The Heart of Catalonia

Catalonia’s hinterland has a lot to offer: spectacular nature scenery with amazing views onto characteristic landscape with its mountain ranges, in parts softly rolling and then in other parts wild and rugged all the way to the coast with the Pyrenees as a backdrop. En route you experience the culture of the region, which has been populated since time immemorial, not only in terms of Romanesque hemitages or characteristic farmhouses, but also in terms of impressive churches and monasteries. Just like the renowned Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery with its wonderful location and home of the Black Madonna, which attracts numerous pilgrims every year. There are not only well-known national parks and famous buildings to be discovered but also Catalan cuisine which will delight you with all kinds of local specialities such as wine and cheese from Montserrat.

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Details on hiking in the Heart of Catalonia

Starting from Montseny, the route takes you to the Aiguafreda National Park situated on the first hiking stage. Here you can expect impressive distant views of the Pyrenees. You can also look forward to great panoramas on the next day of your hiking holiday: from the rocky cliffs of the Cingles de Bertí you can see far beyond the picturesque scenery to the waterfalls and historical sites. After a good night’s sleep in Sant Feliu, you will hike on particularly quiet hiking paths through pine forests and corn fields to Sant Llorenç Savall. On the next day’s stage to the historic village of Mura, two of the most impressive peaks of this hiking tour await you: La Mola and El Montcau. Continue through the Sant Llorenç National Park to Rellinars and finally with fantastic views of the Catalonian hinterland to the Montserrat mountains, where you can visit the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat.

Highlights of the hiking holiday in the Heart of Catalonia

• Enjoying nature in the Montseny National Park: Right at the beginning of your hiking holiday, you will experience the fantastic nature and wonderful hiking trails in the Montseny National Park. The entire area of 301.2 square kilometres has been designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.
• Medieval flair in Mura: On day 5 of your hiking holiday you will spend the night in the small village of Mura, which with a population of only 224 is situated in the middle of the mountainous landscape of the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Nature Park. Numerous houses and alleys still convey the flair of the Middle Ages.
• Visit to the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat: The final stage of your eight-day hiking holiday is set in the Montserrat mountains. Here you have the opportunity to visit the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat, which is considered an important centre of Catalan art and is of particularly high symbolic importance for the Catholic Church. The monastery is now home to a total of 80 monks.

Things to know about the hiking holiday in the Heart of Catalonia

This hiking holiday is assigned our level of hiking ‘Mountain Hiking’. The route guides you on nice paths through the hilly area, as well as over mountain- and hilly landscapes. We recommend a good fitness level for this hiking holiday. The daily walking times are between 3 and 6.5 hours. You will stay in beautiful, local hotels, as well as country houses and inns.

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