Arenys de Munt sits on a shelf of land above Arenys de Mar, where the coastal plain gives way to the wooded slopes of the Montnegre. It is a town of around 9,500 people with a working centre, a long tradition of country houses and quick access to some of the best walking in the Maresme. It is also the most obvious answer if you want more house and more land for your budget, and you are willing to give up the train and the beach at the door.
Arenys de Munt is an inland municipality in the north of the Maresme, about 4 km from the coast and roughly 45 km from Barcelona. It shares a border with the Parc Natural del Montnegre i el Corredor, which is why so much of the land around the town is forest, tracks and old farm buildings rather than new development. The centre is compact, with the church, the town hall and the market streets close together.
Do not confuse it with Arenys de Mar. The Mar is the port town down on the coast, with the R1 station, the fishing harbour and the beach. The Munt is the town up the hill, older in feel, greener, and noticeably cheaper per square metre. The two are a short drive apart and share services, schools and a lot of daily life.
There is no station in Arenys de Munt. The nearest rail access is Arenys de Mar on the R1, about 5 to 10 minutes down the hill by car, where the train takes roughly 52 to 56 minutes to Barcelona. That makes the daily commute workable but car-dependent, and the drive between house and station is part of every working morning.
By road the C-61 and the local roads connect the town to the coast and to Mataró, and the C-32 motorway is a short drive away for Barcelona and the airport. Buses run to Arenys de Mar and Mataró. Most families here keep a car, and often two.
This is a town for people who want space. Detached houses, masies and country properties with real plots are common, and the price per square metre is lower than on the coast. Many homes have gardens, some have pools and olive or pine trees, and the views often run down toward the sea or up into the forest.
The centre is a real town rather than a resort, with schools, a health centre, shops and a market, which matters if you do not want to drive for every loaf of bread. Around it, the streets thin out fast into lanes between plots, and then into the park itself.
Arenys de Munt is one of the more affordable parts of the Maresme. Market data for 2026 puts houses at roughly 10 to 11 €/m² and flats around 13 to 14 €/m², with some local averages nearer 10 €/m². In practice that means a three or four bedroom house with a garden for a monthly figure that would rent you a modest flat in central Barcelona.
The trade is availability and condition. Long-term rental stock is limited, and some houses need work or come unfurnished. The best value often sits with owners who live locally and rent directly, so being introduced by someone who knows the town helps.
For schools, families use the town itself, the coast at Arenys de Mar and the wider Maresme, including the international schools of the Baix Maresme a drive south. The big draw is the access to the Montnegre i el Corredor park: marked trails, mountain-bike routes, springs and viewpoints, all starting from the edge of town.
It suits families who want a house with land, value nature over sea views and are happy to drive. It suits remote workers who need space and quiet more than a commute. It also suits anyone priced out of the coast who still wants the Maresme lifestyle. It suits less well people who want to walk to a train every day or who need the beach on their doorstep.
The honest version: Arenys de Munt trades the coast for space, and convenience for value. You get a real inland town, forest on the doorstep and a house you could not afford 5 km closer to the sea, and you give up the station and the beach walk. For families who work locally or from home, that is often the best deal in the north Maresme.