Getaways from Tarragona: day trips and destinations close by.

In the middle of the Catalan coast

Tarragona sits in the middle of the Catalan coast, and almost everything around it is reached by three roads. The AP-7 north takes you in under an hour to Sitges, the Garraf and the Penedès, with Vilafranca and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia among the vines; carrying on past Martorell you reach Montserrat and, inland, Caldes de Montbui, Vic and Berga. The same AP-7 heading south drops down to Peñíscola, already in Castellón.

The third way out is inland, through Reus. From there the winding roads climb into the Camp mountains: to Cornudella de Montsant and the crag of Siurana, in the Priorat, and to Prades, at 950 metres. Further west, via Gandesa, you enter Aragon and the Matarraña of Valderrobres. For the Pyrenees and Andorra the road goes up towards Lleida or along the C-14 towards La Seu d'Urgell.

Without a car, the way out is the coastal train. Regional services towards Barcelona reach Sitges, and at Sant Vicenç de Calders you can change to the Rodalies R4, which stops at Vilafranca and Sant Sadurní, so the whole Penedès can be done without driving. Siurana, Prades and the Matarraña need a car.

Sitges, the cava cellars and Siurana fit in without an early start

Under an hour away are Sitges (46 minutes), the Penedès cava cellars (52) and Siurana (56). These are the Sundays that fit without an early start: the seafront promenade and the Cau Ferrat, a visit with a tasting at Sant Sadurní or the Moorish castle above the reservoir.

The landscape changes between one hour and an hour and a half. A little over an hour away are the village of Garraf with its beach huts (62) and Prades (63), the nearest cool mountain range; at 85 minutes, Peñíscola and the hot springs of Caldes de Montbui, and at 87, Montserrat, with two ways up: by the Aeri and funicular to Sant Jeroni or by the rack railway to the Sant Miquel viewpoint.

Between an hour and a half and two hours the day gets tighter: Valderrobres and the Parrizal footbridges (115), Vic (117), Berga and the motorbike route to the Coll de la Creueta (118), and the Montseny (123). Here a night away starts to pay off, and the Matarraña has one: Valderrobres and Beceite in two nights.

Beyond two hours, it is a weekend trip. The Ripollès, its monasteries and Núria are 143 minutes away; Besalú and the Garrotxa, 157; Alquézar and its canyons and Rupit and the Collsacabra, 160, and the medieval Empordà from Peratallada, 166. A little further, Aínsa and Añisclo, just over three hours.

To the snow, with two nights

In winter you go to the snow with two nights away: the Cerdanya, 165 minutes away, is the closest; Grandvalira is a little over three hours away, and the Vall de Boí, with Romanesque churches and a spa, and Baqueira, three and a half hours. For a cold Sunday without snow, the hot baths of Caldes de Montbui.

In spring and early autumn the coast is at its best: Sitges and Garraf without the August crowds, and the stroll among the vines with an aperitif in the Penedès. It is also the best time for Peñíscola and the Sierra de Irta, 85 minutes away.

In summer it pays to climb or get wet. Prades, at 950 metres, is the cool spot of the Camp de Tarragona, and on the Siurana reservoir you can paddle beneath the cliff. Sitges, Garraf, Montserrat by the Aeri and Caldes are not recommended in July and August.

In October and November the Priorat vineyards turn yellow and red: it is the time for the Sunday in a 4x4 among the vines with a tasting. Further afield, two hours away, the beech woods and mushrooms of the Montseny in autumn.

A starry night in Prades

• Without a car, in a day: the Codorníu cava cellars by train. Regional train to Sant Vicenç de Calders and the R4 to Sant Sadurní, the Modernista cellars toured on an underground train and lunch in the estate's tower.
• With one night: Prades and its starry night. 63 minutes away, the red village, the Roca Foradada, a telescope session and the climb up the Baltasana in the morning.
• With two nights: Siurana and the Priorat. 56 minutes away via Reus and Cornudella, for the Camí de la Trona, the reservoir by kayak and the vineyards by 4x4 without watching the clock.