Dolmens and menhirs of Sant Climent Sescebes, Alt Empordà

The Empordà is an excellent place to go for a hike, reconnect with nature, and tune in to our roots. This is the case of the megalithic trail in Sant Climent Sescebes, at the foot of the Albera mountains, where we can find up to eight different prehistoric monuments in just over thirteen kilometers. On the one hand, there are the funerary monuments such as the simple dolmens of Les Closes, Salt d’en Peión, the tomb of Gutina, Fontanilles, Tires Llargues, Prat Tancat, and Cabana Arqueta. On the other hand, we can visit places of meeting or worship such as the Vilartolí menhir and the Murtra, or Pedra Gentil, menhir. 

Tudela Natural Area, Alt Empordà

When we talk about landscapes, we tend to associate the wilderness as something green, lush, and dense. But the dictionary also defines it as elusive, harsh, intractable, and brutal. Therefore, wild is one of the best words to define the Tudela Natural Area, one of the most unusual places in our region. It is a vast rocky area in the middle of the Cap de Creus Natural Park, where stones emerge unfiltered, the sea bursts everywhere, and the wind blows unopposed. In Tudela everything is visceral, instinctive, and indomitable, except for the paved route of just over five kilometers that allows us to hike the area while imagining animal shapes on each rock and discovering Dali-like works on each stone.

Mas Marès Vineyards, Alt Empordà

A wine is terroir, landscape, craft, and culture. A wine speaks of a place, a people, and a way of doing things. Mas Marès vineyards is located in the southernmost area of the Cap de Creus peninsula, near the ravages of the sea yet protected by gentle hills, where you can discover typical, organic Empordà wine made with local varieties, those best adapted to the tramuntana winds and granite, such as garnacha, carignan, macabeo, muscat, and monastrell. 

S’Alguer Cove in Palamós, Baix Empordà

Few areas as small as the S’Alguer Cove in Palamós can fill your spirit as much. This hidden rock and pebble beach has always been a refuge. First, for fishermen who began keeping their ships and tools there in the 16th century. Nowadays, for visitors seeking to get away from it all and recover the essence of past summers. S’Alguer Cove is one of the most beautiful coves on the Costa Brava, and the landscape has been declared a Natural Heritage Site and its fishermen’s shops Cultural Heritage Sites. You can get there by following the coastal trail, crossing through white pine forests and enjoying panoramic views of the Mediterranean. However, nothing can beat the sensation of getting your feet wet: be careful, you might never want to leave. 

Village and historical site of Ullastret, Baix Empordà

For years, centuries, and millennia, those who visit the Empordà have appreciated its abundance. The ancient settlements that are still preserved in the area today, such as Ullastret, right in the middle of the Baix Empordà plain, are solid proof of this. In the valley, the town stands out, declared a historic and artistic monument for the imposing walls from the 13th and 14th centuries, which still retain ten towers, and for the narrow and rough alleys where you can immerse yourself back in medieval times. At a distance, the archaeological site of Ullastret, declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest, stands out. Open to visitors, it is the most important Iberian site in Catalonia, with some of the best-preserved Iberian walls, streets, temples, houses, and silos.

Sanctuary of Mare de Déu del Món, Alta Garrotxa 

Few peaks will take you as far as Mare de Déu del Mont, in the Alta Garrotxa. It’s hard to find a mountain that unites earth and sky, nature and spirituality so precisely. Perhaps this is why Father Jacint Verdaguer chose this place for inspiration while writing his famous poem Canigó. From here, the view is circular and covers not only this mountain, but reaches to ten different counties. Father Verdaguer, however, was not the first to notice. The Virgin of Mare de Deú del Mont is a Virgin Mary that, according to legend, was intended to be placed at the top. 

Puig de Sant Martirià, Pla de l’Estany

To the north, Mare de Déu del Mont with the rest of the Pre-Pyrenees and the Canigó in the Pyrenees. To the east, the Alt Empordà. To the south, the Baix Empordà and the Gavarres. To the west, the Serralada Transversal. And at our feet, Banyoles and the Pla de l’Estany region. Few viewpoints match the splendid panorama that unfolds at the Mirador de la Creu, at the top of Puig d’en Sant Martirià, near Banyoles. However, this is not the only reason to come here. The ruins of the Convent Vell, built in the 17th century, the monumental oak tree in Teixidor del Terme, and one of the few olive groves that survived the freeze of 1953 are three essential stops.