Cardona Parador (from Barcelona)
 

We will be in Barcelona for 9 nights in January, followed by three nights at the Parador in Cardona, and one more night in Barcelona before our flight departs at 11:35am.

Questions:
Is there enough to do for three nights in Cardona? We are late twenties, like relaxing, but don't want to "waste" any time if we should be doing something else. Is it possible to drive to Andorra from Cardona? Suggested routes? What to see? Other things to see in/around Cardona?
Or should we spend only 1-2 nights in Cardona and the remainder of our time at another Parador?

Please let me know if you have any past experiences or advice.
Gracies.
Liz

Liz,
3 days in Cardona might be too much, probably one night arrival and one more is enough.
The drive to Andorra can be done, you take road C26 to Solsona and then C-14 to Andorra, in normal conditions it should be about two hours, but you have to consider, January conditions, snow chance, or depending when you plan your trip in January , weekends or the 5/6 the road will be packed with skiers or people going shopping to Andorra out of the EU prices. If you don´t intend to go skiing or shopping I will avoid Andorra, and go to Puigcerda a very nice town in between spain and France.
you can check this on www.viamichelin.com
My suggestion will be Cardona-Solsona- Seo de Urgell, Stop for the Cathedral,
lunch in Puigcerda and then Vic through "La Collada de Toses", one of the must beatiful high mountain drives in the country. In Vic you have a very nice Parador. www.paradores.es
driving time in normal conditions 3/4 hours. Be prepared to change your plans as weather might not be willing to help.

Cardona is a small town (approx.6,500 people). Apart from the castle (where the parador is located) and the church, you can visit the salt mines.
I would say a day is enough.

You can drive to Andorra through Ripoll (beautiful abbaye), then La Seu d'Urgell and Andorra la Vieja.
Or through Ripoll, Puigcerda, cross the border and drive up the Puymorens Pass to Pas de las Casas

But since you wll be travelling in January, there will be a lot of snow and the Pass might be closed to traffic.

I would spend 1 or 2 nights in Cardona and move to another parador closer to Barcelona.

Thank you car and Pvoyageuse.
Do you think that Vic is a good parador to stay in, given it will be January? Most of the reviews I've read focus on the outdoor swimming pool and the views. If so, do you think 1 night Cardona and 2 nights Vic? The opposite? Or could we make it from Vic to BCN by 11:35am for our flight, and stay in each parador for 2 nights?
Any other paradors close to Barcelona, or other interesting accommodation, that you recommend?
We are comfortable driving in snow, but will check to see what's open before heading out to Andorra.
Thanks again.
Liz

I have never stayed at the Vic parador but the city in itself is interesting (Cathedral, Museum and market place.... Vic is know for its sausages !)

" If so, do you think 1 night Cardona and 2 nights Vic? The opposite?"
It depends at what time you'll be leaving Barcelona. If you leave in the morning, you have plenty of time to get to Cardona, spend the afternoon and the night at the Parador and drive to Vic the next morning for the next 2 nights.

"Or could we make it from Vic to BCN by 11:35am for our flight, and stay in each parador for 2 nights?"
I would not count on it considering that you'll have to check in at the airport by 10 at the latest.

"Any other paradors close to Barcelona, or other interesting accommodation, that you recommend?"
Yes, there is a very nice one in Aiguablava (Begur) on the Costa Brava.


We are comfortable driving in snow, but will check to see what's open before heading out to Andorra.

Make sure you have snow equipment (chains). They won't let you through if the weather is bad.


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Pvoyageuse
Yes, we will be departing early in the morning for our drive to Cardona. Do you know if the salt mine is closed 15 Dec - 15 Jan? If so, we will unfortunately miss it. Darn!
Thank you for your other comments. I am going to look more into the Vic and Aiguablava paradors, though the reviews don't seem as good as those of the Cardona parador, it would be nice to see two places.
Liz

We're doing a similar trip in April and from what I've read, yes 3 nights in Cardona would be too much for you (and us), though the parador looks amazing. We're including a day in Vic and two nights in the parador in Begur so that we can see the two of the Dali sites--the theatro in Figueres and Gala's palace in Pubol, as well as stopping in Girona.

Have a great trip and let us know all about it.

Here is the page of Cardona Salt Mine: www. [email protected]

I suggest you ask them directly for opening days/hours betwwen December and January.

We just stayed in the Cardona Parador for one night and it was lovely; great views and the church was very interesting too. Make sure you visit the Museum in Barcelona to see all the Romanesque paintings before visiting the churchs. IMO 3 nights is way too much; 1 night in Cardona or Seu d'urgell and then one night outside of Figueures (Mas Pau has an excellent setting and dinner) and the 3rd night in wine country.

thanks moxie!

The town of Vic is fascinating and has a number of indoor sites which are great if the weather is cold. Do not miss the museum there. I am sorry I was unable to stay in the beautiful Vic parador.

I would strongly recommend that you not attempt any driving in the Pyrenees in January. The weather in the Pyrenees is totally UNPREDICTABLE. Days that start out sunny can turn into blinding fog or blinding snowstorms. These roads are poor, very steep and ice can become a significant problem. The elevation is so high you are essentially driving through clouds. In winter, those clouds can be ice.

There is so much to enjoy at the lower elevations in Catalonia, whether it be historic cities, ruins, museums or fishing villages.

A great investment is the Rough Guide to the Costa Brava. It includes vivid descriptions of a lot of small towns in inner Catalonia as well as the coast. You can order it from Amazon. It will help you decided where to go.

I think Vic is a great choice.

Update... We decided to skip the Pyrenees/ Andorra this time.

Also we've decided to stay one night at the Cardona Parador and two nights at the Hotel Historic in Girona, taking side trips around the Costa Brava.

Thanks again for all of your help. I'll post a report when we return!

Also I bought the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide to the Costa Brava. They've been very helpful.
Thanks for the tip!