Montjuïc Castle.

There are lots of different hiking paths to follow in this area and one of the best ways to see what is on offer is by starting in Poble-Sec and then meandering your way through the Grec Gardens and into the Laribel Stairs and up to the lovely Miró Foundation.

After this, you can hop into the Gardens of Joan Brossa and along the Carrer Doctor i Font Que, and up to the castle.

If you are there on a weekend, stop for lunch at the lovely restaurant and then wind your way back down to Plaça Espanya.