Restaurant Oliveras
What to order: the midday Catalan buffet.
Carrer Pau Clarís 13 · open every day at midday · 972 590 392
geocalia
Day itinerary · 42.20° N · 2.70° E
The Fageda beech forest in autumn, with the Besalú bridge and its buffet.
A morning in medieval Besalú, a Catalan buffet lunch and, in the afternoon, a guided walk through the beech forest on lava with a farm visit and tasting. 40 minutes from Girona.
Leaving from
Part of BesalúUnusual places to stay in Spain
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car30 min each way
Walking1 h 30 with the guide · little ascent
DifficultyEasy
Cost€40–55 pp
Best timeLate October – mid-November
With childrenYes, even small ones
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Girona 30 min by car
from Girona via the A-26; park outside the old town
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1
The fortified bridge over the Fluvià
the seven-arch bridge and the 1390 tower · free
- 2 min on foot
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2
The Jewish quarter, the synagogue and the mikveh
the mikveh, with the tourist office's guided tour
- 12 min on foot
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3
Restaurant Oliveras
Catalan buffet · aperitif included on Sunday · €€ · booking
Carrer Pau Claris, 13, Besalú · +34 972 590 392
Restaurant €€Book - 30 min by car27,6 km
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4
La Fageda d'en Jordà, the Beech Wood on Lava
La Fageda on the way, 25 min via Olot · 1 h 30 · €12 · booking on its website
+34 972 681 011
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Back home
You reach Girona around 18:00
Approximate cost
About €30–45 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The fortified bridge over the Fluvià
The Fageda d'en Jordà is the strangest beech forest in Catalonia: it grows at only 550 metres, on the lava of the Croscat volcano, and the ground undulates between mounds covered in leaves. In autumn it turns copper. This plan pairs it with Besalú, 25 minutes away: the medieval bridge in the morning, a Catalan-cooking buffet at midday and, in the afternoon, the guided visit by the La Fageda cooperative, which takes you into the forest and then into its farm.
The day, hour by hour
9:30 · Set off. From Girona, 40 minutes on the A-26. Besalú's old town reserves parking for residents: leave the car in the car parks at the entrance.
10:15 · The fortified bridge. Seven arches over the Fluvià with a tower of 1390 in the middle. Cross it on foot and go down to the bank to see it whole.
11:00 · The call and the micvé. The Romanesque Jewish ritual bath can only be seen inside on the guided visit that leaves from the tourist office; ask there for the Sunday time. If it does not fit, stroll the old town to Plaça Major and Sant Pere.
12:45 · Lunch at the Oliveras. A buffet of home-style Catalan cooking on carrer Pau Claris, five minutes' walk from the old town. Open daily at midday and at weekends it includes an aperitif, a drink and coffee. Book on 972 590 392.
14:30 · To Santa Pau. Via Olot and the GI-524: about 25 minutes. The La Fageda farm is inside the beech forest.
15:00 · La Fageda en ruta. An hour and a half with a guide: a short walk through the nearest part of the forest, with an explanation of the lava, the beeches and the wildlife; then the farm, how they make their yoghurts and a tasting with products from other small producers. It costs €12 per adult and €8 for ages 6 to 11; under-6s do not pay. Booking only on their website.
17:00 · Head home. In Girona around six; in Barcelona, around a quarter to seven.
If you want to walk more
Go straight to Can Serra at 9:30 and do route 1 of the Natural Park: about 11 km through the Fageda, the Santa Margarida crater, with the hermitage inside, and the Croscat. It is about four hours at a good pace. Have lunch afterwards in Besalú and leave the farm visit for another day.
Autumn in the Fageda
On colour Sundays, the Can Serra car park fills up before eleven and the park puts staff on to direct the cars. That is why this plan goes to the Fageda in the afternoon, with the visit booked. The leaves fall early if it is windy: if you want the forest at its best, look at the park's recent photos the week before.
Time20 min
Change the route
If you have light left: the village on the basalt, 15 minutes away, on the way back:
Castellfollit de la Roca, a village on the edge of the basalt
For a special day: balloon at dawn over the volcanoes:
Hot-air balloon flight over the Garrotxa volcanoes from Santa Pau
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Curia Reial
What to order: lunch on plaça de la Llibertat, in the heart of the old town.
Plaça de la Llibertat 8-9 · 972 59 02 63
Can Nou
What to order: outside the old town, on the Olot road, to eat without the queues at the bridge.
Carretera d'Olot 20 · 972 590 085
Restaurant Pont Vell
What to order: the seasonal menu, with produce from the Banyoles market.
Carrer del Pont Vell 24 · closed Monday and Tuesday; lunches Wednesday to Sunday and dinners only on Saturday · 972 591 027
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Besalú
The beech forest changes colour between late October and mid-November, depending on the year. The guided La Fageda visit runs at weekends and public holidays at 15:00, with booking.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the visit before the table
The 15:00 places are limited; with the visit confirmed, book a table at the Oliveras.
- 2Bring a coat for the afternoon
In November, by five it is already cool in the forest and it gets dark early.
- 3With a pushchair, the other visit
La Fageda en ruta is not adapted for pushchairs; the Visita Fageda, without the walk through the forest, is.
We'd skip it
If it rains hard: the walk is cut short and wet leaves are slippery. Keep Besalú and lunch, and swap the Fageda for Castellfollit.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
The La Fageda visit, €12 per adult and €8 for ages 6 to 11. They give you the price of the Oliveras buffet when you book. Reckon between €40 and €55 per person.
When is the beech forest in colour?
From late October to mid-November, depending on the year.
Is it a good plan with children?
Yes: the walk is short, the farm has cows and calves, and they love Besalú. For ages 3 to 8, La Fageda also has a little farmers visit.
Can you go without a car?
Besalú has a bus from Girona, but the Fageda is far from the stops: this plan needs a car.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/besalu/itineraries/fageda-den-jorda-in-autumn
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.