I arrived in Beget looking for signal to say I was running late. I did not find any, there is none. And after twenty minutes fuming, I sat on the medieval bridge, listened to the river, and understood that this was exactly what I had come looking for without knowing.
Catalonia is full of storybook villages, but the Costa Brava ones I have already covered. Today I take you inland and to the mountains, and I sort them by what you need, because wanting photos is not the same as wanting silence.
The basics
Rupit under 300 inhabitants, suspension bridge · Siurana fortress over a cliff, 9th-century castle
Beget almost no signal, that is the point · Taüll Romanesque church, World Heritage Site
Each village answers a different need, so the useful question is what you are after that day.
| Village | Area | What you go for |
|---|---|---|
| Rupit i Pruit | Osona | Postcard medieval and a waterfall |
| Beget | Alta Garrotxa | Absolute silence, switching off |
| Siurana | Priorat | Vertiginous views and wine |
| Miravet | Terres de l’Ebre | River, Templar castle and calm |
| Taüll | Vall de Boí, Lleida | Romanesque, World Heritage |
| Artíes | Aran Valley | Pyrenean stone village |
Rupit i Pruit, the one that best sums up the interior
For me it captures the essence of inland Catalonia, and it is one of those villages that leave you speechless.
It sits in Osona, has under 300 inhabitants and tremendous medieval charm. You cross its famous wooden suspension bridge and step into a world of stone houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, steep streets and a setting of crags and waterfalls. It is a hikers’ paradise.
Go in spring or autumn, when it is quieter, and do not leave without trying its food, with the coca and cured meats as the strong point, in the spirit of where I eat well and cheap.
As a bonus, nearby is the Salt de Sallent, at 115 metres the highest waterfall in Catalonia. A warning that saves the disappointment: it is seasonal, running strong in spring and with the thaw, and usually dry in high summer. To see it with water, make sure it has rained beforehand.
Not all these villages cost the same to reach, and it is worth knowing before choosing.
Rupit is doable in a day without pushing, but Taüll is deep in the Pyrenees, so that one calls for staying over.
Beget, for real silence
Beget, in the Alta Garrotxa, is the ultimate destination, and I will warn you of its best feature: there is almost no signal.
Just a handful of inhabitants. The stone houses with wooden roofs blend into the mountain landscape and the streams that cross the village. Its medieval bridge and the church of Sant Cristòfol are national monuments that genuinely impress.
It is the place to reset your brain before heading back to the city, one of those spots that remind you how good switching off feels, even if you arrive fuming because there is no signal. It pairs well with Catalonia’s autumn forests, which are close by.
Siurana, vertiginous views over the Priorat
Siurana is one of the villages that surprised me most in all of Catalonia, a natural fortress suspended over a cliff of limestone, deep in the Priorat.
The views over the blue-watered reservoir and the Serra de Montsant are simply the best viewpoint in the area. It was the last Andalusi stronghold in Catalonia, with remains of a 9th-century castle.
And it is the perfect excuse to taste the DO Priorat wines at source. Eating in the village, with Catalan specialities, is another must, along the lines of the bodegas where I drink vermouth but at the foot of the vines.
That crag holds one of the most intense frontier histories in Catalonia.
Leaning out from those rocks, you grasp at once why they held out here to the very end.
Miravet, the Ebro river and a Templar castle
Miravet, on the banks of the Ebro, has a history tied to its Templar castle at the top. Its streets are quick to walk and a joy for their colours and fine state of preservation.
And Tivissa, quieter, completes a fine triangle around this part of Tarragona, the great unknown province of Catalonia. Before setting off, it helps to check which season suits each area best.
Spring and autumn are the season for these villages: the Rupit waterfall runs, the interior is not baking, and the Pyrenees can be crossed without snow.
The mountain and Romanesque villages, the Vall de Boí
The Vall de Boí, in the Lleida Pyrenees, is full of small villages with incredible landscapes. The gem is Taüll, with stone houses and slate roofs and the Romanesque church of Sant Climent de Taüll, a World Heritage Site and the area’s most characteristic image. The set of Romanesque churches in the Vall de Boí is unique in the world.
Also in Lleida, Artíes, in the Aran Valley, between the Garona river and the Valartíes, with stone houses, slate roofs and the church of Santa María, among the best in the area. And Guimerà, a quiet medieval town with great charm. Closer to the eastern Pyrenees, Castellar de n’Hug, in the Berguedà, is a postcard village by the springs of the Llobregat.
Since these villages are so spread out, the key is to group them by region and not try to cover too much.
Routes that work
- Rupit with Tavertet and the Salt de Sallent
- Siurana with Miravet and the Priorat
- Taüll with the rest of the Vall de Boí
- Artíes with the Aran Valley
- Beget on its own, to keep the calm
Route mistakes
- Priorat and Pyrenees the same day
- Crossing Catalonia end to end
- The Pyrenees mid-winter without chains
- The Rupit waterfall in August
- Four villages in a single day
The left column is well-rounded days. The right, hours of driving to feel none of what I have described.
Which I do not rush, and why
None of them in a hurry. And I mean it: they are small and seen in a morning, but the point is not seeing them, it is being in them, eating in their restaurant, buying from the producers and sitting in a square.
Four in a day. String four together and you lose the hours on the road and feel nothing. Better two, unhurried.
The Pyrenees mid-winter unprepared. Snow complicates access, so carry chains or go another time.
Beget expecting signal. There is none, so let people know before you set off.
How to enjoy them properly
Combine the close ones. The Tarragona ones together, the Pyrenean ones together. Never cross Catalonia in a day.
Spring and autumn. In summer it gets genuinely hot inland, and in winter the Pyrenees can get tricky.
Eat there. It is what sustains these villages. A set menu in Rupit or Siurana costs less than in Barcelona and is worth triple, and while you are at it have a look at the most beautiful villages in Girona for the coast.
The most beautiful villages in Catalonia are not the most famous. They are those stone corners where time, for once, genuinely stands still.
Have a favourite inland village missing from this list? Catalonia has hundreds and I am bound to miss some gems. Message me on Instagram @barcelonainspira and I will note it for the next trip.
Keep exploring Barcelona with me
More corners and plans I write about here: Catalonia’s autumn forests, villages near Barcelona for a day trip, the secret gardens of Catalonia and the best sunset viewpoints.
What is the most beautiful village in Catalonia
It is very subjective, but Rupit i Pruit is considered by many the most beautiful inland village, with its suspension bridge and its stone houses from the 16th and 17th centuries. Cadaqués, on the Costa Brava, and Siurana, in the Priorat, also feature in any list of favourites, though each draws on a very different landscape.
What beautiful villages are there in inland Catalonia
Inland highlights include Rupit i Pruit in Osona, Siurana and Miravet in Tarragona, Guimerà and Taüll in Lleida and Beget in the Alta Garrotxa. They are medieval stone villages, many with castles, walls or Romanesque churches, and far less crowded than the coastal ones. They group well by region so you avoid crossing Catalonia in a day.
Which village in Catalonia is good for really switching off
Beget, in the Alta Garrotxa, is the ideal destination for absolute silence. It has barely any inhabitants, almost no phone signal, and its stone houses with wooden roofs blend into the mountain landscape. Its medieval bridge and the church of Sant Cristòfol are national monuments, and the lack of signal is exactly what makes it special.
Which village in Catalonia should you see in the Pyrenees
Taüll, in the Vall de Boí in the Lleida Pyrenees, is a must. It has stone houses with slate roofs and the Romanesque church of Sant Climent de Taüll, a World Heritage Site. Artíes, between the Garona river and the Valartíes, is another lovely Pyrenean village with Romanesque architecture, and both are best in spring or autumn.
What is the highest waterfall in Catalonia
The Salt de Sallent, beside Rupit i Pruit, with a 115-metre drop, is the highest waterfall in Catalonia. It is seasonal, with plenty of water in spring and with the thaw, and often dry in high summer. The walk starts from the village itself, is easy and signposted, and is a little over a kilometre and a half each way.
