Barcelona is easy to love and easy to stay in, but some of the best days of a trip happen outside it. Each of these is within ninety minutes by train or car, and each works as a relaxed day with a long lunch at its center.

Montserrat

The serrated mountain an hour northwest of the city is home to a Benedictine monastery and the Black Madonna. Take the rack railway or the cable car up, check the Escolania choir schedule before you go, and walk one of the marked trails above the monastery for the widest views.

Penedès wine country

Forty minutes west, the Penedès valleys produce most of Spain’s cava. Visit a family winery for a cellar tour and tasting, then book a long lunch among the vineyards. It is the easiest day out if you would rather not drive yourself.

Sitges

This seaside town is about forty minutes south by train, with a whitewashed old quarter, a string of small beaches and a seafront church that glows at sunset. Go on a weekday outside July and August to have the promenade mostly to yourself.

Girona

The high-speed train reaches Girona in under forty minutes. Walk the medieval walls, explore the old Jewish quarter and cross the river for the classic view of the colored houses along the Onyar. Start early and you can add the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres.