Six new tourist trains to explore Barcelona area this spring

Joint Renfe and provincial authority initiative to discover wine, food, art, spas, and maritime culture

Penedès county vinyards near Barcelona
Penedès county vinyards near Barcelona / Gemma Sánchez
Catalan News

Catalan News | @catalannews | Barcelona

January 20, 2023 09:59 AM

January 20, 2023 10:21 AM

There could soon be six new tourist trains for visitors to discover the Barcelona area's sparkling wines, gastronomy, Modernisme art nouveau, spas, and maritime culture.

This is what Spain's railway operator Renfe and the Barcelona provincial authority announced this week at Fitur, Madrid's International Tourism Fair.

If plans go ahead, the 100-passenger trains will depart from Barcelona's Estació de França station on Saturdays in May and June as well as in September and October, but this is still contingent on technical conditions and agreements with third parties.

Destinations are set to include Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, home of Catalonia's Cava sparkling wine; as well as Mataró, Canet de Mar, and Terrassa for Modernisme art nouveau, food and photography tours; Vilanova i la Geltrú, Sitges, and Badalona to explore the Barcelona area's maritime culture; and Granollers to relax in nature.

Experiences, however, will not begin at the destination, but on the train, which has been conceived as an "exclusive" way of "promoting sustainable mobility" that connects visitors to other parts of the Barcelona area. 

Núria Marín, the president of the Barcelona provincial authority, highlighted her commitment to "tourism that is green, sustainable, kind to the territory, and that has a positive impact on the environment." According to her, the main aim of these trains is to "bring tourists who go to Barcelona closer to the territory so they can get to know it and enjoy it."

Renfe president Isaías Taboas, meanwhile, said he was "pleased to have been able to cooperate with the Barcelona provincial authority." 

The tourist train project comes after Renfe and the Barcelona provincial authority signed an agreement last May to promote sustainable travel and the area's tourist attractions.