# December long weekend from Barcelona: Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception by train, spas and markets Seven getaways and day plans from Barcelona for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception, chosen for what happens on those days: Vic's Medieval Market, Caldes's Christmas market, Cardona and telescopes in the Montsec. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/barcelona/getaways/december-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Barcelona - [A thermal night in Caldes de Montbui, half an hour from Barcelona](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/caldes-de-montbui/itineraries/thermal-night-caldes-de-montbui.md) (1 night, Caldes de Montbui): On the December long weekend Caldes holds its Mercat de Nadal in the old town, with broth and carn d'olla made with thermal water at midday. On those days there is no guided visit to the Roman baths circuit; Thermalia opens on the 8th in the morning only. - [Vic: square, cured meats and inn](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/vic/itineraries/vic-square-and-inn.md) (Day itinerary, Vic): Vic's Medieval Market fills the historic centre on the Immaculate Conception long weekend, with nearly four hundred stalls and shows in the streets. The plan's main square is the heart of the market: arrive before ten or start with the cathedral. - [Two nights at the Parador de Cardona, inside the castle, with the Salt Mountain and Solsona](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/cardona/itineraries/two-nights-inside-the-castle-cardona.md) (2 nights, Cardona): From 5 December Cardona castle offers a new guided Medieval Christmas visit, an hour and a half with booking. The castle and the Salt Mountain are closed on Mondays that are not public holidays: if your long weekend includes one, plan the mine for another day. - [A night in the Montsec from Barcelona: the Parc Astronòmic, a Starlight masia and the Congost de Mont-rebei](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montsec-and-ager/itineraries/night-of-telescopes-from-barcelona-montsec.md) (1 night, Montsec and Àger): The Montsec Astronomical Park opens on the nights of the long weekend with Christmas sessions for families, but on 8 December there are no sessions: go up the night before. Places sell out weeks ahead, and the La Masieta car park, for Mont-rebei, is open until mid-December. - [Montserrat: horse, table and rack railway](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montserrat/itineraries/horse-riding-lunch-and-rack-railway.md) (Day itinerary, Montserrat): On 6 and 8 December the Escolania sings at the eleven o'clock conventual Mass and at afternoon vespers; on the 7th, only the midday Salve. This plan goes up by rack railway after lunch, in time for vespers. - [Palau de la Música, tapas and chocolate](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/barcelona/itineraries/palau-tapas-and-chocolate.md) (Day itinerary, Barcelona): For those who stay: since late November the city has its lights on and the Santa Llúcia Fair open in front of the cathedral, ten minutes from the Palau. The guided visit to the Palau de la Música continues on 6 and 8 December. - [La Molina: a day on the slopes and a grill at Pista Llarga](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/cerdanya/itineraries/skiing-la-molina-and-pista-llarga.md) (Day itinerary, Cerdanya): La Molina opens its season when the snow allows, and in early December it may have few pistes or none: check the opening status the night before. If it opens, you get there on the R3 train and the lift pass is bought online before leaving. From Barcelona, the December long weekend has an advantage that almost no other city has: a good part of what is celebrated on those days lies on the same train line. Constitution Day, on the 6th, and the Immaculate Conception, on the 8th, fall each year on a different day of the week, and many families only manage two or three days in a row. That is why day plans and one-night getaways count for more here than long trips. ## The R3, the long-weekend line If you do not want to drive, look at the R3 first. It takes you to Vic, where the Medieval Market fills the historic centre right on the Immaculate Conception weekend, and continues to Ripoll and La Molina station, in the Cerdanya. It is a line with frequent engineering works, so before leaving check whether there are sections with replacement buses. Montserrat is reached by the R5 and the rack railway, and Caldes de Montbui, half an hour by car, or by bus. With a car, two longer getaways open up: Cardona, with a night inside the castle, and the Montsec, where the December sky is long and dark from six in the evening. ## Markets that are only set up on those days The long weekend marks the start of Christmas in central Catalonia. Vic sets up its Medieval Market, which is already past thirty editions and brings together nearly four hundred stalls. Caldes de Montbui holds its Mercat de Nadal at the same time, with wooden stalls in the old town and a broth cooked with water from the Font del Lleó, which comes out at over 70 °C. Both attract many people from the region: arrive early, before ten, or in the late afternoon, when the families leave. In Barcelona, the Christmas lights are switched on at the end of November and the Santa Llúcia Fair is already set up in front of the cathedral. If the weather turns, the Palau de la Música plan works for a rainy day without leaving the city. ## And if it snows? Snow in the Catalan Pyrenees keeps no timetable. La Molina and Masella open when there is enough snow, and on the long weekend they are sometimes in full season and sometimes with two pistes of snow cannons. Decide the night before: if the report is good, the ski day at La Molina is the most convenient from Barcelona, because it can be done by train. If not, the same day works for Ripoll and its Romanesque portal, which do not depend on the weather. ## Markets, telescopes and children Markets work well with children if you do not go at midday. In Caldes there are workshops and children's shows in the Plaça Can Rius during the market, and the thermal bath is short and hot, perfect for a cold day. The Montsec Astronomical Park schedules Christmas sessions designed for families on the nights of the long weekend; with small children pick the first session, the six o'clock one, because the nine o'clock one finishes late and it is cold on the telescope terrace. At Montserrat, vespers with the Escolania last a good half hour: it is a good way for them to hear the choir without having to keep them still through a whole Mass. ## What sells out first On this long weekend the small places sell out first. The Cardona Parador has few rooms and its Saturdays sell out early, as do the Astronomical Park sessions, which often put up the sold-out sign. In Caldes, the baths at Safareig and Espai CEL are booked by time slot. And for Vic, what is missing is parking: if you go by car, leave it on the outskirts and walk in. For the Escolania you do not need to book vespers, but the midday Salve on weekdays does require advance booking on the sanctuary's website. ## Cold and light On the coast the long weekend is usually mild, but Vic, Cardona and Ripoll are inland and wake to fog or frost. On the Vic plain the fog can last until midday; in the Montsec, nights drop below zero. Bring layers and leave the outdoor things for the morning. ## Better another weekend The Montseny has its moment in October and November, with the beeches in colour; in December they have already lost their leaves. Rupit holds its living nativity after Christmas, not on the long weekend. And the Cement Train, in the Berguedà, only runs from spring to early November. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### What can you do from Barcelona over the December long weekend without a car? Vic and its Medieval Market on the R3, Montserrat with the R5 and the rack railway, Caldes de Montbui by bus and, if there is snow, La Molina on the R3. Check the line's engineering works beforehand. ### When is the Vic Medieval Market? It is held every year on the Immaculate Conception long weekend, around 8 December. The exact dates are published by Vic Town Council in autumn. ### Do the ski pistes open on the long weekend? It depends on the snow. La Molina and Masella open when there is enough snow; check the opening status the night before and have a plan without skiing.