Fabulous Cerdanya: Things To Do in the Spanish Pyrenees
Cerdanya - you will not find much information about this corner of the Eastern Pyrenees. This place in the northeast of Spain knows no tourists, no traffic jams and no noise. It is a cradle that the locals lovingly protect from earthly tinsel. In its original form, Cerdanya is a bold sketch on the theme of earthly paradise. And this is not a pompous comparison, but a reality that I was lucky enough to see with my own eyes.
It is breathtaking, with watercolour vistas, the brightness of colours as if turned up to the maximum, and the lulling song of the mountain wind. For me, this place was a dream come true, where on high plateaus, between mountain lakes, surrounded by pine and chestnut trees, it is so pleasant to go for a morning jog, ride a bike or just walk along the rye and poppy fields....
A BIT OF HISTORY
Cerdanya was founded as an independent administrative and political territory at the end of the 9th century under Charlemagne. In ancient times it was inhabited by the Cerretani, famous for their cattle and pig breeding. For some time, Cerdanya existed as a small independent feudal principality, but in 1659, following the Treaty of the Pyrenees, it was divided: the southern part went to Spain and the northern part to France.
The population was divided almost equally: of the 27 thousand inhabitants of Cerdanya today, 53% live in Spain and 47% in France. As a result, almost everyone in the neighbourhood speaks Spanish, Catalan and French fluently.
WHAT TO DO IN THE HEART OF HEARTS
Skiing or snowboarding
For skiing and snowboarding, it is one of the most popular areas in the Pyrenees. The high season for the local resorts is from December to the end of March. You will need to book in advance as the Spanish, French and Germans come here for New Year's Eve. Wealthy residents of Barcelona come here to their "casa de campo" (in Russian - a house in the village or a dacha). It is 170 kilometres from the Catalan capital, or an hour and a half to two hours by car.
Go hiking
Thousands of walks of varying levels of difficulty are available all year round, all offering fantastic views and experiences. In summer you can see fields in bloom and enjoy the coolness of mountain rivers, and in winter you can explore the local countryside and admire snow-capped peaks.
Ride bikes and feed carrots to the horses
There are cows and horses grazing everywhere. And there's a guard dog in every yard. In my experience, they are all good-hearted if you talk to them affectionately. But in such a paradisiacal place it is probably very difficult to be aggressive and suspicious :)
If skiing, snowboarding or hiking aren't for you, here are more activity options:
Mountain climbing
Mountain biking
Golf
Horseback riding
Fishing
Ice skating in winter
Explore medieval cities
This region has been settled for centuries, so there are lots of fabulous old medieval towns with cobbled streets, ancient architecture and churches. This is Bolvir / Bolvir in the morning, near where we stopped. Its population is only 400!
Here are a few more towns that ended up on my must-see list:
Llivia is a pretty unique place, a few square kilometres of Spain completely surrounded by French territory! We passed it on our way to a restaurant that serves the best raclette and fondue (read about it below), so we only got a glimpse of it.
Puigcerdà is the administrative centre and largest settlement of Cerdanya, with a population of 9,000. It will take you no more than an hour to visit it at a leisurely pace. The town is ancient, having been founded in the 12th century by Alfonso I, King of Aragon, but much of it looks fresh and modern. I should mention here that all the towns in Cerdanya are unrealistically well kept.
From the mountain on which Puigcerda stands, there is a great view of the entire Alpes 2500 ski area around the summit of La Tosa (2535m):
Enjoy the local cuisine
For my part, I have never tasted a real fondue! In Llivia (that very Spanish exclave on French territory) - is one of the best places to experience it - La Formatgeria de Llivia.
The food there was truly unforgettable! We had raclette for our main course, a dish made from melted Swiss cheese, but unlike fondue, it is not eaten with bread, but with a variety of meat and vegetable toppings. Just like hundreds of years ago, when shepherds would place a head of cheese near the fire and scrape off the slowly melting cheese, we enjoyed this dish!
The local Catalan cuisine (Cerdanya is part of the Catalan provinces of Girona and Lerida) is famous for its 'mountain rice'. We went to the recommended local restaurant to get it - La Borda Del Ceretà.
The vaunted rice is listed on the menu as 'arròs a la llauna' and comes in a variety of forms - with sepia and prawns, black truffle, butifarra, vegetables. We opted for the lunch option - with vegetables and cheese. As it seems to me - it is a fattier version of paella with local seasonal products :)
Delicious and very nutritious - in the best tradition of Spanish cuisine!
HOW TO GET THERE
It's easy to get there by car from Barcelona: one and a half to two hours on the toll road and you're in the fabulous Cerdanya. Coordinates HERE.
You can choose any hotel that suits you and your budget. All the settlements are within a short drive of each other and are connected by roads.
I hope this short review has inspired you to try something new! Follow us on Instagram and visit amorbarcelona.com, where we share the most intimate and, we think, useful things with you. Have a great trip!
