Road trip in Catalonia: Vibrant Cities And Quiet Mountain Towns

During my studies I lived in Barcelona for a while but because I didn't own a car back then, I never got to do a proper road trip in Catalonia.

Easily manageable in size and with highlights that are well connected to each other by highways or at least proper roads, this particular region of Spain is perfect for an extensive road trip, offering a variety of landscapes, very old villages and a food-culture that changes from one town to the next.

Starting November last year, several of our travel plans fell through: our trip to Tuscany got cut short in Milan thanks to our car being totally emptied in a (guarded!) car park; in February this year, right before wanting to fly to Cambodia, I got Covid and was down for a month; and in March we planned on visiting Sri Lanka but Putin had just invaded Ukraine so we didn't feel like going there.

By May, we were in desperate need to get away, somewhere. So we packed up the car, drove straight down to Barcelona and started exploring the surroundings from there. All very spontaneous, without much planning.

Here's our full guide for an amazing road trip in Catalonia!

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Our Catalonia road trip at a glance

Where should we start? Where do we actually want to go? How far can we go in the time-frame we've set ourselves?

So many questions we had the day before actually leaving for our trip. The only sure thing was that I absolutely wanted to spend a few days in one of my favourite cities in the world before heading anywhere else.

Barcelona was our first main stop, a mere 12 hour-drive from home.

From here, we first moved all the way down south to Valencia, passing through Tarragona and the beautiful Maestrazgo-region on the way back, before coasting up to Cadaqués and exploring the Spanish Pyrenees with its picturesque towns, until we reached the UNESCO-protected Vall de Boí.

Read also | Road Trip in Scotland: An Itinerary For Two Amazing Weeks

Stop #1 - Barcelona, the city that holds my heart

We left our flat in the south-east of Belgium at around 4 o'clock in the morning as we planned on arriving in Barcelona somewhere in the afternoon.

Granted, Barcelona might not be the preferred or most ideal starting point for a Catalonian road trip but it is nonetheless a good base if you plan on exploring the region.

Given that you could easily spend a week or more in this city, I'll just point out a few interesting spots not to miss without going into much detail. Barcelona is just one stop in our whole Catalonia trip after all.

Where to stay in Barcelona (this time)

I've been to Barcelona quite a few times already and it gave me the opportunity to check out various areas to stay at. This time, we chose to go a bit further from the centre because it was a lot cheaper and we just wanted to stroll aimlessly through the city anyway. 

We didn't need to be right in the historic centre as we planned to visit only a few particular spots.

We stayed at the Apartamentos DV, in a tiny apartment with a huge bath at walking distance of the gorgeous Plaza de España with the incredible backdrop of the Montjuic mountain and the Palacio Nacional, with the magic fountain and the shopping-dreamland Las Arenas at walking distance.

Barcelona's metro system is incredibly well structured: no matter where you are staying, you will always get from point A to B quite easily. 

This particular area here, called 'Cents', is also very popular thanks to the Camp Nou stadium (which we could practically see from the apartment) home to the world famous FC Barcelona football team.

Must-visit: the Sagrada Família

Back when I was in my early twenties, I lived in Barcelona for roughly six months during my studies. Naturally, lots of memories come to my mind when I walk through this city.

One of my favourite things to do - still - despite it being super touristy, is to check out the advancement of the Sagrada Família. Yes, there are always crowds of people around. No, it's not cheap to visit. But it still is an absolute brilliant masterpiece by genius architect Antoní Gaudí.

And I still marvel at his way of thinking when he conceived this impressive church.

Every time I visit, a new finishing date is set for construction, currently it's 2026. This is because Gaudí's wish was that this church be built with private fundings only. Of course, the Covid19-crisis delayed works even more.

So if you only visit one major tourist attraction, let it be the Sagrada Família. Other Gaudí creations are fine too, such as the Casa Batlló with its multi-coloured tortoise-like facade, or the Pedrera where people actually still live. And don't hesitate to climb up to the Parque Güell to enjoy some lovely views of the city or even further up mount Tibidabo.

Historic vistas, sea-breeze and amazing food

Barcelona has the huge advantage of being located right by the Mediterranean sea, which means fresh sea-food is available everywhere. But the best and freshest you'll get is by ordering it on a rickety bar-stool at one of the food-stalls inside of the Boquería.

I try to get to the Pinotxo-bar every time I come, to see if the 80+ year old owner, Juanito, is still doing well. No menu, they just read what they are serving that day (depending on what produces they got delivered by the fishermen) from a piece of paper. Love it!

Walk down the main boulevard called 'Rambla de Catalunya' or get lost either in the west part of the city, the Raval, or the labyrinth of medieval streets in the Gótico, east of the Rambla.

Then soak up some salty air by the sea in Barceloneta and just enjoy life.

Read also | Food in Barcelona: amazing tapas and more

Stop #2 - Tarragona, mighty Roman city

After enjoying Barna for a few days, we headed south to visit Tarragona, a city I had heard so much about but never managed to visit while living in the area.

On the way to Tarragona, the first Roman remnant you will encounter is an aqueduct inviting you to stop and admire it.

It is called 'Aqüeducte de les Ferreres', also known as the 'Pont del Diable' (Devil's Bridge), and it's part of the UNESCO-protected archaeological ensemble of Tarraco or Tarragona. The aqueduct dates back to the 1st century and the whole area around the bridge is a protected eco-park.

The archaeological ensemble of Tarraco

Very first thing to when arriving in Tarragona's centre: find a parking spot.

We looked up a few of them (ever since having been robbed in a guarded parking lot in Milan, we check the reviews on Google) and we found a reasonably priced one right outside of the historic centre of Tarragona called Saavedra. 

Quick round-up of what there is to see (full blogpost on Tarragona coming soon!), in the order that follows the route they gave us at the Roman circus:

After this tour, feel free to get lost in the labyrinth of little streets inside of the ancient walls and visit the cathedral, Saint Paul's chapel or the romanesque-gothic hospital.

There is, of course, so much more to see and explore in Tarragona. But this is what you should definitely not miss when only visiting the city for the day.

Stop #3 - Mythical (but overrated) Santa María de Montserrat Abbey

Montserrat Abbey is another one of these famous places I heard a lot about but never managed to actually visit while living in Barcelona.

Heading northwest of Barcelona towards the Montserrat mountain, we got a weird feeling of déjà-vu: these columns of rocks seemingly sprucing out of nowhere reminded us strongly of the incredibly fascinating Meteora monasteries.

Starting to get more and more excited, driving up the winding road (you absolutely can get up there by train and even cable-car), stopping here and there to admire the views, we felt totally let down once we arrived at the huge parking-lots.

Turns out this 'mythical' place really is just a 'Disneyland for pilgrims'.

Everything is made for big busses filled with praying lads, shopping stalls everywhere and hotels for the pious visitor to relax in.

Montserrat Abbey was originally built in the 11th century in this secluded area for an Order of St Benedict but after being sacked in the early 19th century, the whole site underwent a massive reconstruction and there is almost nothing left of the original essence.

It is still a very important religious retreat for Catalonians, flocking here in groups every year to get some prayer time and to catch the holy vibe of Catalonia's Patron Saint, the Virgin of Montserrat, represented by a wooden black Madonna (hence the Catalan familiar name 'la Moreneta', the little dark one) whose globe you are supposed to rub when passing by.

It's still worth getting up the mountain, if only for the gorgeous views!

The first three stops were all done within the four days we spent in Barcelona. You could just drive down from Barcelona to Montserrat, then to Tarragona and then continue to follow our route.

But I wanted to show you exactly what we did.

Moving on...

Stop #4 - The Maestrazgo

The 'what' now?

The Maestrazgo, admittedly a name that I had never ever heard before myself, is a comarca or county of the Autonomous region of Aragon.

No, Aragon isn't actually part of Catalonia anymore but visiting this area during our road trip felt quite right: the mountainous region of the Maestrazgo with its pretty golden villages from the templar era and the gorgeous little valleys right on the border between Catalonia and Aragon just can't be left out as they are so close-by!

Where to stay in the Maestrazgo

Just one address, really:

Hotel El Cantón Rural in La Cuba. This lovely little boutique hotel, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by peaceful nature and no traffic at all, totally stole our hearts.

We just wanted a stop-over in the region to recover from the 3h30 long drive down from Barcelona and we chose the little town of La Cuba on the edge of the Maestrazgo to do so.

And what a great idea it was! Beautiful cosy rooms in an old stone house, the most friendly hosts you could ever imagine, delicious food made with love and local produces, served by the very cute owners, and the most relaxing breakfast-terrace by the river.

We only stayed one night but it was the best. Absolutely, 100% recommended! Try to stay for a few nights as the hosts will map out lovely little tours to really discover the Maestrazgo-region based on what preferences you have (nature, hiking, history, speleology, etc.).

Morella: the eagle's nest

Due to our limited time in the Maestrazgo, we only got to visit a few top spots that are part of the so-called 'Pueblos Mágicos de España' ('magic towns of Spain').

One of them was the sleepy town of Morella, perched on a rock overlooking the gorgeous Maestrazgo. Don't expect historical accuracy in this village of barely 2400 people, especially when climbing up to the highest point that is the medieval castle.

That last one is heavily over-restored and the bullfight arena of the 20th century kind of clashes with the surroundings. The views are marvellous, though!

Another highlight in Morella is the Santa María la Major church dating back to the 13th century, with its heavily loaded baroque altar and massive pipe organ from the 18th century.

There are a few little restaurants that are mostly closed during low-season or only open on weekends and even a little museum about dinosaur finds in the region.

Mirambel

Also called 'a gem between walls' ('una joya entre murallas'), the center of Mirambel is still protected by its ancient walls, the best preserved ones in the province, in which you enter through one of the five historic gates. 

Very quiet, very beautiful, with only a few little shops and restaurants here and there, a gorgeous church from the 17th century and the exquisit 'Portal de las Monjas', part of an Augustinian convent from the 16th century, and topped with artistically carved wooden panels that are basically the windows of the upper gallery. 

La Iglesuela del Cíd

The whole town of La Iglesuela del Cíd (with a total of about 400 inhabitants) has been declared 'Conjunto Histórico Artístico', meaning 'artistic historical unity' thanks to impressive and well preserved palace facades that demonstrate the important economic power of some the families here.

Notable buildings include the Casa de los Aliaga, the Torre de los Nublos, the church 'de la Purificación' and several age-old and still standing dry masonry walls.

La Iglesuela got the add-on 'del Cíd' thanks to famous Castilian military leader Rodrigo Díaz, also called 'el Cid Campeador' having "stopped in La Iglesuela to rest on his way to the Levant" during the Spanish Reconquista in the 12th century. Many places in the region have the add-on 'del Cíd' because of this tales. They are kind of crazy about him.

[The French are too, since famous writer Pierre Corneille wrote a whole theatrical piece about the legend that every school-kid in France has at least heard of once.]

After this escapade in the Maestrazgo, we continued our journey through lovely landscapes, passing by more picturesque towns such as Linares de Mora with its church also perched above a valley, and back to the coast.

Stop #5 - Valencia

Next up: Valencia! A city with a name that gives me an instant earworm every single time I pronounce it.

For a detailed city trip blogpost, see below:

Read also | 3 Days in Valencia: A Complete Guide To History, Entertainment And Delicious Food

Also: yes, I know, Valencia isn't technically part of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia either but they do consider themselves Catalan nonetheless.

They speak the same language and share a lot of cultural traits.

Arriving from the quiet and relaxing Maestrazgo-region, Valencia immediately hit us in the face with big crowds, noisy streets and stressful construction works everywhere.

Little did we know that we would arrive on THE weekend, the most important one in the whole year, the one that marks the celebrations for Valencia's Patron Saint: the weekend of the Our Lady of the Forsaken Festival.

I am still unsure whether we were lucky or not.

Lucky, because witnessing such an important event is rather interesting and rare.

Unlucky, because - well - the masses, and masses of people everywhere! The pandemic wasn't quite over yet...

Modern meets classic

The mix of very modern and clean facades and neo-classical or even Renaissance buildings, all punctuated with splashes of flashy colours makes for a very pleasant experience for the eyes when strolling through the city.

Valencia has a lovely coast with beaches (packed with people that weekend), lots of ancient and modern history and an interesting drinking culture with good beers and the well-known 'Agua de Valencia'.

After checking in to our reasonably priced and perfectly located apartment for the next few days, the Parker Urban Flats, and a planless walk through the city just to soak up all the first impressions, we spoiled ourselves with a fancy dinner at a restaurant with a famous one-star-chef, the Vuelva Carolina, to enjoy Valencia's number one specialty: the paella Valenciana (rabbit, chicken and beans).

Both not being very fond of rabbit, we at least had to have this traditional dish once in the city that invented it. And it wasn't half bad. 

Religious fondness or fanaticism?

As I mentioned before, we happened to land in Valencia (well, not 'land', since this is a Catalonia road trip; but you get it) on the weekend of the 'Our Lady of the Forsaken Festival'.

Having visited Lourdes several years ago, it brought back memories that left me asking back then: where does religious piousness begin and fanaticism end? Witnessing people crying in despair when a statue of a hunched Virgin (admittedly, a very beautiful one with gorgeous hair) passes by, trying to climb said statue just to touch or kiss it - forgive me if I find this disturbing.

Though I must say, the procession with people dressed in traditional Valencian costumes with richly embroidered dresses and very expensive jewellery, the dramatic music and the frankincense aroma pervading the air are an experience that I won't say no to.

Ultimately, I'd say we were indeed lucky to be here on that specific weekend. It definitely left a mark in our memories.

A stroll through the city of Valencia

Again, I won't go into too much detail as Valencia is but one stop in our road trip through Catalonia (and beyond).

But here's what we did with our time (3 to 4 days) in Valencia:

After a lovely breakfast, we did a bit of a promenade through Valencia's heart, visiting the cathedral and the very pompous baroque church of San Nicolás and the impressive post office.

After a quick refreshment at the quirky and picturesque Café Sant Jaume, we quickly went to the sea-side to have a look at the very crowded Marina.

Back to the center, it was time for dinner which we found in the form of the most delicious black paella at a restaurant called Masusa. Finger-licking good!

Getting on... the Hop On / Hop Off bus

I used to despise people using that particularly touristy bus to visit a city: old vehicles, badly working headphones and usually quite loud tourists. It's not my style of travelling. Normally..

In this case, Sebi persuaded me to take a 48h-ticket for this bus to get to the various hotspots of Valencia as it actually costs less than purchasing regular bus-tickets or paying a taxi for each trip separately.

A 48h-ticket for this bus cost 20 € / 21 US $ per person and you literally visit all the main highlights, all the while being able to hop off wherever you want and get back on the bus anytime during these 48 hours.

This allowed us to visit the Plaza de Toros, the ostentatious train station Estación del Norte, the Central Market, Valencia's silk exchange (Llotja de la Sed, 15th century) and even the very far-off Ciutat des les Arts i les Ciénces within a quite short time-frame.

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciénces

Speaking of which, if you do want to stretch out your stay in Valencia, still plan at least one entire day for this alien-looking complex.

The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciénces was designed by eccentric architect Santiago Calatrava, the same one that built the new World Trade Center metro station in New York and the Liège-Guillemins train station in Belgium that served as the main inspiration for a city in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

It comprises event halls, an art museum, an interactive and very didactic science museum and the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe. That latter has different buildings, each one representing another aquatic environment, including the Mediterranean, the wetlands, temperate and tropical seas, the Antarctic and the Arctic, islands and the Red Sea.

Definitely worth the detour, despite being located quite far away from the center. Hence the Hop-on-hop-off bus ticket.

Stop #6 - Around Girona

From Valencia it was time to head back up the country again since we wanted to finish our Catalonian road trip in the Pyrenees. 

Before heading into the mountains, though, there were a few spots left to visit on the coast-side. So we chose another very quiet little town called Fortià as a base to explore this region a bit more.

Our home for a few days was the most comfy and gloriously decorated little B&B called Can Bayre - Casa Rural.

Owned by talented designer and musician Cristina, her artistic personality reflects in the bright living room and the cute details such as homemade soaps and solid shampoos in the rooms (which are also for sale).

Breakfast is huge and she only serves fresh local produces. She seems to be very well connected here, even though she spends most of the week teaching music in Barcelona.

After a long drive of 4 to 5 hours from Valencia, the incredibly comfortable bed was very welcome.

Castelló d'Empúries

Superb little medieval town (11th century) that was one of the reasons we came to this area.

Overlooking the beautiful area, Castelló d'Empúries almost got extremely important due to the counts of Empúries, desiring to install the episcopal seat of Empordá in this little town, having an imposing basilica, Santa María, built on site to serve this purpose. Back then, these counts had almost as much influence as the ones from Barcelona and Girona...

Unfortunately, the honour was denied and now the church stands a bit out as the rest of the town didn't develop accordingly. 

Castelló d'Empúries is especially gorgeous when visited just before the sun sets: the majestic church gets a nice golden glow in the receding light.

Cadaqués

Driving up the sinuous road, while admiring impressive views along the way, one might wonder how people used to reach the very secluded town of Cadaqués.

Truth is, they only did it by sea. There was no road leading through the hills like today.

And this is why Cadaqués still has this particular village-character, all the while now attracting many tourists every year. Once you reach the top of the hill that leads to Cadaqués, don't hesitate to stop along the road (where it's allowed!) for a postcard-picture down on the medieval town, dominated by the church on top, with its whitewashed facades bearing pink bougainvillea flowers, cascading down to the sea.

Picasso, Dalí, Marcel Duchamp - all great artists that fell in love with the scenery and lived here at some point in their lives.

Must-do: a promenade called 'Camí de Ronda' (signs will lead you through) along the sea that follows the coastal-line to discover quiet little creeks and isolated islands, which can be extended towards the very windy Cap de Creus lighthouse (we did this by car) for a 8km / 5 mi hike.

Figueres

Though not very beautiful, Figueres is a must-stop if you are a Dalí-fan. But that's about it.

Except for the Teatro-museu Dalí, unmistakably designed and conceived by the artist himself, making it one of the most visited museums in the whole country, there is not much to see in Figueres as the town has suffered great destruction during the Spanish Civil War. 

If modern and surrealistic art is your thing, definitely plan this stop.

Off to the Spanish Pyrenees

From the Girona area, we headed up north towards the Spanish-French border, our goal for our next base-camp being Arsèguel.

The deeper we got into the Spanish Pyrenees, the more the villages got ostentatiously separatist and nationalistic: the marks of 'independent Catalonia' are everywhere, Castilian Spanish isn't spoken anymore and only understood when it's clear that you are a non-Spanish tourist.

The architecture changes completely and the food isn't comparable to the rest of Catalonia either. It was like driving into a whole new country.

Besalú

On the way to our next 'base-camp' for a few nights, we stopped in Besalú, a quaint little medieval village with a fortified bridge (puente romanìc) of the 11th century, greeting visitors at the entrance.

This market town holds numerous Roman vestiges that have been excavated and made accessible to the visitor, picturesque paved streets separating ancient buildings and even the only Jewish baths (Mikvé) still entirely preserved in Spain, earning the town a particular protection status.

Don't miss out on the Església Sant Pere (take pictures quickly before being told off in several languages by the guarding lady because you 'take too many of them'...), the antic hospital de Sant Juliá (where you can find clean public restrooms!) with an elegant romanesque facade from the 12th century and the old water mill molí d'en Subirós.

Sant Joan de les Abadesses

Again a very sleepy town  - at least that's the impression we had given that we visited during siesta-hours - Sant Joan de les Abadesses is another village that survived many centuries.

Its most interesting feature is probably the long bridge dating back to the 15th century with a single big arch that connects the village to the other riverside. 

In its center, try to visit the Monestir (they do a break between 2 pm and 4 pm which is why we didn't get to see it from the inside) that was founded in the 9th century and holds a rich collection of religious artefacts from different eras. 

Another lovely stop on the road without having to spend the night.

Ripoll

This might seem repetitive, but here again is a town that is worth seeing on the way but doesn't offer enough for a longer stay.

Unlike the previous ones, this town is very modern and the formerly economic importance it owes to the metal industry can be felt throughout.

The major highlight is the Santa María Monastery (founded in the 11th century, entrance fee of 5,50 € / 5,80 US $) that hides a monumental archway surrounding the portal that is considered a masterpiece of Catalan romanesque artistry.  

La Pobla de Lillet

"Okay, stop here. You've got to let me drive".

That was me telling Sebi because I felt that my stomach wasn't going to take it.

The deeper we went into the Spanish Pyrenees, the more I suffered thanks to endless winding roads, hairpin turn after hairpin turn. In order for me to continue enjoying the scenery, I had to take the wheel myself. Being prone to motion sickness and having forgotten my miraculous boarding glasses I use when out at sea, this was the only solution.

And I didn't mind, I love driving. It's just that during a road trip like this one in Catalonia, I prefered to be the passenger as I generally can't stop taking pictures and videos to catch everything. 

One of our stops after lots and lots of these bends was the remote town of La Pobla de Lillet. 

"Are you from Belgium?" a girl asked in Flemish after seeing us park our car. To be honest, I thought we were about to get told off for parking there, there was no specific sign saying it was allowed.

"I am", I said. That's when she replied "that's so cool! I used to live with my Flemish ex-husband in Belgium". She still spoke perfectly well Flemish, even though she had come back to her hometown, La Pobla de Lillet, several years ago. Naturally, in her eyes this was the most beautiful town in the whole region.

And thanks to her, we went up behind the town to a very special garden that we wouldn't have discovered otherwise: Els Jardins de Can Artigas. Special, because Antoní Gaudí himself (you know, the brilliant architect I admire so much) designed it.

Though it was closed when we arrived there, we could still catch a glimpse of the green oasis from above, before following the train tracks back down - literally driving on the tracks with the car.

Stop #7 - Arsèguel

It felt like stepping through a portal transporting us back to another time when we arrived in the tiny, 60-people hamlet of Arsèguel with its typically Pyrenean dark stone houses with heavy wooden frames.

Though it's so small, thanks to a very remote location on a hill surrounded by vast natural landscapes, it's still the 'Catalan capital of the accordion', hosting a big festival every year in July. There's also an old linen factory we didn't get to visit but which is supposed to be very diverting.

Where to stay

As we planned to do some hiking while in this mountainous region, we chose the Hotel rural Font del Genil as our base for a few nights. Definitely one of the most beautiful places to stay at in the region!

Font del Genil is a little boutique hotel in a renovated building from the 18th century, with modern materials but respecting the old essence. Every room has its own particular character (and name, we stayed in a room called 'Pont de la Tosca') and the views from the dining area are just insane!

"Do you need help with translation?", someone asked at the table beside us during the evening dinner.

Truth is, this too is a proud Catalan area which means that my Castilian wasn't always enough to get what was written on the exclusively Catalan menu. Plus: most of the dishes served here are so typical for this particular region called Cerdanya, that they are unknown anywhere else.

By luck, the lovely lady asking the question, after seeing our somewhat puzzled looks, was originally Cerdanyan but married to someone from Madrid - so she could easily explain what we were looking at.

Thanks to her, we got to taste very characteristic dishes like the delicious 'fondue sobrasada' or the exquisite 'trinxat'.

Perfect hiking area

The nature surrounding Arsèguel is perfect for hiking trips that aren't too difficult but still a bit of a challenge.

We chose a 16 km / 10 mi hike that first lead down to the Pont de la Tosca (remember the name of our room at the Font del Genil?) and then up a hill overlooking the village of Arsèguel, all the way to a village called Ansovell and back.

Finding the right way wasn't always easy, we had to rely on Sebi's app from time to time as the markings had disappeared.

For our way back, we didn't follow the official route as it would have led us back on parts of the track that we had already done. My Monk-head hates to do the same route twice. So we chose to come back via de main road.

This was quite tiring, though. Not because of the traffic - in 4 hours on that road we didn't spot a single car - but because it was very hot and there was hardly any shadow along the way. Still, we passed by a fairytale-looking ruin of a church with its graveyard which we would have missed otherwise.

There are obviously many more hiking trails in the area, just choose whichever suits you best but definitely try to do at least one to really soak in the Pyrenean nature.

Two days later, we left this quirky little town and drove up to the Mirador de la Trava at an altitude of 1480 m / 4855 ft to breathe in the pure air one last time before heading to our next stop: the Vall de Boí.

Stopover: La Seu d'Urgell

Before reaching the famous Vall de Boí, though, we had to stop in La Seu d'Urgell just because of the particular status of this city.

Having Carolingian origins, this town had always been of great importance through the Middle Ages and even remained an independent county for more than five centuries before the Aragonese took over in 1413.

But its particularity comes from the fact that the bishops of Urgell decided to have their seat (and palace!) here. More so: the bishop of Urgell is, together with the President of the French Republic, the effective ruler, or 'co-prince' of neighbouring Andorra.

That's something I admittedly didn't know AT ALL before visiting. I always thought of Andorra as having a duke like we do in Luxembourg or an independent prince like the one in Liechtenstein. 

Apart from a few impressive facades here and there, the massive Romanesque church and little remnants of old times such as a wheat scale or thick stone arches, La Seu d'Urgell didn't preserve much of that medieval charm, despite the rich history.

Stop #8 - The Vall de Boí

A tiny, quiet dell stretching over barely 20 km / 12.5 mi, the Vall de Boí is unique: it features the highest concentration of early Romanesque churches in all of Europe, all built between the 11th and 12th century; eight of them are even protected by the UNESCO.

The backstory is actually very interesting: the local Lords of Erill participated in the Spanish Reconquista, earning them not only verbal recognition, but also a nice little monetary treasure. Being quite pious, the Lords of Erill spent most of the money in building a church for every little hamlet in the valley. The grand total number of residents for all of them combined is barely 1000...

The churches themselves display the savoir-faire of Lombard architects and form a sort of connection thanks to the high bell-towers, which allowed the villages to communicate and thus better defend the valley back in the day.

Several still showed colourful original frescoes until a few years ago but they have almost all been transferred to various museums in Catalonia (amongst others to the MNAC in Barcelona) in order to protect them from further degradation.

Where to stay in the Vall de Boí

Because we had already heard of Boí as the center of attention due to the tourist office being located here and the village also being the starting point of several hikes through the National Park of Aigüestortes, we chose the much quieter Erill La Vall as our base.

Here, we rented a flat at Rosa's Sisquet Apartaments and it was the best decision. You have to know that because of my Ulcerative Colitis and the quite heavy treatments I get, I tend to quickly develop erysipelas, a skin rash that can be very dangerous if not treated quickly.

I got one while we were visiting the Vall de Boí and, even though they have 'heliports' to get to the far-away hospitals by helicopter near almost every town, I didn't know if I was going to get antibiotics quickly enough in this remote area.

I thought I'd just ask our host Rosa if she knew a doctor that could prescribe antibiotics while we're here so that we wouldn't have to leave the place earlier just to get to a city. 

That evening, at about 10 pm, someone knocked on the door. And it was Rosa - lovely, lovely Rosa! - who had gone around, asking neighbours if anyone could spare antibiotics they have left. She brought several boxes of different brands and I checked with my doctor and even got the right one!

That saved us much trouble of driving a few hours to get to the nearest hospital. And this is a perfect demonstration of the hospitality of Pyreneans - they have each other's back!

Besides her lovely personality, Rosa also takes very good care of her apartments and the one we had even had two balconies looking out onto the romantic bell-tower of the ancient Santa Eulália church. 

How to visit the Vall de Boí & what to see

Of the eight UNESCO churches (+ one hermitage), only seven are open for tourists. There are combined tickets where you can choose between three (7 € / 7,40 US $) or five (10 € / 10,60 US $ ) churches to visit.

Santa Maria de Taüll is free and you pay 5 € / 5,30 US $ for Sant Climent de Taüll because of the spectacular video projection of the old frescoes. 

Be sure to check the individual opening times because they vary from one church to the next. Some are open the whole day with a break in the middle, some only in the morning, others only in the afternoon.

You can either access every village and church by car or pay for a taxi to do the drives for you. But you could also choose the sporty version and do everything by foot.

And here's what you get to see:

Sant Climent - Taüll

Probably the most impressive one! Take its pictures from up the flower meadow so as to have the massive hill in the background - postcard-picture guaranteed!

Inside, there is a 'Video mapping' show every 15 minutes, displaying in a very spectacular and well-orchestrated way how the frescoes might have been painted.

Santa María - Taüll

Located in the same village as the previous one, Santa María is the only free church in the valley. It was consecrated on December 11th, 1123 - that's literally one day after the Sant Climent church! 

The frescoes here are copies, the originals having been transferred to Barcelona.

Santa Eulália - Erill La Vall

Located in the hamlet we also stayed in, the beautiful Santa Eulàlia church and its 6-stories bell-tower gives this typical and probably most charming village in the whole Vall de Boí a very particular cachet.

It's also here that you can witness the medieval burial tradition still practised today: the deceased are buried one above the other and the villagers themselves take turns at digging the graves.

Sant Felíu - Barruera

Barruera itself doesn't have much character, you only visit it to see the Sant Felíu church that does have a few interesting decorative elements and a nice view from up the bell-tower.

Sant Joan - Boí

Like I mentioned before, this is where most hiking-trails depart. It's quite busy compared to the other villages but the Sant Joan church is absolutely worth seeing because there are still parts of the original frescoes preserved on site.

Inside the church, you get a more Byzantine feel with depictions of fantastic animals painted in a very modernist fashion (like the 'lifan', an elephant with horns, and the 'carcoliti', a snail with paws). 

Don't miss the ancient graffitis on the outside-walls - they are original, even though they look like doodles scribbled by children.

Església de la Nativitat & Ermitage de Sant Quirc - Durro

Located on 1380 m / 4527 ft altitude, the 70-people town of Durro looks quite charming, if you ignore the modern residences upon entering. Despite being so small, the church of the Nativity is quite big, proportionally to the surrounding. 

But the most interesting sight is the Sant Quirc Hermitage up on the hill. You can either do the 1.5 km  / 9.3 mi by foot or you can be lazy (like us) and drive all the way up. The reward is a fantastic view on the valley with supposedly incredible sunsets (we didn't stay that long).

Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes & the Cavallers dam

If you need more hiking, Boí is also the departure point for several longer trips through the National Park Aigüestortes.

We settled for driving with our car all the way up to the Cavallers Reservoir and dam to soak in some last views from the valley and the gorgeous surrounding hills.

There is a little hike involved to get on top of the dam because it's not accessible by car but it is definitely worth it. 

We ended our visit of the Vall the Boí by having a cheeky beer along the (ice-cold) river at the foot of the dam, totally satisfied by our trip.

And this concludes our road trip in Catalonia!

The whole region offers a large variety in sceneries, history and food culture that is absolutely worth taking a few weeks at a time to explore it extensively.

I hope you had fun following along our trip and you are longing for more - there are several blogposts about each one of the stops separately in the making 🙂

Also don't hesitate to contact us with questions or remarks and please pin and share this post if you really liked it!

As ever

xx

Cyn

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