Catalan Pre-Pyrenees, the mountains an hour and a half from Barcelona.

What is the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees?

The strip of ranges south of the axial Pyrenees, between the high mountains and the central plain of Catalonia. They are younger and lower mountains than those on the border, although some exceed 2,500 m: in the Cadí range, the Vulturó reaches 2,648 m, and the Pedraforca, with its pitchfork silhouette, exceeds 2,500. There is limestone and conglomerate rock, pine and oak woods, gorges, reservoirs and many stone villages that have not lived off skiing.

From west to east it crosses the Pallars Jussà and the Noguera, with the Montsec; the Alt Urgell and the Solsonès, with Port del Comte; the Berguedà, with the Cadí, the Pedraforca and Queralt; the Ripollès, and the Garrotxa, with its volcanoes. For people living in Barcelona it is the nearest mountain: most of it is between one and two and a half hours by car, and you can go and come back in a day, although it is worth sleeping over.

How to get there

By car, the C-16 is the axis of the Berguedà: from Barcelona to Berga it is about 110 km and a little over an hour, and the same road continues to the Cadí tunnel and the Cerdanya. Ripoll is reached by the C-17 via Vic, in a little over an hour and a half. Solsona, via Manresa, about 125 km and under two hours. The west, with Tremp and the Montsec, is further away: about 180 km and over two and a half hours from Barcelona, closer from Lleida.

Without a car there are options. Rodalies R3 links Barcelona with Vic, Ripoll, Ribes de Freser and Puigcerdà, and at Ribes the Núria rack railway begins. There are ALSA buses from Barcelona and Manresa to Berga. In the west, the FGC train line from Lleida to La Pobla de Segur passes through Balaguer and Tremp, and in season the Tren dels Llacs runs on it, a tourist train that in 2026 operates from 11 April to 31 October. Even so, to reach the trailheads you need a car.

Between districts the distances are short: from Berga to Ripoll it is about 45 km and three quarters of an hour, and from Solsona to Berga, about 55 km and an hour. What takes longer is going from east to west, from the Garrotxa to the Montsec.

What is there to see in the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees?

The Berguedà. Berga has above it the sanctuary of Queralt, hanging over the valley, and around it several via ferratas, the La Baells reservoir for kayaking and the Patum festival at Corpus. To the north, the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, with Bagà and Gósol at the foot of the Pedraforca, and the sources of the Llobregat at Castellar de n'Hug. Between La Pobla de Lillet and Castellar the Tren del Ciment runs in season, another FGC tourist train.

The Ripollès. Ripoll is the capital, with the monastery of Santa Maria, from 879, and its 12th-century Romanesque doorway. A few kilometres away, the monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. From Ribes de Freser, the rack railway climbs to Núria, already in the real Pyrenees.

The Garrotxa. Olot and the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, with cones like the Croscat and the Santa Margarida and the beech wood of La Fageda d'en Jordà. To the east, Besalú, with its fortified Romanesque bridge and its Jewish quarter.

The Solsonès. Solsona is a small town with an old quarter and a cathedral, with the Port del Comte ski resort to the north and scattered farming villages.

The Pallars Jussà and the Montsec. The Congost de Mont-rebei is a gorge with walls up to several hundred metres high above the River Noguera Ribagorçana, on the border with Aragon, with a path cut into the rock and walkways. Nearby are the Sant Antoni reservoir, next to Tremp, and the Montsec Astronomical Park, in Àger, for its dark skies.

When to go

Almost all year. May, June, September and October are the best months for walking and via ferratas, with mild temperatures and green or coloured woods. November also works well, with the Garrotxa beech woods in autumn and fewer people. In July and August the low areas, like Mont-rebei or the Montsec, are hot: you have to walk early and look for water. In winter it snows in the high parts of the Cadí and Port del Comte, and below the days are cold but often clear.

How many days do you need?

A day is enough for one specific visit from Barcelona: Queralt and Berga, Ripoll and Sant Joan, or Besalú and the volcanoes. With a weekend you can see one district well. For the Berguedà with the Pedraforca and the Cadí, or for the Montsec with Mont-rebei, it is worth sleeping two nights. A week lets you combine two or three districts.

What is worth knowing?

At the Congost de Mont-rebei, the La Masieta car park, the most used access, works with prior booking on the website of the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, which manages the area; without a booking, in high season, it is easy to be left out. The via ferratas in the area are sports facilities: you need equipment and experience, or to go with a guide. In summer check the restrictions on access to forest areas because of fire risk, which the Generalitat publishes for each district.