By train from Barcelona to the seaside resorts of Costa Brava and Costa del Maresme

If there is one thing that other European countries can envy Spain, it is the Mediterranean Sea. This washes a significant part of its borders and thanks to this, this country is a sought-after destination for tourists from all over the world. 

Don't feel like traveling and want to enjoy the sea right in Barcelona? Check out mine a guide to Barcelona's beaches.

For a long time nThe most popular areas for a summer holiday by the sea thus offer places for Costa Brava, Costa del Maresme or Costa Dorada. In each of them you will find beautiful beaches, lots of hotels or apartments, great local cuisine, friendly people and generally classic Spanish comfort.

Map with the main tourist areas: Costa del Maresme and Costa Brava

Resorts such as Calella, Santa Susana or Malgrat de Mar have long been among the most popular in the whole of Spain, and if you would like to see them on your own, I will advise you on how to get there easily from Barcelona by train (more about trains from Barcelona).

It is the Renfe trains that make these seaside resorts very accessible:

• trains run directly from center of Barcelona
• are part of the system public transport
• runs from early morning to late evening
• they run at short intervals - about every 30 minutes
• they are modern, comfortable and quiet

Skip the queues and buy tickets online

If you want to save time and nerves, I recommend buying train tickets in advance. I am looking for long-distance trains on the RailEurope website, where you have the train and buses in one place. This is handy if you want to travel from Barcelona to other Spanish destinations. 

I will arrive in Barcelona by plane, what next?

The journey of most tourists traveling to the sea begins at Barcelona Airport. From there you have to go to city ​​center. If you continue straight ahead and you have Barcelona as a transfer station, I recommend using it for transport to the center commuter train or airbus. The reason is simple: you have a much easier transfer to the train that will take you to your final destination. Yes, if you want to go from the airport to the sea by train, you will have to change at least once. 

Is it possible to get to the sea directly from the airport without a transfer? It is possible - long-distance buses of several companies also go to seaside resorts (e.g. Moventis, Sagales). You can board these buses right at the airport and go, for example, directly to Tossa de Mar, Calella or other cities on the coast. For specific timetables and to buy tickets, just visit the listed websites where you can plan your trip. 

The way from the airport to the center

You can choose from two options for the journey from the airport to the center: 

1. Suburban train and exit at Barcelona-Sants station
2. Aerobus going to Placa Catalunya, Barcelona's main square

All other options (except taxi) would involve more transfers.

The journey from the center to the resorts of Costa del Maresme and Costa Brava

All the main seaside resorts such as Malgrat de Mar, Calella or Blanes lie north of Barcelona. You can easily get there by Renfe train number R1 going to the destination station Maçanet-Massanes (time tables). Alternatively, you can also use the RG1 line. 

To board the Renfe R1 train, you can use the following stops in the closest center of Barcelona: 

• Barcelona Sants (i.e. this is where you will transfer if you drive from the airport by train)
• Pl. Catalunya (ie you will change here if you go from the airport by airbus)
• Arc de Triomf (stop nearby Barcelona's Arc de Triomphe)
• El Clot Aragó

Modern Renfe trains connect Barcelona with seaside resorts

Other Renfe R1 train stops

St. Adrià De Besòs, Badalona, Montgat, Montgat Nord, El Masnou, Ocata, Premià De Mar, Vilassar De Mar, Cabrera De Mar-Vilassar De Mar, Mataró, St. Andreu De Llavaneres, Caldes d'Estrac, Arenys De Mar, Canet De Mar, Sant Pol De Mar, Calella, Pineda de Mar, Santa Susanna, Malgrat de Mar, Blanes, Tordera, Maçanet-Massanes

How to get to Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar?

Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar are two popular resorts that are located by the sea, but you can't get to them by train - there are no tracks. The R1 train, which runs from Barcelona along the coast, turns inland after Blanes. If you want to see it, you have to change buses in Blanes.

Transport by bus to Lloret de Mar
Once you get off the train in Blanes, go to the front of the station where you will find a connecting bus with a sign Lloret Station (L69, time tables). It will take you to the bus station in the center of Lloret de Mar in about 30 minutes. The train ticket is also valid for the bus. Alternatively, you can transfer in Blanes to the center, from where the L1 bus departs (time tables).

Transport by bus to Tossa de Mar
If you want to go to Tossa de Mar, you also have to go from Blanes to the bus station in Lloret de Mar. Here you will transfer to another bus that will take you to your destination station.

I recommend buying it for the trip combined ticket train + bus to reach these resorts. The price is from 4 to 9 euros depending on how much traffic zones you will go

The journey from the center to the resorts on Costa Dorada

Towards the south of Barcelona lies the area Costa Dorada, which includes popular seaside resorts such as Sitges, Castelldefels, Tarragona or Salou, which is home to a popular park PortAventura.

All the cities described above are again served by Renfe trains. Look at the lines Renfe R2S, R13, R16 or R17. 

Timetables and connection search engine

Even though I mentioned above that the trains run at short intervals and regularly, I definitely recommend planning in advance how the individual connections will connect to each other to avoid big stoppages during the transfer. 

You can use it for planning connection finder on the Renfe website, where you just enter the starting and destination stations. See example below: 

Alternatively, you can also use for planning Rodalies website. 

Which ticket do you need and where can you buy it?

If you go to the center by train, you have the option of a ticket to your final destination can already be purchased at the airport - there is a machine just before the entrance to the platform, where you can either buy a one-time ticket for the entire trip, or special transfer ticket T-casual. If you are planning to travel (e.g. a trip from the sea to Barcelona), I definitely recommend T-casual, because it is cheaper than a one-way ticket.

Buying a ticket in the machine is intuitive, you don't even need to be specially equipped in any language - everything is simple and literally in a few clicks you can get the ticket you need. If you have a problem, there is usually a train attendant standing near the machine who will be happy to help and advise - you can recognize him by his colored vest. You can pay for the ticket by card or cash. 

My tip: If you want to buy a ticket from a machine in a smaller town on the coast, always arrive with 15-20 minutes to spare. During the season, it is quite common for long queues to form in front of the machines - especially in the morning hours. 

When buying a T-casual ticket, find out in advance in which zone your destination station is located and accordingly purchase it for the appropriate number of zones. In the case of most seaside resorts, this is usually zone 4 or 5. More will tell you zone list page.

If you're only going to take one train there/back, consider getting a one-off, non-integrated local train ticket instead of the T-casual - it's only valid for the trains and nothing else. There are several types available and you can find them listed at the Rodalies website. 

Train ticket prices

The price always depends on the number of zones. You can find it on the website nice app, which will help you determine which ticket you need - you simply enter where you want to go from and you will find out how many zones you need to purchase. 

• 1 zone: €2,55
• 2 zones: €3,00
• 3 zones: €4,10
• 4 zones: €4,90
• 5 zones: €5,90
• 6 zones: €7,40

In general, the prices for local fares are acceptable, for example the price of a one-way ticket from the airport to Calella will cost 5,9 euros (because it is located in "train" zone 4). Children under 4 years old do not pay the fare. 

Renfe train interior

How does the system here differ from that in the Czech Republic?

While here you can boldly go to the platform without a ticket and, if you have the courage, even get on the train, in Spain it is a little different. Free access to the platform is usually prevented by a turnstile, through which you have to pass and swipe your ticket through it. If it's valid and everything is fine, it will normally let you go. If not, you're out of luck... 

Thanks to the mechanism described above you usually don't come across classic conductors on trains, as you are used to from the Czech Republic. However emphatically I recommend hiding the ticket even after passing through the turnstile and do not throw it away. Sometimes it happens that on the train or at the exit you may come across an inspector, to whom you need to show your ticket. 

You can find more about Renfe trains and possible trips on a separate website https://renfe.webnode.cz/