Besalú: a Spanish medieval gem in the middle of Catalonia

3 min read

Sun, culture and nature. You’ll find that in Besalú and the surrounding area. Last summer, I went out in Catalonia to escape the hustle and bustle of Barcelona and spend some time in nature. Despite being a great city, having some green for your eyes (not just your stomach) every once in a while is much needed for me. After some research, renting a car, the choice fell on Besalu in the middle of the province of Girona. Here I myself never heard of, but after seeing our bed & breakfast Masia Mas Costa and doing some research around this place, I thought…why not!?

So bring your best dress, skirt, shorts or tunic and have a blast! Have a nice stroll and above all have a tapas and cerveza. Now to keep our fingers crossed that we will soon be able to travel more easily again. So if you happen to be in Spain already, Besalú is highly recommended. And if not, it just goes on your to do list.

What can you do in Besalú

Located in the La Garrotxa area in the province of Girona, Besalú is one of the best-preserved medieval villages in Catalonia. The village has so many beautiful old buildings and when you walk inside the city walls you already imagine yourself a few centuries back.

The best way to enter Besalú is to cross the Puente Romano, the burg with seven arches and two towers. There is also a Jewish quarter that you get right into as soon as you cross the burg. For example, you can still find remains of a synagogue and Jewish baths dating back to the 12th century.

Plaça Major: pleasantly crowded

If you continue walking in the center you will soon (Besalú is not that big) come to Plaça Major where it is full of all kinds of terraces and restaurants. Here every evening all the people gather to socialize with and without children. Here you will also find the great church: Sant Pere. I also particularly liked the bit around Sant Vicenç de Besalú because there was a terrace around the corner. Seemed like so much fun to sip wine there!

What’s also fun is to bring a picnic blanket and sit down by the river. Very much more local it cannot become then.

So mainly go for a walk around the village and sit on all kinds of terraces, that’s the most fun! And if you just fancy the beach, you can have your feet in the sand within 40 minutes!

Vegan food in Besalú

Of course, from all that strolling you get hungry! I recommend eating at the italian Pizzeria La Roda Groga and ask for a vegan pizza (it is not on the menu) and seriously I had the most delicious pizza here in ages. In an alley, super romantic and cozy with a good glass of red wine we both enjoyed so much. I would almost say one of the tastiest pizzas ever! Ok, ok, the vegan restaurants in Barcelona do have some really tasty ones too, but for such a small town, I was pleasantly surprised. We therefore went again the next day.

We had high hopes at pizzeria Cova Criolla but after waiting for over an hour, we left after drinking a beer. It was too crowded. We could also only pay with cash so that was quite inconvenient.

Want to get away for the weekend from Barcelona? I really recommend Besalú and its surroundings!