Must-see attractions in The Catalan Pyrenees

Consecrated in CE 888, Ripoll's monastery was Catalonia’s spiritual and cultural heart from the mid-10th to mid-11th century. The five-naved basilica was…

Dominating La Seu d'Urgell's old town is the 12th-century, pale sandstone Santa Maria cathedral – one of Catalonia’s outstanding Romanesque buildings. Its…

On Taüll's fringes, this 12th-century Romanesque church is a gem not only for its elegant, simple lines and slender six-storey bell tower (which you can…

Who gallops through the hills around Sant Joan de les Abadesses on stormy nights, on a horse engulfed in flames and accompanied by ravenous black dogs? If…

Some 6km northeast of Olot, Sant Joan les Fonts has some lovely forest just beyond the village centre. From the Oficina de Turisme, you can pick up…

The region's high point (literally and figuratively) is Núria's strangely austere 1911 sanctuary. A gold-and-pastel-painted passageway leads to its upper…

The monastery's 14th-century Palau de l'Abadia houses a fascinating audiovisual exhibition tracing the source of the Count Arnau legend. Folk songs from…

The slender six-storey, 12th-century tower of Santa Eulàlia d'Erill la Vall, a 2.5km walk or drive west of Boí, once used for communications and valley…

Within the remarkably colourful frescoed walls of this 12th- and 13th-century church, gaze upon the haunting Romanesque form of the Crist de Salardú. This…

Dating to the 12th century, this broad Romanesque riverside monastery is squirrelled away at the northern end of Sant Joan les Fonts, 6km northeast of…

Boí's 11th-century church gives the village an air of romance with its angular five-storey stone bell tower, which was restored after a major 13th-century…

With its tangle of slender cobbled lanes leading past flower-filled corners and pottery workshops to the attractive colonnaded Plaça Major, medieval Santa…

Aside from the hills, one of La Garrotxa's most remarkable geological sights is the town of Castellfollit de la Roca (10km northeast of Olot), teetering…

The black-roofed spire of Gothic Sant Miquèu church dominates Vielha's skyline. Its architectural styles span six centuries, including a 12th-century font…

In the middle of verdant Parc Nou (a botanical garden of Olot-area flora), this schoolroom-like museum has detailed displays on volcanoes, tremors,…

On the 3rd floor of a grand former hospice building, this smart, modern museum unpacks the evolution of La Garrotxa's industry, history, culture, art and…

The lake at the north end of town was created during the 13th century for irrigation purposes. It's a pretty spot for a stroll: birds bob across its…

Proudly occupying what's alleged to be Europe's oldest pharmacy (dating to 1415, it operated until 1926), this multi-language, multimedia museum explores…

Kick-start your architectural odyssey around the Vall de Boí's exquisite Catalan Romanesque churches with a visit to this multimedia interpretation centre…

Though little more than walls remain of Llívia's ruined hilltop castle, it's worth the hefty 15-minute climb for the fabulously beautiful wraparound views…