ML

Wld it be difficult to NOT drive in Catalonia? We are planning to go to the following places in September: Barcelona (4 days), Girona (2 days), Besalu (5 days),Cadaques (3 days) and days trips to Olot and Figueres. Does the distribution of time seem alright? Thanks in advance!

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Alec

From Barcelona, trains connect to Girona and Figueres. For other places you have to rely on buses. Cadaqués from Figueres. Besalu and Olot are served from Girona. Banyoles en route is also worth a look - its lake and medieval center with churches. Traditional market is held every Wed. I would stay longer in Olot, as it provides a better base for trips into the the Garrotxa region. One night in Besalu should be enough. There are fairly frequent bus services, about 8 a day weekdays, so it's doable without a car. Having said that, a car would be a definite advantage outside of Barcelona, as you can stop off at will. You should definitely drive along the spectacular Costa Brava coastline from Portbou on the French border through Llança, Roses, L'Escala, Begur, Callela de Palafrugell, San Feliu de Guixols to Tossa de Mar. A car would also be handy for trips into the Pyrennees. Car rental is very reasonable if booked in advance, and driving is generally easy. About Cadaqués - it's very pretty but its narrow lanes gets overrun with visitors even in September, and you should definitely book your accommodation in advance. Figueres, apart from the Dali Museum, doesn't merit much attention.

lynn

Hi ML <BR>I think that Alec has given some great ideas on places to see. We travel to this area frequently and found having a car the best way to get around. <BR>You'll love the places you've chosen. If you are looking to try a great Catalan restaurant in Girona try the one beside the Cafe Mozart in Place d'independencia. (I have misplaced the card I had from the restaurant but just ask at your hotel and they will be able to tell you the name of it...great food, late starting for dinner so be forewarned....9pm earliest) <BR>If you are going to Besalu and Olot take it a bit further and drive up to Ribes de Freser or Queralbs and take the cogwheel train from either of these up to Nuria. It's an old religious sanctuary which is still there but now has a hotel, campsite and mountains surrounding it. Great for a day or two walking. If you decide not to get a car you can take a train up to Ribes de Freser from Barcelona as well. <BR>We found that having a car was great for visiting the different market days in the towns. These are wonderful and a great way to see the locals out doing their own thing. <BR>Don't be afraid of the roads either, they are mostly well maintained and if you stick to the smaller ones they take in some great scenery. Try the drive from St Feliu de Guixols to Tossa de Mar (or visa versa) for a wonderful coastal hugging drive. <BR>Enjoy your trip. <BR>Lynn

Maribel

ML, <BR>Without a car to explore Catalonia, you'll need to depend on the bus system to transport you to two of the places where you've chosen to stay. Trains don't run to Cadaques and Besalu. The TEISA bus (8? daily, 4? on Sun.) runs from Figueres to Beasalu then on to Olot. From Girona to Cadaques, SARFA runs busses (5? daily) to Cadaques, and the trip takes 50 min. <BR>Both busses and trains will take you from Barcelona to Girona to Figueres. <BR>About the time distribution: <BR>5 days in Besalu seems far, far too much, particularly without a car. Although charming, medieval Besalu is quite small (pop. 2,000) with very limited lodging options and can quite easily be seen on a day trip from Figueres. We used Figueres instead as our base in that section of the Alt Emporda (3 days) and found it to be perfectly situated. Although Figueres itself is a ho-hum, inland market town, it does have the famous or infamous Teatre Museu Dali, some nightlife, the Ramblas, truly wonderful restaurants (Duran, Mas Pau, Hotel Emporda), nice country manor house type hotels, such as the Mas Pau, where we stayed, and the new Mas Falgarona, on the western outskirts. Figueres is extremely well located for forays to the beautiful medieval villages that shouldn't be missed: Besalu, Santa Pau in the extinct volancic park of La Garrotxa, and Rupit (perfect-gorgeous!) to the west. But a trip to the latter two would probably require a car. With a car, from Figueres you could even venture further west to the lovely Cerdanya area of Catalonia, in the foothills of the Pyrennes. The mountain town of Camprodon is quite atmospheric, and it has two lovely family run hotels, the Edelweiss and the Guell where you could spend a couple of nights so as to take that little green zipper train (tren cremallera)-a spectacular ride-from charming little Queralbs to the sanctuary of the Virgen of Nuria. This was our most memorable excursion in our entire month in Catalonia. <BR>Camprodon is lively (and cool), and in the 19th c. was a fashionable summer retreat for wealthy Barcelona families. You could reach Camprodon on a TEISA bus from the rather shabby, ramshackle town of Ripoll (but the Romanesque portal and clauster of the Monestir de Santa Maria are magnificent). <BR>From Figueres (or from Cadaques), with a car you could also make a trip up to French Catalonia's prettiest seaside village, the artists' haven of Collioure on the Cote Vermeille, with beautiful light, pretty pastel homes with red tile roofs. This is where Fauvism began, where Duffy, Braque and Matisse painted. You might (?) be able to do the Figueres-Collioure trip by train connecting through Port Bou. <BR>I wouldn't spend 3 full days in Cadaques without a car. While I'm glad that we did visit, as it seemed to us an interesting, brightly whitewashed, offbeat, bohemian type of arts colony which looks more like a Greek island village (with a very pebbly grey "beach") than a typical Catalan town. It doesn't have an Alt Emporda, true Catalonian village feel to it at all. And despite its isolation and the very serpentine, tortuous road leading to it, it is not "undiscovered". When we visited in July it was extremely crowded with tourists, mostly Europeans. The pop. swells from 2,000 to 20,000 during July/Aug. Dali's home, which you can visit, at nearby Port Lligat, has definitely put Cadaques on the tourist circuit. After a half day of gallery hopping and a leisurely lunch, we chose not to linger. We personally much preferred to spend our time across the border in prettier, more elegant Collioure, which, despite the heavy crowds, we found to be the "real thing".

Maribel

ML, <BR>Me again- <BR>Here's how I would distribute 14 days in Eastern Catalonia. <BR>Barcelona-5 days <BR>(for day train trips to Sitges beach, Cordorniu sparking wine tasting at Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, Montserrat and Roman ruins of Tarragona) <BR>Girona-2 days <BR>Costa Brava resort-3 days <BR>either the Mas Torrent near Pals (deluxe), the Hostal de la Gavina at S'Agaro (deluxe), the Hotel Aiguablava near Begur (moderate) or even further down at the Gran Hotel Reymar (full fledged resort) or little Diana in Tossa (but we find the northern stretch around Begur less touristy and congested, more tranquil but have never been here in Sept). <BR>Ask the resort to arrange transp. for you from Girona; they should all offer day trips-such as to the charming coves of Aiguafreda, Sa Tuna, Sa Riera, Calella de Palafruguell, or Llafranc, the Greek/Roman settlement of Empuries, the Iberian ruins at Ullstreet, the fortified medieval villages of Pals and Peratallada. <BR>Figueres-4 days <BR>(to take those day trips by bus to Besalu, Olot, Monestir de Ripoll, Santa Pau and the Garrotxa, Cadaques, even up to Collioure) <BR> <BR>This is doable sans car, but to get the full flavor of Catalonia and to see much more in your two week stay, I would urge you to consider renting a car. The driving for us was quite easy, the signage good, and it gave us the freedom to move on quickly when something didn't interest us rather than to be a prisoner of the bus/train schedules and the ability to see some really spectacular, off the beaten toursit path sights, such as amazing little villages tucked up in the mountains in the Cerdanya and to explore the still unspoilt coves or "calas" of the Northern Costa Brava. <BR>You've received great advice from Lynn and Alec.

Geraldine

I am also planning a trip to Catalonia. We have 7 nights, and we are spending 3 in Barcelona. We have already decided to spend a night each in Girona, Cadaques and Tossa del Mar but are stuck on a fourth. We are trying to choose from a mountain village, but the travel books make them all sound great. Anyone have preferences between the Puigcerda area and Camprodan? I would appreciate any advice. Oh, and we are renting a car. Good deal from Kemwel.

Maribel

Geraldine, <BR>That's a difficult choice in beautiful Cerdanya! I love them both. For the Puigcerda area, I would use either the Torre del Remei in Bolvir de Cerdanya or the really lovely (and better value) Hotel El Castell outside of Seu. Both are members of Relais Chateaux, but the views are prettier from El Castell, I think. The food is tremendous at both. I would certainly not chose the Parador in Seu, as it's quite ordinary-a disappointment in need of a new interior decorator. I also wouldn't stay in Puigcerda itself, because it's a frontier town that doesn't have an over abundance of atmosphere. The villages of Prullans and Lles are cute, and there's truly fine eating at the quaint, atmospheric Can Borrell in Meranges (found it in Karen Brown's and Penelope Casa's guides) We stayed there for a night; our large room was simply furnished but so incredibly tranquil and the d.room served really creative Catalan cuisine. If you're golfers, there's plenty of good golf in the Puigcerda area. <BR>In Camprodon I'd stay at the Edelweiss or the Hotel Guell, both family run, friendly and comfy or the pretty Hotel Grevol in nearby Llanars, on the way to Setcases, which is a popular skiing destination, along with La Molina. And from Camprodon, I'd make an excursion to the mountain village of Mollo and continue on, if you're very adventurous drivers, on a 1-sometimes 1.5 lane road, to the delightful and isolated tiny medieval town of Beget, a real charmer! The drive is a challenge-it's nestled deep in a valley- but very worth the effort. Beget looks like it hadn't changed in centuries. Picture postcard perfect with a river running throught it. Also from Camprodon you would be closer to Queralbs (or Ribes de Fresner) where a trip on the zipper train up to Nuria is just unforgettable. We even wished we had planned to spend the night up at the hotel in Nuria and had planned to walk back down to Queralbs. <BR>Hope that gives you some ideas.

ML

Thank you,everyone, for your advice. Will come back again for more advice on my revamped itinerary!

ML

Hi all, we have 'redone' our holiday plans and this includes the dates as well. We have to push the date forward to August because of conflicting schedules. Anyway, this is it: <BR> <BR>Barcelona (4 days, Continental hotel) - side trips to Montserrat and Cordiniu wine visit. <BR>Nuria (2 days, Hotel Vall de Nuria) - side visit to Queralbs. <BR>Camprodon (2 days, Edelweiss) - visit town of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. <BR>Santa Pau (2 days, Cal Sastre) Volcanic Park of La Garrotxa, Rupit <BR>Besalu (2 days, Fonda Siques) - Castellfollit de la Roca & Banyoles lakes area <BR>Girona (2 days, Residencia Bellmirall) - Pals, Pertallada, Calella de Palafruell, Llafranc. <BR> <BR>What do you think? Is August a bad time? Wld it be too hot and crowded, like the rest of Europe? Are the hotels we've chosen o.k., or do you have any other suggestions, esp. in Barcelona. Also, are there any good restaurants in Barcelona which you cld recommend?

lynn

Hi ML: <BR>Sounds like a great trip. You'll love it. When you are in contact with the hotel in Vall de Nuria ask for a corner room with a turret. We lucked out last year and got one (room 215 I think...there are only a few in the entire hotel. They have little turrets off the bedroom that you can step up into and get an amazing panoramic view of the mountains. Make sure you pick up at map in the little store to plan your hikes. We caught a very early train up and we were almost the only ones on board so we could wander and take pictures out the window as we travelled in La Cremallera higher into the mountains. I'm sure you will love the place. <BR>Just one point. When we left Tossa de Mar in the morning it was very warm (about 30Celsius,) when we got to Nuria it was about 17Celsius and raining. Make sure you take some rain gear and have some extra clothing to put on until your room is ready. They have a storage room for luggage in the hotel so not to worry about getting there too early. We did a short hike and explored the hotel before our room was ready. <BR>Have fun! <BR>Regards, <BR>Lynn

Jean Valjean

Sounds like a great trip! I would just suggest that you don't miss Poblet or Santas Creus. These are two very imposing monasteries that are built amongst vineyards. They are frequently overlooked, and having been at both of these, as well as Monserrat and Codorniu, I would rather go again to Poblet.

li

We were in Barcelona the first week of April. It is an incredible city and there is so much to do. We were there for a week and I had planned to do some say trips, but there was so much to see in Barcelona that we only did one day trip to Figueres and Girona. Before our trip I posted a question about driving to Costa Brava/Girona/Figueres. I got a lot of helpful advice from a few Fodorites who encourage us to rent a car. (Lynn was especially helpful.) We did not rent a car and I regret it. We got a driver to take us around, but next time we will rent our own car. The driving is easy and there are plenty of signs.

ML

Hi li, how much did you pay for the driver to take you around? We will not be renting car and wld like to take buses or taxis. Are taxis readily available? <BR> <BR>I'm also having some difficulties with my accomodations: <BR> <BR>1) At Edelweiss, we got a recorded voice message on the telephone. Unfortunately, we don't understand what the lady is saying. We also tried emailing but haven't yet received a reply from them. <BR> <BR>2)At Fonda Siques, they require us to book a minimum of 5 nights, while we intend to stay for 2 only. Any other suggestions for Besalu? <BR> <BR>3) At Cal Sastre, they are also unable to accomodate our 2 nights stay. Do they have a similar policy as Fonda Siques? Any other recommendation for Santa Pau? <BR> <BR>Thanks again for yr support!

Maribel

ML, <BR>If the Edelweiss in Camprodon doesn't come through for you, please try the nice family run Hotel Guell, in the center of town on the Placa d'Espanya. We've stayed with them-they get a large, loyal repeat Catalan clientele in the summer (but finding a rm in Aug. may be problematic), it's comfy, old fashioned "homey", well maintained and very reasonably priced. <BR>I'm surprised that Fonda Siques has a 5 night minimun; it seems unusal in such a small town, but I suspect the 5 night min is only applicable in late July/Aug. (?)There are 2 other small lodgings in Besalu, the Residencia Maria (972 590106)and the Fonda Venencia (972 591257), but we haven't stayed at either so can't give you a personal rec, but they're very modestly priced. <BR>About Santa Pau: I only know the Cal Sastre, which we thought was quaint(but didn't know they had such a minimun stay either). Later on at home I'll look in my agrotourist accomodation books and see if I can find a nice "casa rural" for you in or around Santa Pau in the La Garrotxa region (but it might require a car/driver) and post later. <BR>I'd like to second Jean Valjean's rec. of the Monestir de Poblet-really worth a visit if you have the time and can reach it by public transportation, and yes, more worthy than the train trip to the cava bodegas at Sant Sadurni d'Anoia.

Maribel

ML, <BR>Forgot- <BR>You can see the Hotel Guell (Camprodon) at <BR>http://www.elripolles.com/hot/guell.htm <BR>Also their email: [email protected] <BR>

Maribel

ML, <BR> I searched for an agrotourist house for you as an alternative to the Cal Sastre in Santa Pau, but the two I found are both in the Garrotxa park, not in the town itself, and would require a car. Since Santa Pau and Besalu are only about 30 km apart and Santa Pau, I believe, only has two scheduled buses per day, which would limit your touring options, would you consider staying instead in Olot and make your excursions to S.P (only 9 km away-a nice hike!)., Besalu and Rupit from there? The reason I mention this is that Olot is the capital of the Garrotxa region, is much larger (30,000) and has more frequent bus service (to Banyoles, Besalu, Camprodon, Figueres, St. Joan, Ripoll, Girona, etc), and may not be so overrun with tourists in Aug. It's a typical Catalan town with art galleries and a lively rambla, and you can take several nice hikes from here into the Garrotxa. <BR>See http://www.agtat.es/eng/index.asp <BR>You could try the Perla d'Olot ([email protected]) or the Borrell ([email protected]) <BR>Just a thought since the Fonda Siques and Cal Sastre won't take reserv. for just 2 days. <BR>And have you considered adding a day at the Bellmiral (nice choice!) in Girona (3 days there, 3 in the area around Olot) so that you can make all your Costa Brava excursions by bus during a very crowded time? The area of Calella, Llafranc, Aiguablava will be packed in Aug. as will Tossa. Two nights seems a tiny bit tight there to hit all the wonderful places in that area. Just another thought... <BR>You have really great destinations on for your trip. I think you'll love what you see, and I'm envious of your 2 nights in Nuria! Wish I were taking this trip myself. (Thanks, Lynn for the tip on rm 215!) <BR>ML: I hope things fall quickly into place for you and that you have a fabulous time!

ML

Hi all, I'm back from my Catalunya trip! My husband and I agree that this is our most successful and enjoyable holiday so far. Thanks for all the advice! <BR> <BR>We changed our travel schedule slightly from our original plan. We ended up spending 3 nights in Barcelona, 2 nights in Nuria, 2 nights in Camprodon, 1 night in Setcases, 4 nights in Santa Pau and 2 nights in Sitges. <BR> <BR>3 nights in Barcelona was a bit rushed for us, I wished I had taken Maribel's advice and stayed 5 days. We didn't think there wld be much to see in a city, but we were so obviously wrong. We stayed in Hotel Colon which was very convenient for strolls around the Barric Gotic and the hotel service was also impeccable. <BR> <BR>Our most memorable event of the trip has to be the Nuria stay and esp. the walk from Nuria to Querabls. Altho' it shd have taken us 2 1/2 hrs to complete the walk, we were so captivated by the surroundings that we took 5 hrs instead!We still have evidence of that hike, both of us are sunburnt to crisps! Lynn, we managed to get Room 215, with the turret!! Thanks again for that useful tip! <BR> <BR>Camprodon was a bit of a disappointment, not the town per se, but more because there was a lack of walks available. We started on a couple but had to turn back because the local property owners had put up electric fences to stop walkers like us from trespassing their fields. Our day at Setcases was more sucessful. We managed 2 walks and one led us to a very beautiful waterfall. <BR> <BR>Altho' we had booked at an Olot hotel for 3 nights, we did a quick roundabout turn when we saw the town on a Sunday afternoon. No offence meant to Olot, but after Nuria and Valle de Camprodon, we cldn't see ourselves staying in Olot for 3 nights. We told the taxi driver to pls take us to Santa Pau, even tho' we didn't have any hotel reservations there. This was the biggest gamble we took, because as you recall we cldn't get a room with Cal Sastre, and boy were we glad we went with our gut feeling. Santa Pau and Cal Sastre are our favourite places of the trip. During the stay in SP, we also managed an afternoon trip to Besalu (we didn't expect it to be so much bigger than SP!). <BR> <BR>We had already decided we wld spend the last 2 days in Catalunya by winding down by the sea. We decided on Sitges because of the short commute time to Barcelona where we wld have to return to collect our suitcase from Colon and then fly from El Prat airport. The resort was an eye-opener; in the evenings the ratio of gay-couples to heterosexual-couples were 7:3! Amazing! It was a good place to wind down and we didn't have to rush or check out early just to catch our flights. We also managed to get a roof-top room which had a jarcuzzi and a bird's eyeview of the parish church and the beach for just 32,000 pesetas! <BR> <BR>By the way, travelling without a car wasn't a problem for us because we found if we knew where we wanted to go, we cld call for a taxi very easily and the fares were quite reasonable as well. Having said that, as all of you had advised, having a car wld definitely be less restrictive. For eg. in Valle de Camprodon, Maribel recommended a few villages, but we didn't have the time to visit them all and look for routes to walk at the same time! What a pity.... <BR> <BR>Once again, thanks for yr advice. Hope to get the same good advice whne I plan my next Spanish trip to Andalucia.

MM

I hope you had the courtesy to phone the hotel in Olot and cancel your booking. There have been several posts by americans annoyed that their booked rooms were unilaterally cancelled by the hotels. But if its normal to book then not turn up if when you get there you dont like it ............

ML

Oh yes, we even took the keys from them to take a look at the room they reserved for us.