# Pilar long weekend from Barcelona: getaways for 12 October, the National Day Four getaways with a night away and four day trips from Barcelona for the October long weekend: vineyards changing colour, fantasy cinema in Sitges, the first mushrooms and castles. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/barcelona/getaways/pilar-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Barcelona - [A weekend in Siurana and the Priorat: cliff, reservoir and vineyards](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/siurana/itineraries/siurana-priorat-weekend-vineyards-reservoir.md) (2 nights, Siurana): The kayak on the Siurana reservoir opens at weekends and holidays in autumn, and its season usually closes around 12 October: this long weekend is among the last days for paddling. The 4x4 vineyard trips are booked beforehand with Montsant Natura. - [Two nights at the Cava & Hotel Mastinell, in Vilafranca, with the cava cellars of Sant Sadurní by train](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/penedes/itineraries/two-nights-in-a-cava-winery-by-train-penedes.md) (2 nights, Penedès): The harvest has just finished and in Sant Sadurní the Cavatast, the cava showcase, is usually held on the first weekend of October, just before. The cellars continue with visits on holidays, and the hotel menu is served the day before the 12th. - [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): The castle and the Salt Mountain only close on Mondays that are not holidays, so if 12 October falls on a Monday they are open. On holidays the castle opens from 10:00 to 15:00; the parador nights sell out before anything else on this long weekend. - [A getaway to Besalú and the volcanic Garrotxa, with a balloon flight](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/besalu/itineraries/besalu-garrotxa-one-night-balloon.md) (1 night, Besalú): The Garrotxa balloon flies all year with the first light, and in October it dawns later than in summer, so you get up less early. The beech woods of the volcanoes begin to change colour at the end of the month: this long weekend is still green and gold. - [Priorat: autumn vineyards by 4x4](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/siurana/itineraries/vineyards-by-4x4-and-autumn-tasting.md) (Day itinerary, Siurana): After the harvest, the garnacha vines begin to turn yellow and red, and that is the off-road route this plan looks for. October and November are its season; book the outing and a table in Siurana, which on a long weekend fills at midday. - [Sitges: seafront promenade and rice](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/sitges/itineraries/sitges-promenade-and-rice.md) (Day itinerary, Sitges): The Sitges Fantastic Film Festival occupies about ten days of October each year, which usually include the 12th, with the village full of screenings and atmosphere. The Cau Ferrat and Maricel close on Mondays; the beach still has lifeguards until mid-month. - [Montseny: guided mushrooms and the inn](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montseny/itineraries/guided-mushroom-sunday-in-the-montseny-and-inn-lunch.md) (Day itinerary, Montseny): The mushroom outings with the park guides run on some Sundays in October and November, on different dates and in different forests each year. Check the programme: if one falls on the long weekend, sign up early, because places are few and cost a few euros. - [Peratallada and the Iberian city of Ullastret](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/peratallada/itineraries/peratallada-and-ullastret-iberian-city-from-girona.md) (Day itinerary, Peratallada): From October the Iberian city of Ullastret opens from 10:00 to 18:00 and closes every Monday, holidays too, except Easter Monday: if the 12th falls on a Monday, do the visit another day. After summer, Peratallada is a quiet village again. ## A national holiday that Barcelona spends away 12 October is the National Day, the day of the Pilar and of Hispanidad, and it is a holiday in Catalonia every year. In Barcelona it is not much celebrated: for most people it is simply the October long weekend. When it falls on a Monday or a Friday it gives three days in a row; when it falls midweek, many people ask for the day in between. It is the first long weekend of autumn and comes at a good moment. The sea is still warm, the vines have just been harvested and the woods are starting to change, without November's cold. With three days, the Priorat from Siurana or the Penedès by train call for two nights. With one, Sitges is half an hour away on the R2 Sud. ## Freshly harvested vines, an hour or two away In October the vineyard stops being green. The garnacha vines of the Priorat turn yellow and red along the terraces, and the off-road route that leaves for Siurana is done in that light. Siurana, on its crag, looks best late in the day, when the groups head down. The Penedès has the advantage of the train: the Rodalies R4 drops you at Sant Sadurní and Vilafranca, so you can taste without anyone driving. The Mastinell hotel is inside a winery, a walk from Vilafranca, and from there the Codorníu and Freixenet cellars can also be reached by train. ## Sitges with the screen switched on Every October the Fantastic Film Festival takes over Sitges for about ten days and, almost always, the 12th falls within it. The village is full, there are queues at the cinemas on the promenade and the seafront restaurants book up earlier. If you want the promenade from end to end without crowds, go first thing and eat early. And if you are interested in the festival, buy tickets as soon as the programme comes out: weekend sessions sell out. ## Mushrooms and forests: the autumn that is beginning The Pilar long weekend comes early for the Santa Fe beech wood, which goes golden from mid-October to mid-November, but just in time for the first mushrooms. In the Montseny the park guides run outings on some autumn Sundays; if one falls on your days, it is the safe way to learn to read the forest. Remember that in Catalonia mushrooms belong to the owner of the forest and that you should not eat any that an expert has not checked. In the Garrotxa, the balloon over the volcanoes goes up with the first light, and in October that light comes later than in summer. From Besalú you have the fortified bridge and the Jewish quarter on foot. ## With children, among stones and salt Cardona is the best all-round plan for children: the Salt Mountain gallery, the castle with the Minyona tower and, at weekends and on holidays, dramatised visits designed for families. In Ullastret, under-16s go free and the Iberian city on the hill is understood as a game of walls and silos. The mushroom outings admit children from about age 6. ## What sells out and what closes on Mondays In this order: the Cardona parador, whose long-weekend nights fly; the balloon; the tables in Siurana at midday; and timed cellar visits. Mushroom places open with the park's programme and fill up quickly. Careful if the 12th falls on a Monday. Ullastret closes every Monday, holidays included, except Easter Monday, and the Cau Ferrat in Sitges also closes on Mondays. Cardona and the Escaladei charterhouse, on the other hand, open on a holiday Monday. The return from the coast along the C-32 and from Tarragona along the AP-7 gets heavy in mid-afternoon on the last day. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is the Pilar a holiday in Barcelona too? Yes, every year: it is Spain's National Day, and Catalonia keeps it in its calendar. ### What can you do on the Pilar long weekend without a car from Barcelona? Sitges and its film festival on the R2 Sud, and the Penedès cellars on the R4 to Sant Sadurní or Vilafranca. ### Are there mushrooms by mid-October? It depends on how it has rained. The guided Montseny outings begin in October; for the golden beech wood, the end of the month or November is better. ### What opens on 12 October if it falls on a Monday? Cardona and the Escaladei charterhouse open on holiday Mondays. Ullastret and the Cau Ferrat in Sitges, on the other hand, close.