Queralt Viewpoints Path

What it is

It is a short walk from the Queralt sanctuary, perched about 1,150 m above Berga, along the viewpoints path that runs along the edge of the range to the west. With no significant climb and a well-marked path, in an hour round trip you pass the cave where, according to tradition, the Virgin appeared, two viewpoints over the valley and the chapel of Sant Joan. Turisme del Berguedà calls Queralt the balcony of Catalonia: to the north you see the Pre-Pyrenean ranges, and to the south, the plain down which the Llobregat flows.

The sanctuary

The first sanctuary was ordered to be built in 1386 by the merchant Francesc Garreta. The present church was begun in 1725 and opened in 1741. In the 19th century it was used as a fortress and prison, and in the Civil War its altarpiece was burned; the facade and roof were rebuilt in 1966 to a design by José Antonio Coderch. Inside is venerated a 14th-century Gothic wooden carving, a seated Virgin about 50 cm tall.

The legend tells that a shepherd from Vilaformiu found the image on the crag because his ox knelt before it. He took it away several times in his satchel and the image always returned to the rock, so the villagers built a chapel for it there.

The path step by step

1. Start: from the sanctuary, take the viewpoints path to the west.
2. Cova de la Troballa (Holy Cave), about ten minutes along: a chapel built against the rock, with arches and pillars below and the natural crag above. It was rebuilt from 1916 to a design by J. M. Forcada.
3. Viewpoints: the path passes two viewpoints over the valley. At the Mirador d'en Garreta is the chapel of Sant Ignasi, from 1946.
4. Chapel of Sant Joan, about 25 minutes from the sanctuary, on the Pla de la Rateta, behind the Castell Berguedà. It was built in 1927 by Mosén Josep Postius.
5. Return: by the same path or by the Font del Bou, closing a small loop.

Getting there and parking

The sanctuary is 6 km from Berga on the Queralt road, about 12 minutes by car. Leave the car in the sanctuary car park, at the end of the road. From the car parks there is a short funicular to the sanctuary; if it is not running, the stretch is climbed on foot in a few minutes.

If you prefer to walk there, the walk up to Queralt from Berga is 5.5 km circular with 426 m of ascent.

When to go

Any season will do. At first light or at sunset the light over the valley is better and there are fewer people. In winter, with clean air after a front, the view reaches further. In summer, with haze, you see less, but it is cooler up there than in Berga.

With children, a dog and accessibility

It is a walk suitable for children who can walk, although the edge at the viewpoints is a sheer drop: hold their hands on those stretches. With a dog, on a lead. With a pushchair or wheelchair, the path is narrow and stony; stay on the sanctuary esplanade, which already has views.

Where to eat

Next to the funicular station there is a restaurant in the former hostel building of the sanctuary; confirm it is open on the day you go. In Berga, twelve minutes away, La Cabana serves seasonal Berguedà cooking.