Activity company · Ribes de Freser
Turistren FGC
Turistren is the brand under which Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), the Generalitat's public railway company, groups its mountain trains and tourist trains. From Ribes de Freser it runs the Núria Rack Railway, the only transport that reaches the Vall de Núria, but the brand covers quite a lot more of the Pyrenees and the interior of Catalonia.
Which trains it runs and where
The Núria Rack Railway climbs 12.5 km and covers about 1,000 metres of altitude in around 40 minutes, from Ribes-Enllaç to Núria, at 1,964 metres, with stops at Ribes-Vila and Queralbs. The website itself says it has served the valley for 91 years. The Montserrat Rack Railway and funiculars go up to the mountain and the monastery, in the Bages, less than an hour from Barcelona. The Tren del Ciment covers 3.5 km in about 20 minutes through the Berguedà, next to the Cadí-Moixeró natural park, and the Tren dels Llacs crosses the Lleida Pre-Pyrenees in two versions, historic and panoramic. The list is completed by the Gelida funicular, in the Alt Penedès, which links the village with the station in a few minutes, and the Tren Granota, a historic train in the Vallès.
Seasons and timetables
The Núria Rack Railway runs daily and without interruption all year, although the service is reduced from early November. Timetables change by season and can be checked in the website search tool or in the spring, summer and autumn PDF. The other tourist trains have their own seasons: the Tren del Ciment and the Tren dels Llacs, for example, open and close their season on specific dates, so it is worth checking each one's calendar before planning your trip.
Tickets, discounts and how to book
On the Núria Rack Railway, buying online is compulsory to guarantee a place; urban tickets between Ribes, Rialb and Queralbs are sold at the ticket office. The return ticket is used on the same day and includes the Coma del Clot cable car, the exhibitions and audiovisual at the sanctuary, entry to the basilica and an audio guide. There is an annual pass for those who go up often, and discounts for large and single-parent families: the 20% one is bought online and the 50% one is processed by phone, on 972 732 020. Children under 4 do not pay.
For those who want to link trains, the Passaport Turistren is a digital passport that records journeys on FGC's tourist transport and, after the first, gives up to 20% off another.
Dogs, accessibility and languages
On the Núria Rack Railway dogs travel free, on a lead and muzzled; if you do not have one, the ticket office sells one for €5. The Núria and Montserrat rack trains have adapted access platforms, and there are parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility at Núria, Montserrat and the Tren del Ciment. The website does not say whether bicycles can be taken on board, nor give details of the accessibility of the Tren dels Llacs and the Gelida funicular: for that, it is best to call. The website and ticket sales are in Catalan, Spanish and English.
What they run
- Tren del Ciment, from La Pobla de Lillet to the Museu del Ciment Combined ticket: Cement Train return, Jardins Artigas and Cement Museum Book Cement Train, return La Pobla de Lillet – Cement Museum Book
- Tren dels Llacs, from Lleida to La Pobla de Segur Historic Lakes Train, return from Lleida or Balaguer Book Panoramic Lakes Train, return from Lleida or Balaguer Book
- Riding the Montserrat Rack Railway from Monistrol Montserrat rack railway, return from Monistrol Book Trans Montserrat: metro, R5 train, rack railway, funiculars and audiovisual from Barcelona Book
- Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser up to the valley at 2,000 metres Return ticket Ribes – Núria on the rack railway Book
Practical details
- Phone
- +34 972 732 020
- Website
- turistren.cat
