Hi,
Me and 2 more friends (20 years old) are getting to Barcelona in a week, we originally planned to stay there 1 night, then taking a bus to espot and hike for 3 days in the pyrenees, then get back to barcelona. We saw that all the huts in the pyrenees are closed during may and the weather is not optimal. We don't have much information about hiking in spain so we would love if you could help us. Do you recommend on taking daily hikes instead? maybe hiking in another area of the pyrenees or hiking in another area of spain?
(Ps- we don't have a car)
Your help is very important to us :)
Thanks!
Posted by
Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️
3910 posts
Yes, unfortunately the conditions are still not too good in early May in our high mountains. I personally like to have a home-base and take daily hikes from there. Espot is quite deep in the Pyrenees, here are some alternative home bases closer to Barcelona, with good nearby hiking:
Ribes de Freser: directly connected to Barcelona via train, quaint mountain town with access to the famed Vall de Núria nature area via a rack railway.
Calella de Palafrugell: Whitewashed seaside town on the Costa Brava, from here there is some spectacular hiking along coastal footpath, here is a good English article on the Costa Brava path: https://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/top-5-cami-de-ronda-day-hikes-in-costa-brava/
On the other hand, If you head down to cliff-side Medieval town of Cuenca, in the La Mancha region, there is some smaller mountain ranges called la Serrania de Cuenca, which is a National park in Spain. From Cuenca one can do several great hikes into this forested region, there are even rural houses to stay across this area (Casas Rurales).
Unfortunately, I could not find the English Wiki page for this area, in lieu here is the Spanish version: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serran%C3%ADadeCuenca
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
If you like to hike why not do a section of the Camino de Santiago? You would not be a pilgrim so could not stay at the pilgrim albergues but there are plenty of other private accommodations along the route. There are many beautiful sections on this path. You could hike from town to town and then take a taxi back to where you are staying.