The best charming houses in La Garrotxa

La Garrotxa is a land with character, as its name implies, with great beauty and abundance. Formed by valleys, rivers, fields, country houses, many forests and small villages that maintain its authentic rural essence. From beautiful landscapes and a unique Jewish legacy to volcanic cuisine and DO products or river pools, holiday country houses in La Garrotxa displays a wide range of possibilities in front of you. Whether you're going for a weekend getaway or a longer stay, your trip here will be an unforgettable experience.

The region houses the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone, the best exponent of the volcanic landscape of the Iberian Peninsula. It has about forty volcanic cones and more than 20 lava flows. La Garrotxa Natural Park offers different walking itineraries, and in order to appreciate the beauty of these rural landscapes we recommend that you visit some of the valleys of La Garrotxa (Bianya valley, Bas valley and Hostoles valley) or that you go to one of its viewpoints to have a privileged view of the surroundings.

Considered one of the most beautiful Catalan town, Besalú -with the iconic image of its stone bridge- is one of the unique medieval ensembles of the country, where you can stroll through its unique Jewish Call, which includes the mikveh and the synagogue, a must to visit. Discovered in 1964, it is the first and only building of these characteristics found on the Iberian Peninsula and the third of the ten that currently exist throughout Europe. Continuing your walk, you can discover the church of Sant Vicenç, where there is a lateral Gothic chapel dedicated to the Vera Cruz. Also, do not miss the facade of the old church of Sant Julià, Casa de Cornellà and the Gothic hall of La Cúria Reial.

The medieval layout of its streets and the beauty of its landscape make Riudaura another stop on your route. Strolling around the village you can discover places full of charm such as the Plaça del Gambeto, buildings such as Can Bagó and the old chapel of Sant Marçal, now the headquarters of the town hall and the doctor's office, as well as streets such as La Rutlla, D'Olot, Terrica or Rompeculs that make Riudaura one of the most charming villages in La Garrotxa and with a more privileged setting.

Santa Pau is the last stop of this route with the 3 essential villages of La Garrotxa, a small town with 1.500 inhabitants and a historic centre built entirely with stones, declared Artistic Historic Site in 1971. The Fair of the Bulls, where formerly the weekly markets were celebrated, it is the epicentre of Santa Pau, with a beautiful porticoed square.

Delicious beans of Santa Pau have they origin here and they achieved the the Certification of Origin label. The oldest document in which this type of bean is mentioned is a manuscript extracted from the newspaper of a farmer of the time, from 1834. It was a letter from the civil governor of the province of Girona, Mayor of      Santa Pau, where he asked for a sample of beans to deliver to the Paris Universal Exhibition. Unfortunately, it was not a harvesting season, and the mayor had to answer that they did not have the product.

"The city of volcanoes" is especially known for its natural interest and to be part of the of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. In its municipal district there is four volcanoes: Montsacopa, Montolivet –both, visitable , Garrinada and Bisaroques. The surrounding area of Olot also has a rich natural heritage with Moixina wetlands and the Croscat volcano. The unique Parc Nou botanical garden is also remarkable.

The most common visit is Croscat volcano, which is reached by the road that goes from Olot to Santa Pau. It is the youngest volcano of La Garrotxa and its only eruption was 11,000 years ago. For many years clay has been removed from the volcano, but now, after its restoration, the volcano can be visited from its base.

For cycling enthusiasts, especially MTB, La Garrotxa offers the possibility of cycling on the ground of volcanoes! You have both inhospitable paths and trails, as well as relaxing stages, to admire the spectacular volcanic nature.

The Fageda d'en Jordà is one of the most emblematic places in the Natural Park of the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone. If there is a typical landscape in the province of Girona during the fall, it is, without a doubt, this one. The changing and almost magical tones that take the leaves during this period make it the best time to visit. It can be done on foot, by bicycle or by horse, but it is highly recommended to visit it by the carriage.

It is essential to visit as well La Fageda cooperative, which produces Catalan well-known yoghurts. As it says the cooperative founder Cristóbal Colon (it's not a joke) they do "the best yogurt in the world". Here you can find all the visits information.

For those who love gastronomy, La Garrotxa area is a small paradise with a wide variety of local products, apart from the already mentioned beans. We emphasize the delicious sausages, elaborated in different towns of the region. Under the name of volcanic cuisine, a food based on high quality local ingredients elaborated artisanally is found. Land products such as buckwheat, beans of Santa Pau, beef yogurt, mushrooms, Russet digestive or sausages are the protagonists.

Foodies will not be disappointed either, since La Garrotxa region has two of the 15 Michelin-starred restaurants in the area of Girona. These are Les Cols (Olot), by chef Fina Puigdevall, with 2 stars, and Ca l'Enric (Bianya valley), by chef Jordi Juncà, with 1 star. Remember to reserve your table beforehand, if during your La Garrotxa visit you want to enjoy their tasting menus!