The R2 Sud train from Sants reaches Sitges in 37 minutes, and by 5:30 pm the town’s 10-metre Christmas tree and more than 300 light figures are switched on. Christmas villages near Barcelona are small towns within two hours of the city where the season looks different: nativity dioramas, a living nativity in medieval lanes, a fair selling fir trees. Sitges is the easy one, open every evening until 6 January. Olot and Santa Pau, in the volcanic Garrotxa, are an early-December weekend. Espinelves is only worth it if you are driving and arrive before 8 December.
Which village should I visit for Christmas near Barcelona? For a half day without a car, Sitges: 37 minutes by train, free nativity scenes and lights until 6 January. For a weekend in early December, Olot and Santa Pau, where a nativity fair and a living nativity shared the 6 and 7 December last year. Olot has a direct bus of 1 hour 45 minutes.
Which trip fits your travel dates
Most of what follows uses last year’s dates, as this year’s are announced in November. The pattern rarely changes.
- Arriving before 8 December. All four are possible. With a car, Espinelves; on the 6th and 7th, the Garrotxa weekend.
- Mid-December to Christmas Eve. Sitges is the one: its dioramas open from 20 December and the monumental nativity from the 15th.
- Between Christmas and Three Kings’ Day. Sitges again, plus the nativity exhibition in Olot, open until 11 January except on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1, 5 and 6 January.
| Village | What is on at Christmas | When | By public transport | By car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitges | Lights, monumental nativity, dioramas, Quinto bingo | Mid-December to 6 January | Train, 37 minutes | 38 minutes |
| Olot | Nativity fair and exhibition | Fair 6 to 8 December; exhibition to 11 January | Direct bus, 105 minutes | 101 minutes |
| Santa Pau | Living nativity in the medieval lanes | 6 and 7 December, late afternoon | Few buses from Olot | 112 minutes |
| Espinelves | Fir-tree fair | 28 November to 8 December | None practical | 80 minutes |
How to spend a Christmas afternoon in Sitges
The train from Sants takes 37 minutes, or 43 from Passeig de Gràcia. Sitges does Christmas on a village scale: lights from 5:30 pm every day until 6 January, a 10-metre tree with 16,000 LED bulbs and figures along Carrer Parellades, Carrer Jesús and Passeig de Vilafranca.
The highlights are free. The monumental nativity scene at the Miramar cultural centre, with figures by the sculptor Manuel Muns, ran from 15 December to 7 January. The diorama show at the Palau del Rei Moro, small boxed scenes of the nativity and Catalan Christmas customs, opens 6 to 8 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and also noon to 2 pm on Sundays and holidays. For a very local evening, sit in on the Quinto, a Christmas bingo: El Retiro plays at 7 pm, the Casino Prado at 9 pm, both free. For the rest of the town, read our Sitges day trip guide.
How to see Olot and Santa Pau in one weekend
The Garrotxa is the weekend plan. Last year, the Fira del Pessebre d’Olot filled the old streets from Sant Esteve to Plaça del Carme from 6 to 8 December, 10 am to 8 pm, free: stalls of hand-carved figures, a local food market and family activities. A nativity exhibition runs in four historic buildings from late November to 11 January, also free.
On the same weekend, the medieval village of Santa Pau, 18 minutes from Olot by car, held its living nativity: more than 40 scenes acted out in its lanes in the late afternoon, with tickets booked online. It has run since 1984.
Getting there: the direct bus from Barcelona to Olot takes 1 hour 45 minutes, leaving at 9:45 am at weekends. Buses to Santa Pau are few, so for the living nativity a car or an overnight stay in Olot works best. More on the volcanoes and villages around it in our Olot and Garrotxa guide.
Is Espinelves worth the drive
Espinelves, in Osona, is a fir-tree village with a fair held since 1981; this year it runs from 28 November to 8 December. Last year it had 120 stalls and about 4,500 trees, including red spruce sold with its root ball for replanting.
It is 80 minutes by car and has no practical public transport; at weekends the roads in fill up, so go early. Pair it with Vic, and if you live in Barcelona, see buying a Christmas tree in Barcelona.
What to know before you go
- 8 December is a public holiday in Catalonia, and the early-December long weekend is the busiest; our guide to the early December holidays covers what is open.
- Dress for the cold in the Garrotxa: the living nativity is outdoors in the evening.
- Watch your bag on busy trains and fairs, as in Barcelona itself; the Barcelona safety guide has the basics.
- Prefer to stay in the city? Barcelona’s own nativity scenes are a short walk apart in the old town.
For more trips by train and bus, see Catalonia without a car; for villages at any time of year, the best villages near Barcelona. The full season in the city is in Barcelona at Christmas and Barcelona in December.
For a market day out instead, Vic, Girona and Tarragona are in Christmas markets in Catalonia, with train times.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas villages near Barcelona
What is the best Christmas day trip from Barcelona without a car?
Sitges. The R2 Sud train takes 37 minutes from Sants, the street lights come on at 5:30 pm every day until 6 January, and the monumental nativity scene and the dioramas at the Palau del Rei Moro are free. Combine them with a walk along the seafront.
Can I get to Olot by public transport?
Yes. A direct bus from Barcelona takes 1 hour 45 minutes. At weekends it leaves at 9:45 am and comes back at 5 pm on Saturday, or 4:15 pm or 6 pm on Sunday, so a day trip works. Santa Pau, 18 minutes away by car, has few buses.
When is the living nativity in Santa Pau?
Last year it ran on 6 and 7 December, in the afternoon and evening, with more than 40 scenes in the medieval streets and tickets booked online in advance. It fell on the same weekend as the nativity fair in Olot.
What is the Quinto in Sitges?
A Catalan Christmas bingo played in social clubs over the holidays. In Sitges, El Retiro holds it at 7 pm and the Casino Prado at 9 pm on several days between 25 December and 6 January, with free entry and limited seats.
Is the Espinelves Christmas tree fair worth a trip?
Only with a car and if you want to see a whole village selling fir trees. It runs from 28 November to 8 December this year, about 80 minutes’ drive from Barcelona. At the last fair there were 120 stalls and around 4,500 trees.
Sitges for an easy evening, the Garrotxa for an early-December weekend.