Sant Pere, Sant Vicenç and plaça de la Llibertat

What it is

It is the walk through the heart of Besalú, from the monastery of Sant Pere, on its wide square, to the church of Sant Vicenç and plaça de la Llibertat, with the old pilgrims' hospital of Sant Julià and Casa Cornellà on the way. From outside it can be seen free and with no timetable; allow an hour and a half at a relaxed pace. The old town is a property of national cultural interest and the scale of its buildings is explained by history: Besalú was the capital of an independent county from the 10th century until 1111, when it passed to the county of Barcelona.

What to see, step by step

1. Plaça del Prat de Sant Pere: an open esplanade, unusual in so tight a medieval old town. It is where the market of the medieval festival is set up.
2. Monastery of Sant Pere: founded in 977 by Count and Bishop Miró Bonfill, and the church was consecrated in 1003 with the support of Count Bernat Tallaferro; the present building is a reconstruction from around 1060. On the façade, a three-arched window with two high-relief lions on either side. Inside, three naves, a transept and an ambulatory with four pairs of columns whose capitals show Daniel among the lions, Herod advised by the devil and the massacre of the innocents. The bell tower dates from 1649. Of the monastery, suppressed in 1835, only the church remains, today the village parish, and little of the Gothic cloister. It has been a property of national cultural interest since 1931.
3. Casa Cornellà, also on the Prat de Sant Pere: a house with later alterations, bearing the dates 1641 and 1783 carved on it.
4. Hospital de Sant Julià: the old pilgrims' hospital, with a Romanesque façade on the church.
5. Church of Sant Vicenç: documented in the 10th century, it was the old parish church. In the 12th century the new wall left the Jewish call and this church inside it.
6. Plaça de la Llibertat, the old main square, arcaded. Its Gothic building is attributed to the Cúria Reial, which preserves a Gothic hall.
7. If you still have energy, climb to Santa Maria, on the hill where the count's castle stood, documented since the 10th century.

Visiting the interiors

The churches of Sant Pere and Sant Vicenç open at times of worship and with the guided visits from the tourist office. The Descobreix el Besalú Medieval visit leaves at weekends at 12:00, lasts 75 minutes and costs €5; on Saturdays at the same time there is another, free and dramatised, Entre pedres i cavallers. In July and August, on Wednesdays, there are dramatised night visits in Catalan. Book by phone or email, because places are limited.

In the old monastery building, on the same square, the Fundació de les Arts del Circ is preparing Circusland, a centre dedicated to the circus. Check on its website whether it can be visited yet.

Getting there and parking

The old town has regulated traffic and only residents may park inside. Leave the car outside, for example in the Pont Vell car park that the Town Council indicates, and walk in over the fortified bridge. By bus, TEISA comes from Girona and Olot.

When to go

In the morning on weekdays the town is quiet and the light falls well on plaça de Sant Pere. At weekends and in summer, at midday, the streets fill up. On the last weekend of August Besalú Medieval is held, with the market on the Prat de Sant Pere.

With children, with a pushchair and accessibility

The route is short and without big climbs up to plaça de la Llibertat; the climb to Santa Maria does have a slope. The streets are cobbled: with a pushchair you get by, in a wheelchair it is hard in some stretches. With children, plaça de Sant Pere gives room to run and the Saturday dramatised visit helps them understand what they see.

Where to eat and sleep

On plaça de la Llibertat, Curia Reial occupies a 13th- and 14th-century building, with a terrace and children's menu. To sleep in the old town, the Hotel 3 Arcs is small and right in the centre.