# Sunday in Besalú: the Bridge, the Jewish Quarter and Castellfollit de la Roca The fortified bridge, the Jewish quarter and Sant Pere in the morning, lunch facing the Fluvià and, in the afternoon, the village hanging from the basalt. 40 minutes from Girona. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/besalu/itineraries/besalu-bridge-jewish-quarter-and-castellfollit · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:30 · Salida: 30 min by car (from Girona via the N-260 and the C-66, about 40 min) - 10:15 · The fortified bridge over the Fluvià (Enter on foot by the bridge · 20 min) - 2 min on foot - 10:45 · The Jewish quarter, the synagogue and the mikveh (Call, synagogue and mikveh · the interior, with the tourist office's tour) - 4 min on foot - 12:00 · Sant Pere, Sant Vicenç and plaça de la Llibertat (Sant Pere, Sant Vicenç and Plaça de la Llibertat · 1 h 30) - 4 min on foot - 14:00 · Restaurant Pont Vell (Pont Vell · seasonal Catalan cooking facing the bridge · €€€ · booking required) · Restaurant Pont Vell, €€€ - 15 min by car, 14,4 km - 16:30 · Castellfollit de la Roca, a village on the edge of the basalt (15 min by car towards Olot · viewpoint and view of the cliff face) - 17:45 · Vuelta (In Girona around 18:30) Besalú fits into a morning and that is the beauty of it: there is no need to rush. You enter over the fortified bridge across the Fluvià, go down to the Jewish quarter, cross the two squares and sit down to lunch with the bridge in front of you. In the afternoon, fifteen minutes by car towards Olot, you look out over Castellfollit de la Roca, a village built on a wall of basalt. From Girona it is forty minutes; from Barcelona, an hour and forty. ## The Day, Hour by Hour 9:30 · Departure. From Girona, take the N-260 towards Banyoles and the C-66 to Besalú, about 40 minutes. From Barcelona, the AP-7 to Girona and the same route: a little over an hour and a half. The old town has restricted traffic and the car park inside is for residents. Leave the car in the car parks outside, on the other side of the river, and walk in. 10:15 · The fortified bridge. Seven uneven arches resting on the rocks of the riverbed and a hexagonal tower halfway across. What you see is almost all Gothic, rebuilt after floods and wars, and restored in 1965. Cross it slowly and then go down to the bank to see it from the side: it is the photo everyone takes home. The tourist office is at the entrance to the bridge, on Carrer del Pont; pick up the map there and ask about the day's tour. 10:45 · The Jewish quarter, synagogue and mikveh. By the river, a few steps from the bridge, is the former Jewish quarter. You can see the excavated remains of the synagogue, and beneath it is the mikveh, the Romanesque ritual bath that turned up by chance in 1964: a vaulted chamber with a stairway going down to the pool. The interior can only be visited with a guide from the tourist office, which runs tours every day in several languages. Call beforehand or ask on arrival whether that day's tour includes the mikveh. 12:00 · Sant Pere, Sant Vicenç and Plaça de la Llibertat. Walk up Carrer del Pont and Carrer Major. First the Plaça del Prat de Sant Pere, open and spacious, with the monastery church founded by Count Miró in 977 and its lions on the façade. Then Sant Vicenç and the arcaded Plaça de la Llibertat, with the town hall. From the outside everything can be seen free and with no opening hours. An hour and a half gives you time to look around at leisure and have a coffee in the square. 14:00 · Lunch at Pont Vell. At the foot of the bridge, with the dining room facing the river. It opened in 1981 and is now run by the second generation: Anna Mercadé in the dining room and on the wines, Robert Mora in the kitchen, who goes to the Banyoles market every week. It is open at midday from Wednesday to Sunday, with last seating at 15:00, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Book: it is small and fills up on Sundays. 16:30 · Castellfollit de la Roca. Fifteen minutes by car towards Olot. The village sits on the edge of a basalt cliff more than fifty metres high: two lava flows from some two hundred thousand years ago that the Fluvià and the Toronell have been cutting through. Climb to Plaça de Josep Pla, at the end of the village, to look out over the drop, then stop at the signposted lay-by on the road, on the way out, to see the whole wall from below. It is free and an hour is plenty. 17:45 · Return. In Girona around half past six; in Barcelona, shortly before eight. ## What to Order Pont Vell works with a seasonal set menu, with an aperitif, starter, main course and dessert to choose from, and a short à la carte list. In autumn, the speciality is sweet-and-sour rabbit with raisins, pine nuts and baked apple; there are also free-range chicken cannelloni, autumn rice with duck sweetbreads and mushrooms, for two, and oxtail in Empordà red wine. For dessert, bread with oil, chocolate and salt. If you are with children or in a hurry, Restaurant Oliveras, at the entrance to the village, serves an all-you-can-eat Catalan buffet every day at midday, from 12:30 to 16:00, with the aperitif included at weekends. ## With Children and Dogs Besalú works with children: everything is flat, the bridge impresses them and between one stone and the next is the Museu de Miniatures, with pieces you can only see with a magnifying glass. At Castellfollit, the viewpoint has a railing, but keep an eye on them at the edge. With a dog you can do the whole route along the street, on a lead; inside the mikveh and the museum, no. ## Cómo llegar ### By car From Girona, 40 minutes along the N-260 and C-66. From Barcelona, an hour and forty minutes on the AP-7, with a toll. Park outside the old town and walk in over the bridge. ### Without a car The TEISA buses linking Girona and Barcelona with Olot stop in Besalú. Check the Sunday timetables on their website before you set off: there are fewer services than on weekdays. Castellfollit is on the same line, on the way to Olot. ## Consejos ### Arrive before eleven By mid-morning the groups arrive and the bridge fills up with people taking photos. ### Book the mikveh tour It is the only way to go down to the ritual bath. The tourist office is at the entrance to the bridge: 972 59 12 40. ### The photo of the bridge, from below Go down to the bank of the Fluvià on the left of the bridge. In the afternoon, the sun hits it from the side. ### Castellfollit, from the road The view of the whole cliff is from the Olot road, on the way out of the village, not from inside. ## Un consejo más ### If it rains Swap Castellfollit for the Museu de Miniatures, right in the old town, and stretch out lunch. The bridge in mist over the river has its own photo too. ## Cuándo no ir The last weekend of August, if you are looking for a quiet Sunday: it is the Besalú Medieval festival, with jousting under the bridge and the village packed. If you like festivals, that is your Sunday. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Girona? About 40 minutes by car along the N-260 and C-66. From Barcelona, an hour and forty minutes. ### Can you drive into Besalú? Not into the old town: the car park inside is for residents with a permit. Leave the car outside and walk in over the bridge. ### Can you visit the mikveh on your own? No. The interior can only be seen on the guided tour from the tourist office. From the outside, the Jewish quarter and the remains of the synagogue can be seen free of charge. ### How much time do you need for Besalú? Half a day for the bridge, the Jewish quarter and the squares without rushing. With Castellfollit in the afternoon, the whole day. ### Do I need to book for lunch? Yes, especially at Pont Vell, which is small. The Oliveras buffet takes more people, but on Sundays it fills up too. ### Is Castellfollit de la Roca far? About 15 minutes by car, on the Olot road. You can see it in an hour.