Viator Viator Travel Blog

Editor’s note: Despite being somebody who “doesn’t do tours,” Jodi surprised herself by having a great time on a day trip to the Pyrenees from Barcelona. “It’s a great way to get out of the city, with everything arranged for you. There is no stress and plenty of time for independent exploration or lazing about.” Thanks Jodi, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves…

I decided to sign up for a day trip into the Pyrenees with a new company operating in Barcelona, whose philosophy is to take small groups to some of the best places in the countryside, and let you choose your own sights and adventures within their framework.

The market in Vic

It was a little like being shown around by your best friend’s friend, who looks after you and is well informed but doesn’t shower you with facts. Rather, the information comes out during conversation, and so the tour is tailored to the interests of the people on it.

The groups are small, around 6 people, and there is plenty of time for sightseeing at your leisure. The group was relaxed and friendly, it’s easy to do on your own, and there’s no being shepherded around monuments and castles by a tour leader with a megaphone. Think ‘traveller’ more than ‘tourist’.

The guide takes you to the first point of interest, hands you a map and outlines a few salient features of the place, things you might like to see, and where to meet in a few hours.

We arrive in Vic

On the drive out of Barcelona to our first stop, the charming town of Vic (third or fourth largest in Catalonia), we discussed all manner of historical and cultural events in the area. The textile industry had certainly left its mark, with abandoned stone factories scattered over the hills, some had an entire village, school and church for the workers. Oddly juxtaposed with the mushrooming apartment blocks that fill every available space in the outskirts of just about any town in the world.

One of our group asked about the Catalan language, sparking a lively discussion about cultural identity and politics, across the border in the French Pyrenees the local language has all been dominated by French, whereas Spain has four official languages. Our guide’s passionate response to this issue was inspiring, as was his knowledge of various fields and areas of interest.

Our guide tells us to “get lost”

Sculpture in Vic

The day unfolds at an easy pace, with plenty of room to do your own thing. The guide told us all to ‘get lost’ at one point – in the nicest possible way – reminding me that sometimes the best way to experience a place is to have no idea where you are.

This low-key approach works well for me, it lets you engage as much or as little as you like, and there is no pressure to hurry on to the next place, or loitering around somewhere you have no interest in. (And I’m not alone — read what other travellers have to say about this Pyrenees day trip.)

Once we arrive in Vic, our guide walks us to the marketplace to give a brief introduction to the area, hands out maps, and then leads us willingly to the best bakery in town. If you do this tour, take his advice and buy something for lunch here, as the other food options up in the Pyrenees are expensive and involve lots of queuing. The local specialty is a concoction of light pastry with almond and orange cream, delicious!

Strolling through the medieval twisty streets, another cathedral looms out of the square. This one has a surprising interior, the paintings are by a contemporary of Dali and I won’t describe any detail, just make sure you stop there if you do visit. “Another pile of old rocks,” laughs my companion, as we find ourselves in front of a Roman temple, hidden inside the courtyard of a palace for a few hundred years it is remarkably undamaged, except for a few pockmarks on the pillars, hard to tell if they are from civil war or the ravages of time.

Eschewing the street of small goods and meat delicacies, we take a turn around the market, which has the usual array of ultra-cheap fashion knock-offs, a few interesting craft stands, baubles, shoes and plants. The outfit I bought was fun at the time, but not really something to lug home if your suitcase is already packed with shopping.

Next Stop: Queralbs

Now we drive on into the hills, along increasingly winding narrow roads as the climb into the Pyrenees begins. There is a fantastic story here about one of the heroes from the 870s and the First Count of Barcelona, Wilfred the Hairy. He was responsible for leading the fight to win back much of the country from the Moorish invaders, and many of his descendants seem to be still living in the area.

Queralbs, in the Pyrenees

The next stop is Queralbs, a gorgeous stone village high in the mountains. It is in fact the last settlement accessible by car, and we then climb aboard the 1930’s-built rack railway that ascends the final 800m in a steep route through dramatic peaks and walking tracks. This is an absolute highlight, the thrill of an incredible landscape mixed with a sense of sheer terror at the vertical inclines alongside us, dropping away to canyons and sheer cliffs.

At the top is one of the most bizarre architectural blights I have ever seen on a landscape. It’s a strange amalgam of summer camp, monastery, cathedral and tourist park. My advice would be to avoid the organized activities – horse riding, archery, an igloo, water slide – and opt instead for walking into the hills. Probably if you have kids it’s a great place to bring them, but my only inclination was to get as far away from all those people as possible.

The cable car up to the next peak looked fun, but again the queues kept me away, and there was a momentary plan to go canoeing on the lake, which was quickly abandoned. Eventually we found a quiet spot along the water for our picnic, and enjoyed the spectacular scenery and a gentle walk into the hills. You can opt for a more strenuous hike, or even walk back down along the route of the railway, but wear sensible shoes and bring warm clothes, as it can snow up here in spring and the weather is very changeable. This would have been an amazing place to visit before the architecture took over, but is still well worth the trip for a glimpse of one of the world’s most famous mountain ranges.

There’s a story about the cathedral which may interest couples trying to get pregnant – but if you want to avoid such a thing, don’t stick your head in the bell! On the way back down you have time to stop in Queralbs and visit the Virgin in her simple 10th-century stone church, apparently built by fairies and witches, with some beautiful murals painted onto the stone above the altar.

–Jodi Rose