42.61° N · 0.52° E
Skiing at Cerler, guided snowshoeing to the Forau d'Aigualluts and Nordic skiing at Llanos del Hospital; where to sleep and eat in Benasque.
Part of Pyrenees
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Skiing and snowboarding · 81 km and 74 pistes · From 1,500 to 2,630 m · 545 snow cannons · Hire from €22.50 · Free car parks
Snowshoeing · 12 km · 360 m of climbing · From Llanos del Hospital · Ages 9 and over · Guide €47.90
Cross-country skiing on three plains at the foot of the Aneto, from 1,750 to 2,100 m · Pass €9.50 · Nordic hire from €13.50 · Snowshoes and sledges · 9:30 to 17:00
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
Snow runs from December to April; Aramón had not announced the opening of Cerler by mid-November. In summer, the valley is for the Aneto, ibones (mountain lakes) and trails.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The car takes you from Benasque to Cerler in the morning and, if you fancy it, to the head of the valley, to Llanos del Hospital, for Nordic skiing or snowshoeing. The budget includes lift pass or pass, food and shared accommodation.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Cerler has a beginners' area at Cota 2000, with magic carpets some of which are reserved for children, and Llanos del Hospital has a Nordic area where a child can try cross-country skis or snowshoes for little money.
Cerler has 29 red and 15 black pistes, the highest altitude in the Aragonese Pyrenees and ski touring routes. And at the head of the valley, a snowshoe outing beneath the Aneto that they will remember.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: 38-room hotel on avenida de los Tilos in Benasque, with the El Fogaril restaurant, covered garage, ski store and family suites with whirlpool bath.
Why we like it: Three-star hotel at Llanos del Hospital, at the head of the valley beneath the Aneto, with a restaurant, Nordic area and snowshoe hire on the doorstep.
Why we like it: Staffed refuge open all year at 2,140 m, at the foot of the Maladeta and an hour from La Besurta: 92 places, dinner at 19:00 and breakfast at 5:00 for Aneto.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Benasque | The village, hotels and restaurants | Valley base |
| Cerler | Village and resort, at 1,500 m | A few minutes away |
| Llanos del Hospital | Hotel and Nordic area beneath the Aneto | 13 km up the valley |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the roe deer loin in truffle sauce or the mountain partridge with onions; for dessert, the Radiquero goat's cheese flan
What to order: the day's home cooking after a morning of snowshoeing or Nordic skiing
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
42.70° N · 0.80° E
By car
42.52° N · 0.84° E
By car
42.42° N · 0.14° E
By car
42.70° N · 0.01° W
By carOn footBy plane
Tips
The road climbs 600 metres in 13 km and changes quickly with the snow.
If you are going to start at the top, you save carrying the skis.
It is open every day and knows the state of the road at the end of the valley.
The Benasque valley is that of the upper Ésera, in the Ribagorza of Huesca, enclosed between the two highest massifs of the Pyrenees, the Aneto-Maladeta and the Posets. Benasque is the village; Cerler, the ski resort, is just above it; and Llanos del Hospital, at the far end, is where the road ends. In winter it offers three ways to be in the snow: runs at Cerler, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at Llanos del Hospital, and guided outings to the Forau d'Aigualluts.
From Huesca, take the A-22 to Barbastro and the N-123 and A-139 via Graus and the Ventamillo gorge to Benasque. From Lleida, take the N-230 to Benabarre and Graus. From both cities allow about two hours and a quarter to Benasque and a few minutes more to the slopes. From Zaragoza, about three hours; from Barcelona, a little over four. These times are estimated by Geocalia with a route calculator: in winter, add a margin and carry chains.
81 km and 74 runs, with 10 green, 20 blue, 29 red and 15 black, between 1,500 and 2,630 metres: it is the highest resort in the Aragonese Pyrenees. 19 lifts, nine of them chairlifts, and 545 snow cannons. For beginners, the Cota 2000 sector has the learner area. The car parks are free and have transport to the slopes.
Aramón sells the lift pass by dates, with variable prices. On 12 November 2026 it had not yet published the 2026-27 day-pass table; buy online when it comes out. Official rental charges €22.50 for an adult ski set and €13 for a child's, at Cerler or at Ampriu.
Nordic skiing and snowshoeing at Llanos del Hospital. At the far end of the valley, the hotel keeps a Nordic area open from 9:30 to 17:00: a day pass of €9.50 for adults and €6 for children, Nordic rental from €13.50 and snowshoes for €13.50. No lifts, and beneath the Aneto.
Guided snowshoeing to the Forau d'Aigualluts. Rutes Pirineus leaves from Llanos del Hospital on 23 January and 6 March 2027: 12 km, 360 m of ascent, from age 9, €47.90 plus €9.90 for snowshoes.
At Cerler, a snow garden, sledges and chairlift rides for non-skiers. In Benasque, the Palacio de los Condes de Ribagorza opens as a cultural centre from Friday to Sunday afternoon.
From Huesca or Lleida you can go and come back in a day, leaving early. To combine a day at Cerler with another of snowshoeing or Nordic skiing at Llanos del Hospital, two nights.
In Benasque, the Hotel Ciria, open all year, with 38 rooms, covered garage, ski store and its restaurant El Fogaril. At the far end of the valley, the three-star Hotel Hospital de Benasque, with the Nordic circuits at the door; arrive before 18:00 in winter.
The valley's cooking is game, lamb and mushrooms, with dishes such as sopa benasquesa, chiretas or recau, and for dessert the Aneto cake, of meringue and hazelnut. El Fogaril, by chef Dioni Ciria, serves roe deer, partridge and venison. At Llanos del Hospital, home cooking with two lunch sittings at the weekend.
Questions
About two hours and twenty minutes, by our estimate.
74 runs and 81 km.
On 12 November 2026 Aramón had not published the day table; it sells by dates.
Yes, in the Nordic area at Llanos del Hospital, with a €9.50 pass.
Yes, to the Forau d'Aigualluts with Rutes Pirineus, in January and March.
Yes, especially to go up to Cerler and Llanos del Hospital.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/benasque-valley
