My wife and I have several days in late October to explore the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, preferably the eastern portions, before we head to Provence. We likely will be coming from Saurat.
Would appreciate lodging/dining/sight seeing recommendations.
Thanks!
rmsandvik - May i suggest the following villages to tour before you head to Provence. The town of Camprodon is intriguing and picturesque. In La Garrotxa county in Catalonia, you have the option to tour 3 stunning villages such as Sant Lloren de la Muga, Besalu, and Santa Pau. Which town you have in mind to use as a base to explore the Pyrenees?
On your way to Provence, stop in lovely Collioure, France, not too far north of Spanish border.
My wife and I stayed in Collioure and loved the Town and surrounding areas and there are wineries there.
Mike
Will you have a car at your disposal, or will you just be relying on public transport? Many of those quaint medieval towns and stunning natural sites require a car to get to.
I can second Rjean's recommendation of Camprodon, some good friends of mine have a house there, so I have spent a fair amount of time there. Not many blockbuster sites, a spectacular medieval bridge a few churches, just a nice relaxing mountain town... a world away from the hustle and bustle of Barcelona. Be prepared to be immersed in the rural Catalan culture there, I doubt you will see another tourist :)
Thanks for all the suggestions. We WILL have a car -- leasing one since we will be house sitting in Lacoste for the months of November and December, doing lots of short trip in that region during our stay. The suggestions for west of there in France and in the Spanish Pyrenees are most helpful!
DIck
Excellent! With a car you will have many more options available to explore in and around the Pyrenees. I'd recommend you look to follow something along these line (driving south-east down from Saurat):
Saurat - start
Foix and its Chateaux
Vall de Aran - spend night
Vall de Boí
Aigüestortes National Park
La Cerdanya
Puigcerdà - spend night
Vall de Núria
Queralbs
Ripoll
Rupit - spend night
Besalú
Anchient Greek city of Empúries (Emporion)
Cadaqués
Collioure - spend night end
(Continue to Provence)
These above recommendations follow a logical geographic flow, starting in the heart of the Pyrenees and ending on the turquoise Mediterranean coast. Note if you will be traveling in the Pyrenees in December, you may encounter some extra delays/issues due to the potential for heavy snowfall and subsequent road closures. Hope this helps :)
Thank you Andrew, yes Aran is quite the interesting place, where they still use the heraldic symbol of the Occitan cross as the flag, it's an autonomous region within the autonomous region of Catalonia itself. The skiing there in the winter is quite good too!
Thanks for all the suggestions. We will be exploring these areas from mid-October until 10/31. Now need to do some specific research on lodging, dining, sights....a quick look at Rome to Rio makes a trip look doable.
If you go to Collioure, you should also visit Ceret, less than an hour drive into the foothills. It’s a charming town with Museum of modern art. Picasso and some of his circle lived there for a few years. The museum of musical instruments is close by and quite interesting, too.
