# Summer in the Val d'Aran: Bausen canyon, the Arties via ferrata and the lakes of the Circo de Colomèrs with a guide Two nights in Vielha with the Bausen beginners' canyon, the Arties via ferrata and, on Sunday, the guided loop of six lakes in the Circo de Colomèrs, on the edge of Aigüestortes. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/aran-valley/itineraries/arties-ferrata-and-colomers-cirque · Revisado: 2026-11-14 Dónde: Val d'Aran The Val d'Aran is the Pyrenean valley that faces the Atlantic: greener, wetter, with the Garonne flowing out towards France. In summer it is enjoyed at two altitudes. Below, beside the villages, there are canyons and via ferratas a few minutes from the car; above, on the edge of Aigüestortes National Park, the Circo de Colomèrs links glacial lakes among peaks of over 2,800 metres. This weekend does both from Vielha, with valley guides for each. ## A Saturday with a harness The Bausen canyon, in the lower Aran, is Altisport's beginners' one: from €45 and an hour and a half in the water. The Unhola one, more technical, is left for another trip. The Arties via ferrata is the next step up from the Cledes one: about two hours for €55, with all the equipment. Altisport does not publish a minimum age or weight for its outings: ask when booking. Half is paid by transfer when booking and the rest in cash on the day; cancelling more than 12 days ahead costs nothing, and with less than a week's notice you lose everything. If anyone in the group has serious vertigo, swap Arties for Cledes, in Les: the starter one, an hour and a half for €45, with an 8-metre Tibetan bridge and a final 42-metre wall. ## A Sunday among lakes The Circo de Colomèrs with a guide is a circular walk of about 8 km and 360 metres of ascent past six lakes: the Estanh Major, the Mòrt, the Garguilhs, the Long, the Cabidornats and one more. Aran Experience rates it low in technical difficulty and high in physical: you do not need to know about mountains, but you do need to endure five hours of rock and slopes. From age 10, used to walking. The qualified guide and the insurance are included; the taxi, €14 return, is paid to the driver, and the price of the outing appears when you choose a date in its calendar. If your footwear is not mountain footwear, the guide may not let you set out. Bring a fleece, waterproof jacket, a rucksack of about 20 litres, at least a litre and a half of water, food, a cap, sunglasses and sun cream. Walking poles are welcome on the descent. ## Where to sleep and eat in Vielha What it isWhat to know Hotel FonfredaFamily hotel since 1888Rooms for one to four people from €89, 24-hour reception Tauèrna Urtau VielhaTapas and grill tavernNo bookings; olla aranesa at €10.50 Era LucanaMountain Aranese cooking€27 set menu at midday, €37 Aneto menu ## El plan ### Friday · 20:30 · Vielha Two and a half hours from Lleida via the N-230 and the Vielha tunnel. A night at Hotel Fonfreda, on the Paseo de la Libertat, open since 1888. ### Saturday · 10:00 · Bausen canyon With Altisport Aventura, whose centre is on Carrèr des Arroquets in Vielha: an hour and a half of beginners' canyoning, with wetsuit, helmet, harness and rope. You must be able to swim and wear sports shoes; you go to the canyon in your own car. ### Saturday · 13:30 · Tauèrna Urtau Vielha Tapas, olla aranesa and grilled food in the centre, from the family that opened the first Urtau in Arties in 1963. It does not take bookings and rests on Tuesday night and Wednesday. ### Saturday · afternoon · Arties via ferrata Two hours on the middle section, with the same Altisport guide, who provides helmet, harness, energy absorber and carabiners. It asks for a bit more arm strength than the Cledes one; the time is set by the company when booking. ### Saturday · 20:00 · Era Lucana Mountain Aranese cooking since 1989: the Aneto menu, a rice menu and grilled food. ### Sunday · morning · Circo de Colomèrs Meet at the Ribera de Aiguamòg car park, opposite the Banhs de Tredòs. National Park taxi to Montanheta, €7 each way, and five hours from lake to lake with an Aran Experience guide. Packed lunch by the water and back in the afternoon. ## Un consejo más Ask Altisport for the canyon and the ferrata on the same day and with the same guide: you save on appointments and waiting, and Sunday is left free for Colomèrs. ## Cuándo no ir The Circo de Colomèrs with an afternoon storm forecast: the guide may shorten or cancel it, and there is nowhere to shelter up there. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Do I need experience for the Arties ferrata? No, but you do need fitness and some head for heights. To start with no doubts, the Cledes one. ### How much does the weekend cost? Canyon €45, ferrata €55, Colomèrs taxi €14 plus the guided outing, two nights at the Fonfreda from €89 a room and meals. ### Can I go to Colomèrs without a guide? Yes, with mountain experience and good weather; the park taxi is the same. The guide adds the geology, flora and fauna of the cirque and decides for you if the weather changes. ### Can children go? To the Circo de Colomèrs, from age 10. For canyon and ferrata, Altisport does not publish a minimum age: ask. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Parador de Vielha**: The Parador de Vielha is on the tunnel road, on the way out of the capital of the Aran towards Lleida, about 2 km from the centre and with views of the valley. It is a large, bright hotel in the Paradores network, with lounges with big windows towards the mountains, a circular dining room surrounded by garden and rooms some of which have a terrace over the valley. Baqueira is about 20 minutes away by car. Closed until 1 December In 2026 the Parador closes from 5 October to 30 November: it reopens on 1 December, with the Baqueira season already started on 28 November. If you are planning the first ski weekend, you will have to sleep elsewhere. In 2027 it closes again from 4 October to 30 November. Four categories, some with a terrace over the valley There are four types: standard double, superior double, junior suite and suite. The rooms have air conditioning, a flat-screen television with Chromecast, a minibar, a kettle, a safe big enough for a laptop, a hairdryer and free wifi, and you can ask for breakfast in the room and room service. If you want views, ask for one of those with a terrace over the valley when you book. The price appears by date in the Paradores booking system, with room-only, bed-and-breakfast or half-board rates, and discounts for Amigos de Paradores. Spa, pool and children The spa has a sauna, jacuzzi and a treatment room with views of the Pyrenees, and there is a seasonal outdoor pool with a sun terrace and sunloungers. The circuit is paid separately; Paradores publishes the conditions and prices on its page. The 2026 treatments run from €49 (30 minutes on one area of the body) to €135 (a 75-minute facial and massage ritual), with a draining one for pregnant women for €59. For families there is a children's playground, a games room and a garden. For the snow, ski storage. Outside, free parking, plus a paid garage and an electric-car charging point. The cooking of the valley in the dining room The restaurant serves mountain cooking from the Aran, with Catalan and French influences: cured meats from the valley, game and mushroom recipes, and spoon dishes such as the olla aranesa. The Parador itself presents it as hearty cooking, to restore your strength after a day's skiing. What is nearby According to the Parador itself, the Pla de Beret, from where the husky sleds and snowmobiles set out, is 23.5 km away; the Montgarri sanctuary, 31; and the walk to the Uelhs deth Joèu, in the Artiga de Lin, 19.5. In Vielha, the church of Sant Miquèu holds a 12th-century Romanesque Christ. Book at paradores.es, on 973 640 100 or at viella@parador.es. - **Hotel Fonfreda**, desde 89 € / night: The Hotel Fonfreda is a family hotel at Paseo de la Libertat, 18, right in the centre of Vielha. It prides itself on having opened its doors in 1888, and today it is a simple, well-kept hotel, with wooden rooms and home-style service, designed as a base: ski at Baqueira, about 15 km along the C-28, and walk back through the village for dinner. Five types of room, for one to four people The prices it publishes are "from" prices, taxes included: Single, 21 m², with a double bed, from €89. Double, 26 m², with a double bed or two beds, from €95. Superior double, 26 m², from €125. Triple, 28 m², with three single beds, from €130. Quadruple, 40 m², with one double bed and two singles, from €150. The rooms have heating, a flat-screen television, a bathroom with hairdryer and towels, a ceiling fan and wifi; the double also has a balcony with views. All are non-smoking, and the hotel has no smoking room. Cancellation is free depending on the rate you choose: check when you book. Breakfast, skis and lift pass Every morning it serves a buffet breakfast with fresh, local produce. For the snow, it has free ski storage and sells lift passes at reception. There is also bicycle storage, left-luggage, a lift, laundry and ironing service, and 24-hour reception. Parking and other rules The hotel has no parking of its own for cars: only spaces for motorbikes. There is public parking nearby, subject to availability. It does not admit animals, so if you are travelling with a dog you will have to look at other accommodation. The hotel works with Magatzem Garona, a beauty centre with treatments and pressotherapy. A walkable base in the centre of Vielha For families who need a room for four, groups of friends going skiing and anyone who wants to get around Vielha on foot. In the centre itself, on foot, you have the church of Sant Miquèu and the tourist office, and for dinner, the Tauèrna Urtau on Avenida Pas d'Arrò or Era Coquèla. The canyoning and via ferrata outings of Altisport are on Carrer des Arroquets, also in Vielha. Book on its website or at reception, on 973 64 04 86 and at info@hotelfonfreda.com. - **SNÖ Hotel Beret**: A hotel on the Baqueira road The SNÖ Hotel Beret, the former Hotel Beret, is in Betrén, the district of Vielha on the way out towards Baqueira, at kilometre 24 of the road, at Carrer Eth Roser, 3. It is a large hotel of 152 recently renovated rooms, of the SNÖ chain, which has several mountain hotels in the Pyrenees. It opens for the ski season and also in summer. The rooms The chain offers four types: suite, double, double for single use and economy double. There are also duplex rooms, on two floors, which are worth asking for if you are travelling as a family or with friends. Suite, double and double for single use have television, full bathroom, wifi and hairdryer; the economy double, television, full bathroom and wifi, with no hairdryer on the list. The website does not publish sizes, number of beds or prices: they appear when you book. Services Wifi throughout the hotel, restaurant, heating and a small meeting room. The chain marks it as cyclist-friendly, which is useful if you come in summer. The page does not detail whether there is parking, ski storage, a spa or the meal plan (breakfast or half board): ask when you book. Hours and offers Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00, with late check-out subject to availability. If you book on the chain's website, wifi and late check-out are included and there is a 5% discount. It also publishes two offers: seven nights paying six, any date except August, and five nights paying four, from Sunday to Friday, all year. Members of its loyalty programme get 10% with a code. Who it suits For those looking for a practical hotel between Vielha and the slopes: you are a step from the centre of Vielha and on the same road that climbs to Baqueira Beret. The weekday offers make it interesting for a ski week from Sunday to Friday. If you are looking for something smaller and in the centre of Vielha, see the Hotel Fonfreda; with a spa and views, the Parador de Vielha. In Vielha you have the church of Sant Miqueu, with its 12th-century Christ, and the tourist office on Plaça d'Aran. For dinner, Era Coquèla and Urtau are in the centre. Bookings On the SNÖ Hotels website, on 973 089 507 or at reservas@snohotelberet.com. - **Hotel Casa Irene**: Casa Irene is a small four-star hotel at Carrer Major 22 in Arties, the stone village halfway between Vielha and Baqueira. The family opened it in 1974 and it is still a house with a family feel: 22 rooms, its own restaurant and a spa with a pool. It is 6 km to the Baqueira Beret slopes, and in winter the hotel takes you. Chalet-style rooms The rooms are decorated like a mountain chalet, with wooden furniture, and some are in the attic. All have a private bathroom with a bath, hairdryer and toiletries, and there is free wifi throughout the hotel. Standard double: most look onto the garden or the mountain; you choose twin beds or a double. Suite: for families of up to four, with a living room and sofa bed for the children, a bedroom and a bathroom. Some are duplexes, with the living room downstairs and the bedroom upstairs. Suite Cabana: the couples' room, with a jacuzzi inside the room and mountain views. There is room service from 16:00 to 22:00, every day except Monday. The website gives no prices: you ask for availability through a form or by phone. The spa, paid for even by guests staying at the hotel The spa has a heated indoor pool, Finnish sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, contrast showers and a relaxation area with herbal teas. Note that it is not included in the room rate. Hotel guests pay €15 per person, or €10 if they book a treatment; non-guests pay €25, or €20 with a treatment. The pool is open from 10:00 to 21:00 and the spa circuit from 16:00 to 21:00, with last entry at 20:30. Children under 12 can only enter from 16:00 to 18:00, and those aged 12 to 18 must be with an adult. Swimsuits and flip-flops are compulsory; the hotel provides towels. Massages, from €45 for 25 minutes to €70–95 for 50 or 75, are booked at reception. Irene's restaurant The hotel restaurant serves mountain cooking with produce from the Pyrenees and from the other side of the border. The summer menu had homemade cannelloni of Gers goose with morels, €26; grilled beef loin with béarnaise, €32; organic xisquet lamb leg, €29.60; and the thin apple tart with vanilla ice cream, which they have made since 1973, €12.50. The gastronomic menu, for the whole table, costs €63 with wine, water and bread. There is a children's menu for children up to 12. They say they adapt dishes for coeliacs and other intolerances. Since 2025 the house also has La Borda de Irene, a more informal mountain restaurant 4 km from the hotel, with a grill and a terrace; it opens at midday only, from 13:00 to 16:00, and you book at reception. Skiing and the rest of the year In winter the shuttle to the slopes is free if you book at reception, and the hotel stores your skis. In summer it offers outdoor yoga in the garden for guests. The website does not give check-in and check-out times, parking or whether dogs are allowed: ask when you request availability. Altisport's medium-level via ferrata leaves from Arties, and in the village is the first Tauèrna Urtau, from 1963. The Colomèrs Cirque is done with a guide from the Ribera d'Aiguamòg, in the upper valley.