Walking in Catalonia
- Smugglers' paths along the cliffs with spectacular views to the Pyrenees
- Gentle coast and beach walking passing secluded coves
- Nature reserves - a wetland profusion of birds and animals
- Greek and Roman ruins
- Outstanding Catalan cuisine and local wines
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Girona or Figueres & transfer to L'EscalaA transfer from Figueres Vilafant train station is included. We can also collect you from Girona airport and take you to your first nights' accommodation. You will have a welcome meeting with our local partner in Spain who will give you the route notes and maps and make sure to answer any last-minute questions you have.
This family-run hotel sits on L'Escala's seafront, offering superb views over the Gulf of Roses. All rooms feature en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, satellite TV and balcony. The hotel is just a short walk from the centre of L'Escala and also has a restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine.
Start your day by making your way onto a (fairly flat) and beautiful coastal trail. You wander along paths with fantastic views across to the Pyrenees and then head to the fascinating Greek and Roman ruins at Empuries. The ancient city has some well-preserved mosaics dating back to 218BC.
You then head back through the stunning Catalan countryside via the sleepy Hamlet of Cinc Claus and finally to your accommodation in Sant Pere Pescador.
Ascent/descent: 29m/37m
The Hotel El Moli is a modern, family run hotel set in extensive gardens. The 26 comfortable and individually decorated en-suite bedrooms all have air conditioning and satellite TV. Many of the rooms have hydromassage baths and balcony.
This attractive 17th-century farmhouse outside Sant Pere Pescador is just 5 minutes from the beach. The uniquely designed rooms all have balconies and are named after a different fruit. Can Mas has well-kept gardens with palm trees. The Roman ruins of Ampurias are just 1.2 miles away.
Today's walk takes you along the banks of the River Fluvia, across the beach at its mouth and into the Aiguamolls Nature Reserve. The reserve covers nearly 2000 hectares between the Muga and the Fluvia rivers.
The area is dotted with hides, ideal for spotting Ibis, Heron, Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Snipes, Redshanks, Marsh Harriers and Sandpipers. Castello D’Empuries is a beautiful medieval town, it has many historic buildings to visit, hidden in the labyrinthine maze of narrow winding streets.
Ascent/descent: 36m/20m
This charming restored hotel dates from 1924. It offers fantastic views from its terrace over Empordà and the beautiful Bay of Roses. The outdoor pool is set in the former Sant Agustí Convent, 100 meters from the hotel. The hotel restaurant specializes in traditional Catalan cuisine, which is served on the terrace or under the arches of the dining room.
After a short 15-minute taxi transfer you find yourself at Platja Canyelles and the start of a dramatic cliff path that winds up the coastline. Heading east you follow the path as it dips into secluded beaches, great for swimming in the crystal clear water, and crests up over heads and cliff tops that offer 360-degree panoramas.
There's a wealth of flora as you make your way through pine groves, past citrus trees and carefully thread your way around flowering cactus plants. In due course you’ll leave the coastline and head inland, climbing through old olive groves on ancient farmers trails, before reaching the broad track at the top. This twists and turns as it drops down into the fishing village of Cadaques; your stop for the next two nights.
Ascent/descent: 401m/440m
Llané Petit Hotel is located in Cadaqués bay, just by the sea. The hotel offers you a garage, free wi-fi connection, a bar with a terrace overlooking the sea and a swimming-pool. All rooms have a terrace, air conditioning, complete bathroom, cable TV and phone. Here you will find a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere.
Hotel Octavia is located in Cadaqués Port Lligat, in the natural park of Cap de Creus, just 50 metres from the beach and the centre of the village. Enjoy this picturesque seaside location, where white-washed buildings and cobbled streets nestle on a pretty hillside. Walk down the charming street from your hotel which leads to the fishing port with beautiful, clear seas and beach.
Rec de Palau offers beautiful accommodation in Llané Petit Bay, within 3 minutes’ walk of Cadaqués centre and beach. These striking villas and apartments offer use of 2 shared outdoor pools and great views of the Costa Brava. The villas and apartments are set in a large estate with gardens, vineyards and fruit trees.
There is no doubt that Cadaques is a popular place. It would be easy to wile away the day exploring the narrow streets that meander through the town, to visit the 17th century church or take a stroll to the museum at Dali's former home, around the bay at Port Lligat (3kms). Being in the middle of the Cap de Creus National Park you may wish to walk out to the spectacular lighthouse at the easterly tip of the peninsula.
Optional Walk: 19.6km, Ascent/descent: 223m/223m
Llané Petit Hotel is located in Cadaqués bay, just by the sea. The hotel offers you a garage, free wi-fi connection, a bar with a terrace overlooking the sea and a swimming-pool. All rooms have a terrace, air conditioning, complete bathroom, cable TV and phone. Here you will find a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere.
Hotel Octavia is located in Cadaqués Port Lligat, in the natural park of Cap de Creus, just 50 metres from the beach and the centre of the village. Enjoy this picturesque seaside location, where white-washed buildings and cobbled streets nestle on a pretty hillside. Walk down the charming street from your hotel which leads to the fishing port with beautiful, clear seas and beach.
Rec de Palau offers beautiful accommodation in Llané Petit Bay, within 3 minutes’ walk of Cadaqués centre and beach. These striking villas and apartments offer use of 2 shared outdoor pools and great views of the Costa Brava. The villas and apartments are set in a large estate with gardens, vineyards and fruit trees.
Today you move north through the heart of the Cap de Creus National Park, following a deeply rural route with stunning views of the Catalan countryside. You wind through this varied scenery before ending up at the small fishing village of El Port de Selva.
The village is famous for its varied landscapes, beaches and the mountain range at its back. Clinging to the mountain is the medieval community of Sant Pere de Rodes, with a castle, monastery, church, and village. Some of Catalonia's best beaches are here in El Port de Selva, offering sun lovers and beachcombers a reason to finish early and hit the sand.
Ascent/descent: 363m
This hotel was an old Manor house from the late 19th century, built of stone from the Cap de Creus. Totally refurbished in the past few years it sits metres from the beach and has amazing panoramic views.
Hotel Agora is located in Port de la Selva, 600 metres from Cap de Creus Nature Reserve. It offers Costa Brava at the best price in a privileged location just 30 meters from the beach. The two rooftop terraces have wonderful views of the sea and the mountains for you to enjoy. There is a fully equipped kitchen where you are able to prepare your own meals.
As you leave El Port de Selva you’ll ascend the hills behind the village. Your first stop will be at the Sant Pere de Rodes cloister, dating back to the first century after Christ. Continuing upwards you now make your way to the ruins of Castell de Sant Salvador. Your reward for the climb is magnificent views across the Albera mountains, to the Pyrenees.
As you traverse the other side of the mountain you wind your way down to the tranquil village of Palau Saverdera, sitting at the bottom of the hills on the flat plain. Here a well-deserved drink awaits you in one of the local bars, giving you time to reflect on your time in Catalonia.
Ascent/descent: 654m/561m
Tucked away in a side street this charming hotel has individually decorated rooms, rebuilt recently with an eye on local design and traditional style. Individual and character rich rooms cosset you and you’re soon ready to venture for another taste of Catalonian cuisine. Everything made on the premises is sourced locally, is a fresh as can be—either picked or caught that very day.
After breakfast we will transfer you to Girona airport or Figueres Vilafant train station for your onward connection.
This trip has a carbon score of 7kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 7kg is equivalent to 1 single running shoe (not even a pair!). Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?If you are someone that enjoys fine weather, relaxed walking and stunning scenery then this is the walk for you! All the more if you enjoy being rewarded with traditional Spanish food and local wine.
Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.
Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
This walk is graded Moderate. The days walk to Cadaques from Platja Canyelles is a little steep in places and may require a little more effort. On these isolated occasions a grade of Moderate to Strenuous is slightly more suitable. For the most part, the entire holiday is on terrain that is either on-farm tracks, coastal paths or mountain trails. Occasionally you may encounter a few moderately steep sections, especially on coastal trails. However, the ascent is not too difficult or prolonged. There are also some sections with steep drop-offs where extra care is required and for this reason, this tour is not suited to anyone with vertigo.
One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of the accommodation. We specifically select the Hotels and Casa Rurals (local farmsteads converted to accommodate tourists) to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food. Each accommodation is different and full of character and they are detailed in the itinerary. Many of our clients choose to add extra nights to sample more of the wonderful attractions and culture.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
If you require single rooms within your party we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. This trip is also available to solo walkers for a supplement.
Meals
A traditional Catalan breakfast is included each morning. Breakfast is a leisurely affair and adequate time should be allocated. Lunch and dinner are not included. Most accommodations are happy to provide a packed lunch - this should be requested on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby bars, cafes and restaurants.
The trails on this holiday are a mix of local paths and “GR” (Gran Recorrido) routes - which are marked with characteristic marks consisting of a white stripe above a red stripe. Some local paths are signed and some are not. However, the route notes that accompany each day's walk give a step by step, turn by turn account of your route and are complimented with photographs to give you points of reference.
- Arrival and departure transfers from/to Girona airport/Figueres train station
- Welcome meeting
- 7 Nights accommodation in ensuite rooms
- 7 Breakfasts
- Door to door baggage transfer
- A detailed info pack and route notes
- Access to maps, and GPS tracks via the Macs Adventure navigation app
- Emergency telephone support from our office in the UK as well as from a local office in Catalonia with English speaking staff
- Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
- Entrance fees (where applicable)
- Travel Insurance
- Transport should you need to skip a stage
- Extra nights along the route
This tour is available to start on any day of the week subject to availability, from March through to June, and then again from September through to mid-December. Due to accommodation availability, bookings between 1 and 30 March will require a tailored itinerary with extra transfers ( which we will include free of charge) however all the walks will be as per the advertised itinerary.
Time of Year
The climate in Catalonia can be summarised as Mediterranean, total rainfall here is lower than in the rest of Spain, and it is concentrated in the late autumn-winter period. Temperatures are higher than the rest of Spain in both summer and winter. We recommend wonderful walking in the Spring and Autumn. We don't offer this holiday in the months of July and August as the temperatures are too high for walking.
By Air: The closest regional airport to Catalonia is Girona-Costa Brava and, as part of the package, we offer return airport transfers from Girona airport. You can also fly to Barcelona-El Prat and take a bus or train to the city's main train station, from here you can take a fast train (AVANT) to Figueres Vilafant where our local partner can collect you and transfer you to the first accommodation. Alternatively, you can take a regional train or MD train to Figueres. Figueres and Figueres Villafant are fairly close so pick up is possible at either, but please specify. Tickets can be bought at http://www.renfe.com
By Train: If you are arriving by train then the best station to arrive into is Figueres or Figueres Villafant. See above.
By Air: The closest regional airport to the end of the walk is again Girona-Costa Brava and, as part of the package, we offer return airport transfers from Girona airport. You can also fly out of Barcelona-El Prat - please let us know if you require a transfer to Barcelona instead of Girona which we can book for a small additional cost.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation onto your next overnight stop. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person. Please make sure they are clearly marked with your name and next nights accommodation.
It is a condition of booking with us that you have suitable travel insurance that covers you for cancellation, curtailment, illness or injury.
The trails in Catalonia are generally not difficult to walk. However you may encounter sections of path that are challenging - either because of terrain or gradient. This is particularly true of the coast path between Playa Canyeles and Cadaques where the path often drops to beaches. Proper walking footwear should be worn, preferably with ankle support as this can help where ascents/descents are on uneven ground. It helps to have done some multi-day walking before and regular cardio vascular exercise prior to your holiday will increase your fitness levels and therefore your enjoyment of the walk.
The accommodation we use on our walking holidays is of a high standard. In order to maintain high levels of comfort, service and attention we favour smaller independent hotels and guest houses which can get booked up very quickly at peak times. In order to avoid disappointment it is a good idea to contact us as soon as you are aware of your available dates and to have an alternate date range in mind just in case.
You will need good walking shoes/boots, comfortable walking clothes - preferably layered and trousers that "zip" into shorts are particularly useful when the sun is up, a daypack/Hydration pack, a hat with wide brim that covers neck and sunblock. You can download a full equipment list from the downloads page of our website and one will be provided in your info pack.
This walking holiday can be enjoyed from March - November (not in July and August due to the heat). The Spanish climate is usually always more favourable than the UK. Walking is best in Spring and early Autumn.
You can use public transport or local taxis to continue to your next overnight stop. In some cases the baggage transfer service that takes your bags on to your next accommodation may be able to assist. Our local Catalan office can assist with helpful advice should you need to arrange transport for yourself or anyone in your party.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation- just ask your hosts where to leave it in the morning. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag per person of 20kg.
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