The stylish rural alternative

Candid, spontaneous, contradictory, sophisticated, the Catalonians have a long tradition of welcoming foreign visitors.

Rural Catalonia is a secret delight, offering wooded groves, volcanic curiosities, historical villages and the majestic Pyrenees.

Catalonia, in the north-eastern reaches of the Iberian Peninsula, where it rises to join France at the Pyrenees, is a region of proud and industrious people who make a distinction between themselves and the rest of Spain, upholding the sense of a separate identity expressed in their own Catalán language and culture. And yet the population is historically a blend of French, Italian and above all, Andalusian settlers from the Spanish south.

For a long age, this region reigned independently from the rest of Spain under the Crown of Aragon; its ships held sway in the Mediterranean laying the foundations of a rich trading kingdom that extended south to include Sicily and Sardinia. It opened its doors to commerce and to the people of neighbouring countries with whom they engaged in it.

Today, their “country within a country” receives some 12 million visitors a year, most of whom descend on the beaches of the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada, or the exciting European cultural capital of Barcelona.

Those who choose from the region’s beautiful countryside locations, especially in Girona province, have these within day-trip reach.

Girona province and town

The coastal provinces of Barcelona, Tarragona and Girona (the other being Lerida) enjoy a Mediterranean climate and cuisine, with seafood, rice dishes, good wines and “Catalonian cream” dessert being firm favourites.

Girona, in the far north, is the most varied of Catalonia’s provinces. It ranges inland from the sandy beaches and rocky coves of the “rugged coast” (Costa Brava), first to fertile plains and soon becoming more interesting, as rising hilly country brings you to the picturesque peaks and valleys of the Pyrenees.

This mild, green region of Girona is an excellent choice for those who want to have a genuine experience of rural Spain with beautiful mountain scenery and still be within reach of sunny seaside resorts (such as Cadaques, Saint Feliu de Guixols or Tossa de Mar) and the Catalonian capital of Barcelona.

Barcelona, more popular and “European” to tourists than Spanish Madrid, is near enough to its main rural attractions to be visited on excursions.

The lovely small city of Girona is worth a holiday in its own right. It has old stone buildings, cobbled streets and small squares, museums, a Gothic cathedral, a historic Jewish quarter and botanical gardens. It holds fairs, theatre festivals and musical events in addition to the obligatory fiestas. There are restored Arabic baths, a well preserved Roman wall and a long, peaceful promenade along the broad River Onyar.

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DETAILED MAP OF CATALUNYA, SPAIN 

La Garrotxa area

The county of La Garrotxa, also in Girona province, is quite gorgeous. Rolling wooded hills and unspoilt villages hide a curious surprise: volcanic cones – forty of them –, flows of basaltic lava and the Santa Margarida volcano. There is a famous beech wood rooted in this lava, known as Fageda d’en Jordà.

The more you explore La Garrotxa, the more you will discover. The Vall d'en Bas valley is spectacular, with little restaurants atop hills, ancient hamlets and great walks. In the same area you will find the magnificent Romanesque monastery of St Joan de les Abadesses and the extraordinary village of Besalú, designated a historical national heritage in 1966. As you enter across the Fluvía River over Besalú’s 12th Century Romanesque bridge, be prepared to go back in time…

Its population of two thousand lives among medieval buildings including St Pere Church, consecrated in 1003, an 11th Century mikva – Jewish baths used for ritual purification – and the remains of a synagogue dating back to the same period. Its most famous son, the Count of Besalú – a man who went by the name of

Girona, in whose environs are located many of the rural locations and very comfortable farmhouse holiday homes we offer, is easily and economically reached from the UK and elsewhere in Europe by low-cost airlines (to Girona-Costa Brava Airport, 12 km from the city), as well as being linked by motorway to the coast (30 minutes) and Barcelona (80 minutes).

The Catalonian Pyrenees are a natural and fabulous attraction. We suggest a visit to the Vall de Nuria, which can only be reached by a mountain train. The train passes through dramatic scenery to a high mountain area of outstanding natural beauty. In winter months it is a lovely little ski resort and in summer a great starting point for treks.

The Pyrenees are the most impressive but not the only mountains in Catalonia. Inland from the coastal hills to the north of Barcelona we find Montseny, which is both Natural Park and UNESCO biosphere reserve.

When we first visited this mountain range, its proximity to the sea led us to expect little more than a few dry hills with bushes and pine trees. The reality was quite different, for we found it to be thickly forested with a wonderful diversity of trees and flowers, watered by rivers and countless natural springs. There is an exquisite alpine feel to it. It is said that trekking in Spain was born in Montseny hundreds of years ago. Walking routes (signposted and normally circular) are terrific and not too strenuous. Don’t miss the peaks of Matagalls or Turó de l´Home for unforgettably exciting views.









Nearer Barcelona, Montserrat is a high “jagged mountain” of steep, striking pink rock, popular with climbers. On its summit – accessed more leisurely by road, the Montserrat rack railway or cable car – sits a Benedictine abbey.

Barcelona itself is one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities. It is a thriving centre for film and other arts. No visit would be complete without a stroll down the Ramblas and around the Gothic Quarter, while Gaudí’s extraordinary creation of the Sagrada Familia cathedral is one of the modern wonders of the world. Gastronomy at this city by the sea and elsewhere in Catalonia is also first class: local cuisine reflects the varied characteristics of the land and people, the Catalans having always put the mixed influences from other regions to simmer in their cooking pots.

In the Catalonians, you will meet a people marked out by their seny, or common sense, which embraces a culture in which good living is prized, delicatessens with hams, cheeses, duck and good wines being favoured over plain supermarkets.

In rural Catalonia, you will find quality accommodation in a hinterland steeped in history and grand in its visions of mountain and pasture, with the sea, its pretty fishing spots and isolated beaches never far away.

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