Spain: Catalonia & the Costa Brava

You are met in the city of Girona, north of Barcelona, and transferred (approximately one hour) to your hotel, a peaceful rural retreat in the heart of the Garrotxa Natural Park, a protected area of ancient volcanoes transformed over millennia into a landscape of rolling low mountains, gorges, and lush forest.

Accommodation: Finca El Ventós, Sant Feliu de Pallerols
Included Meals: Dinner

3.4 miles, easy to moderate, no significant elevation gain or loss or 5 miles, easy to moderate, 1,000-ft. elevation gain and loss

After a relaxed breakfast, you can leave directly from your hotel for a warm-up walk that provides a perfect introduction to the Garrotxa region. Unique in Europe, a collection of 30 conical volcanoes saw their last eruption only 11,000 years ago and, while dormant, they are not completely extinct. This underlying geology has resulted in soils of ochre and black lava, contrasting with beech forest and verdant meadows. An easy and well-marked path—entirely within the hotel’s estate—leads up through the forest to a lookout that provides stunning views of the rolling landscape, and an overview of the week ahead—below you is the volcanic valley of tomorrow’s walk, in front of you the bulk of the Pyrenees, and turning to the east, the Cape of Creus, nudging into the Mediterranean just below the French border. You enjoy a delightful picnic lunch from your hotel’s kitchen, either on the trail or on the hotel grounds. And, weather permitting, enjoy the hotel’s pool. A hot air balloon ride is a very early morning option (requires advance planning and is payable locally) that is also weather-dependent—the region’s topography makes it a favorite location in Spain for this activity.

Accommodation: Finca El Ventós, Sant Feliu de Pallerols
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

6.2 or 9.1* miles, easy to moderate, 1,000-ft. elevation gain and 1,300-ft. elevation loss or 7.5 or 10.4* miles, easy to moderate, 1,300-ft. elevation gain and 1,650-ft. elevation loss (* mileage depends on hotel location)

A transfer takes you to the bottom of the valley, where you begin the day’s walk. Skirting below high volcanic cliffs, you traverse fields belonging to small stone farmhouses before entering the thick beech forest of Jordá. After about an hour, you emerge near a small café where you can pause for a morning coffee before making a detour to the Santa Margarida volcano—at the center of the grassy crater lies a unique Romanesque chapel. The path continues through lush vegetation to arrive at the picturesque medieval village of Santa Pau. It is highly recommended that you stop for lunch in one of the restaurants under the arcades facing the castle. The Vila Vella (Old Town) of Santa Pau has been declared of “Cultural Interest” and more than 80 percent of the town has been conserved, including the Plaça de la Arqueria Square, the castle, and Santa María Church. It is also a destination known especially for its protected heirloom crop – the Santa Pau fesols – indigenous beans gaining distinction from their cultivation in the volcanic soil. Other delicious local specialties include cured meats, honey, yogurt, and the farinetes de fajol dessert. After lunch, continue to your hotel where dinner is later served on site.

Accommodation: Mas Can Batlle, Santa Pau
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning you leave the Garrotxa region. A drive of about an hour takes you to Girona, one of Catalonia’s major cities, with an intriguing historical center that’s easy to explore on foot. Leaving your luggage in your Old Town hotel, you step out onto cobbled streets, leading up to its Romanesque and Gothic cathedral with its striking approach of 86 steps. Heading down from the cathedral, you find the Jewish museum and neighborhood, one of the few places in Spain with traces of its flourishing medieval Jewish culture before the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. The narrow streets wind down to the river Onyar that separates the old and new cities and is lined with vibrant painted “hanging houses” and crossed by pedestrian bridges. A walk along the entire length of city’s ancient defensive walls offers wonderful panoramic views of Girona and the surrounding countryside. Bursting with shops and galleries (closed on Sundays), and cafés, Girona boasts plenty of places to browse and stop for lunch and tapas, and later dinner. You may choose to make an entire meal of tapas paired with a glass of the region’s crisp sparkling cava.

Accommodation: Nord 1901 Hotel, Girona
Included Meals: Breakfast

6.5 miles, easy to moderate, 500-ft. elevation gain and 1,200-ft. elevation loss

This morning there is time to stroll down to the shops and bakeries along the river to buy a picnic lunch before transferring to the Cape of Creus, about 30 minutes northeast of the city in the easternmost part of Spain. The Pyrenees form the border with France just a few miles north of this protected area of windswept hills contrasting with protected fishing villages and coves, backed by the deep azure of the Mediterranean. Your walk starts at the Perafita winery, located in a 14th-century farmhouse. Martín Faixó’s family has run this enterprise for several generations, and currently produce eight different wines especially adapted to the unique topography and climate. You leave the winery on a winding path dotted with Mediterranean herbs and shrubs, with scenic views of the sea in the distance. You stop en route to enjoy a trailside picnic before descending into the seaside village of Cadaqués, the inspiration to and former home of Salvador Dalí. After settling into your hotel, you can discover the excellent seafood of the region, perhaps traditional fresh grilled sardines or Catalan “black rice”—squid-ink paella.

Accommodation: Hotel Tramuntana, Cadaqués
Included Meals: Breakfast

5 miles, easy, no significant elevation gain or loss OR 4.3 miles, moderate to challenging, 1,800-ft. elevation loss

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast of home-baked breads and pastries before exploring the port of Cadaqués—one of the most picturesque villages of the Costa Brava. In addition to Dalí, Pablo Picasso also spent some time in this village and was attracted by its shifting Mediterranean light. You can choose from several options today, which may be as simple as relaxing on a nearby beach, or strolling through the village. Two walking options (both requiring taxis at your own expense) provide more in-depth exploration of the Cap de Creus. The easier option is a route from the village of Llança along a coastal promenade to the small fishing port of Port de la Selva, providing views of the sea on one side and the summer villas on the other—and, high above you, the Benedictine Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. The more moderate option is to take a taxi up to the 11th-century monastery, with its magnificent views over the cape and the surrounding sea. After visiting the Romanesque complex with its 12th-century cloisters, you follow an old path that descends steeply through a small mountain village and vineyards on its way to the sea, finishing your walk on the waterfront promenade of Port de la Selva. You can stop for lunch here before catching a return taxi back to Cadaqués. Alternatively, if your knees are not up for the descent, the monastery is well worth the visit via taxi both ways. Yet another alternative is to walk to a nearby cove to visit Dalí’s home, now a museum, which was the Surrealist painter’s only permanent home from 1930 to 1982 (at your own expense, advance reservation required, there may also be time to visit at the end of tomorrow’s walk). For dinner, choose from one of Cadaqués’s many excellent restaurants, perhaps one owned by the Faixó family of the Perafita winery.

Accommodation: Hotel Tramuntana, Cadaqués
Included Meals: Breakfast

4.7 miles, easy to moderate, 650-ft. elevation loss

Today’s walk takes you to the tip of the natural area of Cap de Creus—with its beautiful landscape of low Mediterranean vegetation and varied coast of cliffs and hidden coves. This morning, a short drive takes you to the lighthouse at the end of the cape. Surrounded by aquamarine water views, you set off walking along the coast—on your left are small coves accessed by narrow paths—any of them ideal spots to enjoy your picnic lunch. As you approach Cadaqués, the trail winds between stone walls and through olive groves, always in sight of the sea. The route passes in front of Dalí’s home museum, which you may have visited the day before. You can enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure—in town, or by the beach—before enjoying a final dinner celebrating your exploration of Catalonia with its excellent cuisine.

Accommodation: Hotel Tramuntana, Cadaqués
Included Meals: Breakfast

You depart Cadaqués today for the larger city of Figueres, to catch a train to your next destination. Here in the hometown of Salvador Dalí, you may choose to visit the Dalí Theatre-Museum—the museum that contains his largest and most diverse body of work, located a 5–10–minute taxi ride from the train station (at your own expense; advisable to book ahead of time online at salvador-dali.org/en/museums/dali-theatre-museum-in-figueres; luggage can be stored at the museum; closed on Mondays in April, May, June, October, and November; visit taxifigueres.es/en for area taxi information).

Included Meals: Breakfast