Autumn day trips from Barcelona: what's still open in November

Off-season prices drop by almost half: the Jardí Botànic Marimurtra in Blanes goes from €15 to €10. The Maresme museums reopen after August but only in the morning, and the thermal baths of Caldes de Montbui cost €7 with a 7-10 pm slot that doesn't exist in summer.

In November, a beech forest on volcanic lava has a colour it doesn't have in August, the queue at the entrance has disappeared and the same visit costs a third less. The problem is the flip side: half of what was open in summer has cut its hours without warning, and a village museum that now only opens in the morning ruins an outing planned for the afternoon.

What changes on an autumn day trip from Barcelona? Ticket prices drop — Marimurtra goes from €15 to €10 — the coast museums open only in the morning and guided tours appear that don't exist in summer.

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What really drops in price

A third less for the same garden, and in November without the August crowds. It's the biggest off-season discount around Barcelona.

Comparison table — Jardí Botànic Marimurtra (Blanes): high season €15 at the door / €14 in advance; low season €10.

Hot water — what changes with the season

El Safareig is a municipal bathhouse, not a spa — and that's the price difference: €7 versus what a spa circuit costs. The 7-10 pm slot makes it an early evening plan on weekdays. Under-16s pay €4.50.

The two springs are free to visit but for viewing only, not bathing. Spas with full circuits are covered in 'thermal baths and hot springs near Barcelona'.

Price table — El Safareig municipal bathhouse (Caldes de Montbui): €7 / €4.50 reduced, Wednesday to Sunday with a 7-10 pm slot. Museu Thermalia: €3.70. Font del Lleó (Caldes de Montbui): free. Old town thermal springs (Caldes de Malavella): free.

The coast museums reopen, but only in the morning

Arenys's cut is the one that ruins the most plans. Yes, they reopen — but anyone arriving at four in the afternoon finds the door closed.

Calella's €3.50 for three spaces and the free Thursday afternoons in Vilanova are the two best value-for-money options on the coast in the off-season.

Museum table — Arenys de Mar: the two museums reopen after August, mornings only. Calella: combined ticket €3.50 for three spaces, free up to age 16. Canet de Mar: Casa Museu €5, €2 for pensioners, the unemployed and students. Vilanova i la Geltrú: Museu Víctor Balaguer free Thursdays 7-9 pm. Sant Pol de Mar: the coastal path and Passeig de la Punta, always free.

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Guided tours that only exist now

They run on fixed dates with limited places, so they require booking. All three cost less than a double espresso in central Barcelona.

Guided tour table — Caldes de Malavella: second and fourth Sunday of the month, €3. La Garriga: second Saturday at 10 am, €4.50 / €3 reduced. Sant Pol de Mar: five routes, on Saturdays, €5.

Getting there without a car

Eleven destinations have a direct train from Barcelona and seven more are reached by coach from the Estació del Nord. The Maresme — Arenys, Canet, Sant Pol, Calella — runs on the R1 line, and La Garriga on the R3.

Which towns are outside the network and which can't be done car-free is covered in 'Catalonia without a car', and the times and connections for each line in 'train day trips'.

The colour, and where it arrives first

La Fageda d'en Jordà in Santa Pau is a beech forest growing on a lava flow from the Croscat volcano, the only one on the peninsula with that combination. It's 12 kilometres from Castellfollit de la Roca, and the volcanic area of La Garrotxa is about 40 kilometres from Girona.

How to tour the region and where to eat in Olot is covered in 'Olot and La Garrotxa', and the volcanic villages nearby in 'Besalú and Castellfollit de la Roca'.

If the weekend stretches out

Grape harvest runs from September to October and is the only time the Penedès wineries are visited mid-harvest: the details are in the 'Penedès route'. For two full days, options with overnight stays are in 'weekend escapes', and towns ranked by what each traveller is looking for in 'most beautiful villages'.

If the trip falls on the December long weekend, the distribution of public holidays changes what opens: that's in the 'December bridge' guide.