Only 60 kilometres away from the centre of the city, you'll find the National Park of Montserrat. There is an interesting audiovisual tour which informs visitors about each area of the park. The park offers a whole different world of nature and culture including the 11th-Century Benedictine Monastery where people come to worship the patron saint of Catalonia known as the Virgin of Montserrat.  There are 80 Benedictine monks living here; they have dedicated their lives to tending the shrine, following a life of prayer and to welcoming the visitors who wish to pray to The Virgin. Montserrat is also home to the Escolans, Europe’s oldest boys’ choir. They perform a daily choral concert at the monastery. Make sure you take time to see the Museu de Montserrat, which houses a spectacular art collection.  The park itself is home to a wide and unique variety of flora and fauna; the views from the mountain are spectacular making this place a site not to be missed.

Wine lovers will enjoy a trip to Alt Penedès County, which lies 40 kilometres to the south of the city. This region is renowned for its fine selection of wines and cavas. There are around 300 wineries here and most are open to the public on a daily basis. Many of the wineries offer a full guided tour and a demonstration of their production methods in particular the méthode champenoise, a means by which sparkling wine known as cava is made.

A great architectural legacy where you can witness authentic Gaudi’s work is the Colonia Güell, situated in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, only 23 kilometres from Barcelona. Colonia Güell is an original 19th-Century industrial town, which consists of the Gaudí Church Crypt as well as a factory and workers’ residential area. The buildings here are of great historic and architectural significance, in particular the church crypt designed by Gaudí himself. This particularly complex construction was the birthplace for many architectural techniques that he later used on other buildings. In 2000, restoration works at Colonia Güell began.

Families in particular will enjoy the short trip to Torrelles de Llobregat, where they can visit Catalunya en Miniatura, Spain’s only model village consisting of original scale models of Catalonia’s most famous sites. Visitors can travel around the village on a small train and take a close look at every building created acoording to the designs of famous Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi represented here in intricate detail. If you have missed any of the sites of Barcelona, you can see them all here in miniature as well as other masterpieces like Pedrera.

If you are looking to unwind and relax, head for Sitges a coastal area with 11 superb beaches. You can reach Stiges by train from the city and the journey will only take 35 minutes. Whilst you are there, take time to visit Cau Ferrat, a house once owned by the modernist painter Santiago Russiñol. It contains many paintings and sculptures and has an interesting history. The local beaches are full of life and the most popular is the Platja de St Sebastian.