Girona / Gerona : 3 day trips

Route 1 Costa Brava Calas La Bisbal d’Emporda a Palafrugel

From Gerona or the A7 take the C-66 to La Bisbal d’Emporda, a large central town of the region, famous for its ceramics. It has a museum and many pottery shops and is worth a stop if you are interested in the local ceramics. If not, carry on along the C-66 for 6 km until you reach the junction which leads to Pals and follow signs to the medieval city of Pals and carry on up to the old quarter. This beautiful town, steeped in history, is our first stop. It is usually peaceful, but comes to life on Tuesdays with an open market. A day out can almost be spent in Pals alone, as it boasts two golf courses and a big, long beach only 5 km away.
Leaving Pals by the same road, we follow the signs to Begur (6km) where we turn left and descend the winding cliff road for our first views of the sea at the tiny fishing village of Aiguafreda. This is an ideal place to stop and enjoy an aperitivo or morning coffee with a view of the Medas Islands on the horizon.
Once again we retrace our steps and pass through Begur to take the spectacular cliff road that runs along the top of the Costa Brava cliffs all the way to Tamariu. And spectacular it is! Fortunately for the driver, there are many stopping places as the winding road does not allow you to take your eyes off the road. There are many small coves, beaches and fishing towns to stop at along the way for lunch, a swim or a sunbathe, depending on the time of day. Highly recommended is the Parador in Aiguablava with its sunny south facing bar built on the dramatic cliffs.

To round off a busy day, as late afternoon approaches, we visit the highest spot on this point of the Costa Brava: the San Sebastiá lighthouse at Calellá de Palafruguel. Also the oldest on this coast, it was built as a watch tower in the XV century and is now a 4 star hotel and offers a luxurious afternoon tea. Be sure to take some photographs looking back at the dramatic coastline, before heading for home and a well earned rest!

Return journey: follow the C-66 to Palafrugel and Gerona.
Time taken: Approx 4 hours driving time and 4 hours for stops.

Route 2 Alt Empordà Cadaqués Pyrenees mediteraneos

The Alt Empordà is where the Pyrenees meet the sea, jutting out into the Mediterranean to form the rocky coves around Cap de Creus, the most easterly point of the Iberian peninsula. Enjoy a day trip in the Parc Natural del Cap de Creus taking in cliff top walks, crystal waters and picturesque fishing ports, or steep yourself in the art heritage of Dalí, Matisse and Picasso.

The first stop on this “artists’ tour” is the Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres, less than half an hour to the north of Girona on the A7 or the NII. You don’t need an early start however, as the museum doesn’t open until 10.30, unless you decide to have breakfast in Figueres beforehand. If you plan to visit Dalí’s house in Portlligat, near Cadaqués, however, you will need to keep an eye on your watch as the visits usually need to be pre-booked - full details at www.salvador-dali.org .

Allow a couple of hours for a leisurely drive to Cadaqués, along the C260 almost to Roses then branching off to the left and up the narrow and winding minor road that leads over the Serra de Rodes. If you end up on the N260 (to Llancà) by mistake, you can always come off at the Garriguella- Vilajuïga crossroads and approach Roses that way. (Roses itself is very much a summer destination, with a beautiful wide bay, promenade and sandy beach.) Roads like these are at their best in the quieter months, as you will want frequent photo-stops to try and capture the magnificence of the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees to the west and the sparkling blue of the Mediterranean around you.

Cadaqués lives up to its reputation as a picturesque, artists’ haven and after a late lunch in the village itself or in the Cap de Creus lighthouse restaurant a short drive away (except November: www.cbrava.com/restcapc.uk.htm ), you can set off for an exhilarating headland walk – except on days when the tramuntana winds exceed 100 km / hour, in which case you would be better choosing a different day trip altogether!

The only way out of Cadaqués is the way you came in, but it is well worth returning via the north coast, dropping down into Port de la Selva, which despite being a working fishing port has lost none of its village charm, with white houses curling almost full circle around the bay. From Port de la Selva you can follow the scenic coast road to Llancà, a pleasant port, and then head back to Figueres and Girona via the N260. An alternative is to take the road up to the historic Sant Pere de Rodes monastery, one of the most important buildings dating from the Catalan Roman period, and from where you can look back on the day’s exertions. You can then pick up the N260 at Vilajuïga.

Route 3 El Ripolles – Tren cremallera – Central Pyrenees catalanes

A day trip by car and train to Vall de Núria via Ripoll and Ribes de Freser

The joy of the Vall de Núria is not only the train journey to get there, which is the most exciting ride outside of Port Aventura, but the fact that the valley is not accessible by road – the only vehicle you’ll bump into here is the occasional snowmobile.

From Girona, head to Ripoll, a colourful, bustling town at the junction of the rivers Ter and Freser, by one of three equally scenic routes; the new C25 to Vic and then north on the C17, or take the C66 to Olot and then either over the N260 or along the C26 through the Collabos tunnel. The Ripollès is one of the most beautifully forested valleys of the Pyrenees, beautiful in any season and particularly so in the autumn when it turns every shade of red and gold.

After a warming coffee and cake and a look at the modernist architecture or the Saturday market in Ripoll, follow the river and the N152 north to Ribes de Freser, which is about 13 km away. Here the road comes up sharp against a wall of mountain, leaving you the option of turning east over the Serra de Cadí (and Andorra beyond) or leaving your car and taking the “cremallera” (literally “zip”), or rack-and-pinion railway, up to Vall de Núria. Park in the station car park (Ribes-Vila, rather than the connecting station to the main Renfe line, Ribes-Enllaç) and check the next departure time. The journey takes about 40 minutes but the frequency changes depending on the day and time of year. At almost 1000 metres, Ribes is liable to be chilly - time for another coffee. Unless you are faint-hearted, you will need to sit on the right-hand side, camera in hand, for the train’s vertiginous 1000 metre ascent. At Queralbs, the train switches with a jolt onto the rack and climbs at frightening angles, seemingly through mid-air, up a sheer cliff face and over the lip into Núria. Vall de Núria is a breathtaking basin-shaped valley, encircled by 3000 metre peaks and boasting a lake, ski resort and a rather austere looking monastery. If organised activities are your thing, depending on the time of year, you could work up an appetite building an igloo, cross-country skiing or sledging. Alternatively follow one of the numerous graded walks around the lakeside and surrounding mountain slopes. Don’t forget your winter woollies!

Return journey: back to Ripoll and follow one of the alternative routes to Girona.
Time taken: About 2 hours each way, plus stops, minimum an hour at Núria.
Note: Vall de Núria closes from mid October until Dec 1st in preparation for the skiing season.