Vineyard visits
There is another way to look at this. It really depends on what kind of visitor you are. If you are more on the “I like wine but don’t really know how it’s made” side of things, then visiting big names like Freixenet or Codorníu can actually be great fun. They are huge producers, world leaders, exporting everywhere, and their tours are very polished and, let’s be honest, a bit theatrical in a good way. If, on the other hand, you are already a bit of a wine nerd and you only care about what’s in the glass, and you couldn't care less about the set design and the storytelling, then you are better off going to much smaller wineries. Plenty of them offer tastings and direct sales of excellent wines and cavas at pretty reasonable prices, without the fireworks.
If you are travelling with your 18-year-old son, I would personally go for Codorníu (pronounced koo-door-NEE-uh) in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia: https://www.codorniu.com/en/visits It is very easy to reach from Barcelona by Rodalies train. The cellars, established in the 1500s, are just outside the town. You can grab a taxi from the station or simply walk there. It is under 2 miles. And yes, between the two big ones, I clearly prefer Codorníu over Freixenet.
Popular festivals, fairs and the lot
Keep an eye on the Temps de Flors festival in Girona. It happens every year around mid-May: https://tempsdeflors.girona.cat/cat/index.php Dates change every year, but I have a feeling it might fall around the week of the 11th this time, which would be just before you arrive. Or maybe it will be the week of the 18th, in which case you are in luck. If you catch it, you will see more than a hundred public spaces in the city dressed up with flower installations. It is genuinely beautiful. The only downside is that there are loads of people. But hey, that’s what happens when you do culture for everyone. It is free, of course, no booking needed. Just keep an eye out for the programme, usually published at the end of April, and you will see where the flower displays are and what other things are going on, like folklore, food and music.
Other festivals during your stay in Catalonia, that you could easily visit from Girona if you have a car.
- Festa de la Cirera in Ceret, in Northern Catalonia -now part of France-: https://www.vallespir-tourisme.fr/ca/agenda-ca/grans-esdeveniments/festa-de-la-cirera-i-ceret-de-bandes/
- Ascensió Fair and Festival in Granollers: https://ascensio.cat/
- Medievàlia in Sabadell: https://www.medievaliasabadell.cat/ -a medieval fair with plenty of popular folklore and street life.
- TarracoViva in Tarragona: https://tarracoviva.com/ -a full-on tribute to the city’s glorious Roman past, with reenactments, talks and a lot of people dressed as legionaries.
- Fira de Dibuix i Pintura, in Mataró: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DJepPRNIk5t/ -if you are into art, literally, the Drawing and Painting Fair. Think artists in the streets, sketchbooks open, easels everywhere, people browsing and chatting, buying original pieces straight from the artist. Very local, very relaxed, and a nice excuse to wander around pretending you totally know the difference between charcoal and pastel.
- Fira Modernista, a Barcelona: https://www.firamodernistadebarcelona.cat/en/index.html
There are many more events like these; here is just a sample. In Catalan culture, and maybe because we are a small nation, there is a strong need to honour our past and our history. Add to that a deep love for local, homegrown products, and you get a calendar packed with traditions. Many of them are very old, celebrated year after year, which is why there are so many traditional fairs and festivals spread throughout the year.
Enjoy!
