Medieval Three Villages Small Group Day Trip from Barcelona
Description
Leave Barcelona and travel back to ancient times on this small-group tour of Catalonia’s medieval villages. Visit the beautifully preserved villages of Besalú and Tavertet and learn interesting facts about these historical locations from your guide. Have free time in Rupit village to see the Baroque-era Church of Sant Miquel and have a traditional Catalan lunch (own expense) at a local restaurant. Take in views of the remains of the Castle of Rupit, Castellfollit de la Roca and the Cingles de Tavertet sandstone cliffs. This small-group tour ensures you’ll receive personalized attention from your guide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
8.15am - You will start your day at our main office, which is right next to the famous Palau de la Musica. You will meet your guide, have time to use the restrooms, and perhaps even grab a quick coffee before the tour begin. Your guide will explain all about the day ahead and what to expect as you wait for you tour to leave.
8.30am - You will leave Barcelona though the Example district of town. As you head out of the city, your guide will give you a brief history of Barcelona, before letting you sit back and relax on the 90 minute drive to Besalu.
10.00am - The charming medieval village of Besalú is our first stop of the day. You will begin with a walking tour of this ancient town, stopping to admire its streets lined with medieval-era architecture. You will have free time to wander around the narrow streets or to find a secluded café and sit back to watch people pass by. Some of the highlights to visit are the 12th Century Romanesque Medieval bridge, the 11th Century Monastery of St. Pere, and the Jewish Baths, otherwise known as the Mikveh, dating back to the 12 Century.
12.30pm - From Besalú, we will head to Rupit. On the way, we will pass by Castellfollit de la Roca, located high up on the edge of a basalt precipice. It's one of the smallest towns in Catalonia with just 1,000 habitants living in just 3,280 square feet (1,000 square meters)
1.00pm - Once in Rupit, you’ll have around two hours to wander around this beautiful hamlet at your leisure. You will be able to stroll the cobblestone roads lined with 16th-century houses, cross the city’s hanging wooden bridge, and make a visit Rupit’s baroque-era Church of Sant Miquel. This is also where you will have lunch. There are a number of traditional restaurants to choose from. Your guide will be happy to help you, or even make a reservation for you. After lunch, you can visit the ruins of the Castle of Rupit set on a picturesque rocky peak, or you could even take a picnic and eat outside there. From Rupit, we take a scenic drive towards the sandstone cliffs at Cingles de Tavertet.
4.00pm - In Tavertet, the final medieval village we visit, enjoy a short walk to the stunning cliffs overlooking Pantà de Sau lake. Hear a few details about the village from your guide before checking out the 11th-century romanesque Church of Sant Cristòfol.
5.30pm - Finish your trip with a ride back to Barcelona, during which you’ll enjoy vistas of verdant-green forests like Magatalls, along with the UNESCO Man and Biosphere-listed El Montseny natural park.
6.45pm - After a day stepping back in time we will arrive in Barcelona around 6.45pm. You guide will help you find a taxi or the way to the metro to return to your hotel, or recommend some restaurants where to have dinner.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This tour operates only in English
Reviews(1,091)
We very much enjoyed this tour and the cost was reasonable. It was a small group of 7 of us in a van fairly nice van. The villages were well worth the trip and Carme (sp?) did a fantastic job! She provided us a background on the area we were traveling through and told us about each village for a little while when we arrived at each location. Then we had a some time to explore on our own. The villages were quiet and the history was fantastic. Carme made sure we were comfortable, keep things moving in a timely way, made it fun, and provided exactly the right amount of information and direction. She even stopped once to let us view a village across the way that was built out on a peninsula like cliff, and then another time so we could look out over the mountains. It was beautiful. My one complaint was that, although she was a careful driver, she went pretty fast on those mountain curves. I guess she is used to that kind of driving. If we are ever in Barcelona again, we will do another day trip with this company.
Our guide was fantastic. The villages were absolutely stunning with just about the right amount of time spent at each village.
Quite a long day but very interesting. Beautiful views towards the pyrenees and picturesque villages visited. Older people may find some of the walking/steps difficult (we are in our 70s and reasonably fit). Our guide, Stephen was very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the day
Just a great tour all round, beautiful and very well practiced expedition.
It’s a long day, but very interesting & worth the time and $! I would definitely recommend it to anyone staying in the area!
Absolutely wonderful experience. The guide was amazing he was very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.
As the title says, I was blown away by this tour. It was a small tour with myself, 2 other people and our guide. She truly went above and beyond to ensure we learned about the history and culture of the villages we saw, and to help us feel comfortable. At the end of the tour we all hugged - honestly I have traveled for several decades and this was the first time this has happened. 5 stars.
Most beautiful, exciting, and informative tour taken in quite a few years! Out guide was incredible, personable, engaging, and extremely knowledgeable.
Our tour guide, Berta, was absolutely fantastic! She took the time to explain the history in great detail, making every stop interesting and engaging. She also shared excellent recommendations for things to do during our free time, as well as the best places to eat and visit around Barcelona. One of the highlights of the tour was sampling delicious local food and drinks unique to Barcelona. Berta even took photos for us, which was a thoughtful touch. Throughout the tour, she regularly checked to make sure everyone was comfortable, asking if anyone needed a bathroom break, had food allergies, or was feeling dizzy or nauseous so she could take the necessary precautions. The small group size made the experience even better, allowing everyone to hear her clearly, ask questions, and truly enjoy each part of the tour. Overall, it was an amazing experience, well worth the trip, and one I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Barcelona.
What a fantastic tour! Make sure you are aware this is definitely a walking tour on a bunch of uneven ground, if you wanna get the most of it! Stunning Settings, delicious foods, and nice friendly interactions with everyone involved. Our tour guide, Jerome, beyond helpful, friendly, courteous, and overall a nice guy! Driving through the mountains was a breeze, and he took time to make sure we stopped and took beautiful pictures!
