10 medieval villages in Catalonia: map, how to get there and what to see

The medieval villages most worth visiting in Catalonia are Besalú, Peratallada, Pals, Montblanc, Guimerà, Rupit, Santa Pau, Castelló d'Empúries, Miravet and Siurana. They are roughly 105 to 160 km from Barcelona by road, and the easiest without a car are Montblanc (R13 and R14 trains) and Besalú (direct TEISA bus).

A note on Catalan geography. The Empordà is the coastal plain in the north-east, near Girona. La Garrotxa is the volcanic region inland from it. The Priorat is wine country in the south, and the Ribera d'Ebre follows the river Ebro. A call is a medieval Jewish quarter.

Two honest qualifications: Montblanc and Castelló d'Empúries are historic towns rather than small villages, included because they answer the same question; and Siurana and Miravet are worth the trip as much for the setting as for the buildings. Below: a summary, a map, and for each village what to see and how to get there.

1. Besalú (Garrotxa)

The bridge over the Fluvià is 105 metres long with seven arches. There was a Romanesque bridge here by the 11th century, but a flood in 1315 destroyed it and it was rebuilt, with its fortified tower. Many visitors take the photo and leave, and the best part is inside.

Besalú had a Jewish community from the 9th century until 1436. The mikveh, the ritual bath, is an underground Romanesque room found in 1964, and excavations from 2002 to 2005 uncovered the synagogue, documented in 1264, which the council describes as a building unique in Catalonia and in Spain. Add the monastery of Sant Pere (founded in 977; its church survives), Sant Vicenç and the Casa Cornellà, from the late 12th century, one of the best-preserved Romanesque houses in Catalonia. The town was declared a historic-artistic ensemble in 1966.

Getting there: by car, 133 km from Barcelona according to the council. By bus, TEISA's Barcelona–Olot via Banyoles line stops in Besalú (timetables at teisa-bus.com). By train, the nearest stations are Girona, Figueres and Ripoll. How to get there, besalu.cat.

2. Peratallada (Baix Empordà)

The village had three walled enclosures (12th–13th centuries), the main one around the castle. You can still see the moat cut into the living rock, 7 to 8 metres deep where it survives. On a rocky mound stand the castle, with its keep and palace (11th–14th centuries), and nearby the Romanesque church of Sant Esteve, from the early 13th century. The whole village is a listed heritage site of national interest.

It is small and quick to walk round, so go early or late: at weekends the narrow lanes fill up.

Getting there: by car, 145 km from Barcelona via the AP-7, according to Forallac's tourist office. There are buses from Barcelona's Estació del Nord and from Girona (Moventis), but few services reach Peratallada itself, so a car is the practical option. How to get there, visitforallac.cat.

3. Pals (Baix Empordà)

The old town keeps its walls, cobbled streets and the Torre de les Hores, one of the few remains of the castle and the village's emblem. The Mirador Josep Pla looks over the Empordà plain to the Montgrí massif and the Medes Islands. Pals has been protected as a heritage site of national interest since 1949.

Torre de les Hores: Fridays 11:00–14:30; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10:30–14:30 and 15:00–17:30 (hours published by Visit Pals on 24 October 2026).

Getting there: Sarfa buses from Barcelona's Estació del Nord and from Girona bus station, according to Visit Pals (by bus). It pairs naturally with Peratallada on the same day.

4. Montblanc (Conca de Barberà)

Montblanc's distinction is its 14th-century wall, raised on the orders of King Peter the Ceremonious during the war with Castile: a perimeter of about 1,500 metres with some thirty towers and four gates, Sant Antoni, Sant Francesc, Sant Jordi and Bové. One tower is pentagonal, the Torre dels Cinc Cantons.

Wall walk: Wednesday to Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00; Sundays and holidays 10:00–14:00. Adults €3, reduced €1.50, free for under-14s. Entry is at the Portal de Sant Francesc; closed 9 to 23 December and in bad weather (Montblanc tourist office, checked on 24 October 2026).

Getting there: the easiest village on this list without a car: Rodalies R13 and R14 trains stop in Montblanc (regional lines), and Plana and Monbus buses also serve it. By car, about 115 km.

5. Guimerà (Urgell)

Guimerà's streets climb in steps towards the watchtower and the remains of the castle, in the Vall del Corb. Few places show better what a medieval hill village was like: narrow, vertical and shaped by the terrain. There is the church of Santa Maria, the old gates, a museum, and guided tours of the medieval village.

The Medieval Market is held on the second weekend of August (in 2026 on 8 and 9 August, the 31st edition, according to guimeramedieval.cat).

Getting there: we found no useful scheduled service from Barcelona; you need a car (about 115 km). Information: guimera.info.

6. Rupit (Osona, Collsacabra)

Rupit combines stone houses, narrow lanes and the cliffs of the Collsacabra. At the entrance is the suspension footbridge over the stream, opened in 1945 and rebuilt in 1994. In 2022 it was one of 32 villages worldwide named a Best Tourism Village by UN Tourism.

It is busy at weekends, so arriving early changes the visit completely.

Getting there: by car, 106 km and about 2 hours from Barcelona via the C-17 to Vic, the C-25 and the C-153 through Roda de Ter, according to the council. By bus, Sagalés runs lines 462, 463 and 464 from Vic to Rupit (Sagalés lines). How to get there, rupitpruit.cat.

7. Santa Pau (Garrotxa)

The medieval village grew around the castle (built in stages between the 13th and 18th centuries) in the first quarter of the 14th century. Its heart is the arcaded Plaça Major, or Firal dels Bous, medieval in origin and named after the livestock fair. The castle, the walled enclosure and the village are listed heritage of national interest.

It lies in the heart of the Garrotxa volcanic zone, close to the Fageda d'en Jordà beech wood and the Santa Margarida volcano, with a chapel documented in 1403 in the middle of the crater.

Getting there: by bus, TEISA to Olot and then TEISA's Les Preses–Olot–Santa Pau line (timetables). By train, the council suggests going to Girona or Vic and connecting with TEISA buses to Olot. By car, about 120 km. Places of interest, santapau.cat.

8. Castelló d'Empúries (Alt Empordà)

The former capital of the counts of Empúries keeps narrow streets, sections of wall and the basilica of Santa Maria, begun in the 13th century and finished in the early 15th, with the structure and size of a cathedral and a 15th-century alabaster high altarpiece.

The Jewish quarter, documented from the mid-13th century, had about 300 inhabitants at its height and covered the streets of la Muralla, dels Jueus, del Call, del Calabró, Peixateries Velles and the plaça de la Llana, which still follow the medieval layout.

Getting there: Moventis Sarfa buses Barcelona–Castelló d'Empúries–Empuriabrava, or train to Figueres and a bus from there, according to the council (how to get there). By car, about 150 km.

9. Miravet (Ribera d'Ebre)

The village sits beneath Miravet castle, which the Generalitat calls one of the finest examples of Knights Templar architecture in Europe. Christian forces took it in 1153 and Count Ramon Berenguer IV gave it to the Templars, who rebuilt it. The old village climbs the slope below the fortress, above the Ebro.

Castle hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–17:30 from 1 October to 30 April and 10:00–19:00 from 1 May to 30 September; Sundays and holidays 10:00–15:00 all year. Closed on Mondays that are not holidays, on 25 and 26 December and on 1 and 6 January. Adults €7, reduced €5, free for under-16s (Patrimoni Cultural, checked on 24 October 2026).

Getting there: by car, about 160 km. We found no direct bus from Barcelona.

10. Siurana (Priorat)

Siurana, in the municipality of Cornudella de Montsant, was the last Muslim stronghold in Catalonia, conquered between 1153 and 1154. Remains of the Arab castle survive, with the Romanesque church of Santa Maria (12th–13th centuries), on a clifftop with one of the best-known views in the Priorat.

Getting there: by car, about 145 km; from Cornudella take the road towards Ulldemolins and the turn-off for Siurana. Parking is regulated and paid, according to the Priorat tourist board.

Routes: which medieval villages to combine

Some pairs work well in a day because the villages are in the same or neighbouring regions:

• Empordà: Pals and Peratallada (Baix Empordà), plus Castelló d'Empúries if you have time.
• Garrotxa: Besalú and Santa Pau, with the volcanic zone in between.
• The south: Siurana (Priorat) and Miravet (Ribera d'Ebre), for a weekend.
• Without a car: Montblanc by train, or Besalú on the TEISA bus.

For heritage even fewer people reach, we have fifteen places most visitors miss. For more trips without a car, these twelve are all doable by train, and if the weather turns, here are indoor plans.

Heritage records for most of these sites are in the Generalitat's Patrimoni Cultural catalogue.

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