# Sant Joan long weekend from Barcelona: getaways for the revetlla and Sant Joan's day

Seven getaways from Barcelona for the revetlla on the 23rd and Sant Joan's day: Pyrenean falles, the coast's first swim and rivers still full of water.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/barcelona/getaways/sant-joan-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13

Origen: Barcelona

- [Two summer nights in Andorra: Caldea, the Tristaina lakes and the villages of La Massana](https://www.geocalia.com/en/andorra/andorra-la-vella/itineraries/andorra-summer-baths-and-lakes.md) (2 nights, Andorra la Vella and Escaldes): On the night of the 23rd Andorra la Vella receives the Flama del Canigó and the fallaires bring the falles down through the centre; Escaldes, where the hotel is, lights its own. Tristaina opens at the end of June and there may be snow up high.
- [A night in La Pobla de Segur: Tren dels Llacs one way and a ferrata or river the next day](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/la-pobla-de-segur/itineraries/one-night-with-train-and-ferrata-la-pobla-de-segur.md) (1 night, La Pobla de Segur): The historic Lakes Train runs on Saturdays until the end of June, before summer swaps it for the panoramic one. Go up to Lleida on an early train from Sants; Collegats rafting starts in July, so Sunday is for the via ferrata.
- [A weekend in Alquézar: canyoning, walkways and Somontano wine](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/alquezar/itineraries/alquezar-canyoning-walkways-somontano-wine.md) (2 nights, Alquézar and the River Vero): In June the Vero still runs with spring water and guided canyoning is in season. The 24th is a working day in Aragon, so the walkways have fewer people; go in first thing, before the heat.
- [A weekend in the medieval Empordà, based in Peratallada](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/peratallada/itineraries/medieval-weekend-peratallada-emporda.md) (2 nights, Peratallada): From May to August the balloon goes up daily at dawn over the Baix Empordà, and in June the light arrives before seven. The short nights leave time to dine out in Peratallada and Pals beach is a quarter of an hour away.
- [Lower Aran: rafting in the morning, caviar in the afternoon](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/aran-valley/itineraries/rafting-caviar-and-signature-cooking.md) (Day itinerary, Val d'Aran): On the night of the 23rd Les burns the Haro, a fir trunk some twelve metres tall, in the village square: it is one of the UNESCO Pyrenean fire festivals. In the morning, rafting on the Garonne, which at the end of spring runs with more water.
- [Sunset sail and rice at Can Solé](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/barcelona/itineraries/sunset-sail-and-rice-dinner-barcelona.md) (Day itinerary, Barcelona): If you stay in the city, the sailing boat on the 24th sails with the beach empty after the revetlla. In June the sun sets after nine, so the departure is late and dinner at Can Solé is booked very late.
- [Sitges: seafront promenade and rice](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/sitges/itineraries/sitges-promenade-and-rice.md) (Day itinerary, Sitges): At the end of June the water is already bearable and the beach is not yet the August one. The R2 Sud saves you the C-32 on the morning of the 24th; the Sitges museums are closed on Mondays and the Maricel on Tuesdays.

## The night of the 23rd decides the long weekend

Sant Joan is a holiday across Catalonia on 24 June, but the moment that counts is the night before. In Barcelona the revetlla is spent on the beach and on rooftops, with firecrackers until the early hours, coca and cava. If you like it, stay home to sleep and set off on the 24th in mid-morning. If you avoid it, or want to see it another way, the Pyrenees celebrate it with real fire: in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes the fallaires bring the falles down the streets, and in Les the Haro is burned in the square. Both festivals are part of the Pyrenean fire festivals that UNESCO recognises as intangible heritage.

How many days you have depends on where the 24th falls. If it falls on a Friday or Monday you get three nights; if midweek, the long weekend is the revetlla and the festival day, and the sensible thing is a one-night getaway or a day with a train.

## From the sea to the Pyrenees by train

Barcelona has the advantage of coast and railway. Sitges and Garraf are reached on the R2 Sud in under three quarters of an hour, and at the end of June the water is already bearable without the beach being the August one. For the Lakes Train you have to be in Lleida at half past ten: an early train from Sants gets you there with time to spare, and the tourist train ticket lets you return on a regular train of the line up to six days later.

The Pyrenees by car calls for patience. To Andorra is about three hours by the C-16 and the Cadí tunnel; to Aran, a long four via Lleida or the Vielha tunnel.

## Rivers with water and peaks with snow

At the end of spring the thaw still feeds the rivers. The Garonne runs strongly and the upper rafting stretch, from Les Bordes to Bossòst, can only be done at this time. In Alquézar the Vero has water for guided canyoning. The high lakes, however, are not always ready: those at Tristaina, in Ordino, open at the end of June, and after a winter of heavy snow the upper one may still be white at Sant Joan. Bring boots and warm clothes even if it is hot in Barcelona.

## What sells out first

The revetlla fills Pyrenean accommodation weeks ahead, especially in Andorra and Aran. Book the bed first, then whatever has places: the Empordà balloon, which flies with few baskets at dawn; the Vero walkways, which sell entry online month by month; rafting, which in low season requires a minimum of three people; and the Lakes Train, which sells a limited number of places. In the city, the sailing boat has eleven places and Can Solé is closed on Mondays.

## With children and without scares

The night of the firecrackers frightens many small children and almost all dogs. An outing to the mountains on the afternoon of the 23rd spares them the noise. The Andorra falles have light fallaires, with LED lanterns, for under-sixteens. Garonne rafting admits children from age six on the Les to Pont de Rei stretch, and the first Tristaina lake is an easy forty minutes from the car park.

## The return on the 24th

On the afternoon of the 24th the AP-7 and C-16 towards Barcelona are heavy, and the Andorra border has a queue at La Seu. Return after dinner or leave early the next day. On the morning of the 24th, on the other hand, the city sleeps: it is a good time to head to the coast by train, when the revetlla crowd has not yet got up.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Where can you see falles on Sant Joan night near Barcelona?
In Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany, with the Flama del Canigó and the falles coming down through the centre, and in Les, in Aran, where the Haro is burned in the square. They are three and four hours away by car.

### Is it a good time for swimming on the coast?
Yes. At the end of June the water is already warm and the beaches of Sitges and Garraf do not yet have the July and August crowds. Go on the R2 Sud so you do not have to look for parking.

### What is best to book furthest ahead?
Accommodation in Andorra and Aran, which fills for the revetlla. Then the Empordà balloon, the Alquézar walkways and the Lakes Train.

### Is there snow in the Pyrenees at Sant Joan?
There may be some on the peaks and the highest lakes, especially after a winter of heavy snow. The Tristaina ones are considered open from late June to late September.