Barcelona & Surrounding Area

[J8 SVG]

Having only been to Spain once before when I was about 9 (Stayed in Alicante and all I remember is a dirty beach and disappointed parents) I've decided it's time to go back and do some exploring elsewhere in the country. Booked cheap flights to Barcelona and a hire car for 8 days at the end of October with my girlfriend.

Not expecting it to be hugely sunny or even dry (not been on a really hot holiday in over ten years, not my thing) but I am hoping to see some nice things!

I've not booked anywhere to stay yet and although I'm trying to keep this as low cost as possible the flights and car hire are only £175 each (despite under-25, £65 surcharge on car rental!!!) so this allows us to spend a bit more on exploring and maybe driving further from the city.

Is there anywhere within a 4 hour drive that you'd recommend, similarly, is there anything I shouldn't miss in Barcelona itself as I'm sure we'll stay there for a few days

Thank you!

[J8 SVG]

They were asking for things to do in Barca, although very useful, I was asking for anywhere in a 4 hour radius so a slightly different thread. Thanks for the link, anyway

[J8 SVG]

Thank you for all the advise, I'll take all these places into account when I'm planning where we'll stay and I may even come back here when the trip is done if I remember

[J8 SVG]

Having booked the car hire, my girlfriend decided that actually, she did not want to go that far and maybe we should just stay within an hour of barcelona so I've booked an apartment in Barcelona for four nights, a hotel in Girona for a night and one on the coast (S'agaro, I think?) so that she can 'wake up to sea views' for a few nights to end the holiday. Not the adventure I was hoping for but we will just explore the nearby areas and coastline more thoroughly

[J8 SVG]

The jiffle king said:

In that case

Sitges
Tarragona
Monserrat (Go on the train though)
Girona

Olot is less than an hour from Girona... 3 volcano's and a town built on a cliff...

I'm loathed to go on the train to monserrat when I have a car paid for, is it really not worth the drive?

Olot looks very cool, definitely on the research list for this weekend!