Barcelona including Montserrat, Besalu, Rupit, Girona & Andorra

Six days based in Barcelona, using the city as your springboard for day trips across Catalonia and into Andorra. You get the Catalan capital itself plus a run of contrasting excursions — mountain monastery, medieval villages, surrealist art and a border-hopping trip north.

Days out include Montserrat, reached by rack railway, where a boys' choir performance adds atmosphere to the abbey and its Black Madonna. Elsewhere you take in three well-preserved medieval villages and Girona's old town, with a skip-the-line visit to the Dalí Theatre-Museum.

It is rated easy and partially guided, with family groups in mind, and runs around Christmas and New Year — worth noting if you are after a festive backdrop rather than a quiet off-season trip.

What you'll do

• Ride the rack railway up to Montserrat and hear a choral performance
• See the Black Madonna at Montserrat Abbey
• Wander the medieval villages of Besalú, Rupit and Tavertet
• Skip-the-line entry to the Dalí Theatre-Museum
• Explore Girona's old town
• Cross into Andorra