# Two nights at the Parador de Cardona, inside the castle, with the Salt Mountain and Solsona Two nights at the Cardona castle parador, with the collegiate church once the visitors leave, the Salt Mountain gallery and the Solsona museum. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/cardona/itineraries/two-nights-inside-the-castle-cardona · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Dónde: Cardona Cardona has two things that are not seen together anywhere else: a castle from the year 886 on top of a hill and, below it, a mountain of salt that was mined until 1990. The parador occupies the fortress, so this getaway consists of sleeping inside the monument and using the days to go down the mine, walk round the town and visit Solsona. From Barcelona it is an hour and twenty by car. ## Why sleep up there The Parador de Cardona is inside the complex, next to the collegiate church of Sant Vicenç and the Minyona tower. Visitors walk round the courtyard, the cloister and the bastions until the castle closes, at 17:30 from October to April, at 19:00 from May to September and at 15:00 on Sundays. After that, the fortress is left to the guests. The standard double starts from €104 a night without breakfast on its calendar; the canopy suites cost quite a bit more. Free parking at the door, with an electric charger. Dogs are not accepted. ## Castle, mine and Solsona ## The budget for a couple Between €220 and €380 per person as a couple: two nights in a standard double, two dinners, two lunches, the castle, the mine, the guided visit of the town and the Solsona museum. In a suite, add quite a bit; midweek the parador's price drops. ## If you go as a family The castle is free up to age 16 and in the mine children pay €6 from 5 to 11. Paradores offers a free cot up to age 2 and an extra bed up to 12, except on dates such as Easter and summer. At weekends there are family visits in Catalan, the Minyona tower one in the castle and GeoTok in the mine. ## El plan ### Friday · 16:00 · The castle before closing time Leave the car at the parador and join the self-guided visit of the castle and collegiate church, €6 (free up to age 16). The Romanesque crypt and cloister are best seen in the low afternoon light. ### Friday · 18:00 · The viewpoints A free walk along the bastions, the Camí Vell and the north viewpoint, from where you see the whole Salt Mountain, white and pink beside the Cardener. ### Friday · 20:00 · Dinner in the refectory The parador restaurant serves Catalan cooking from the Bages under pointed arches, from 20:00 to 22:30. ### Saturday · 10:30 · Salt Mountain A one-hour guided visit to the gallery of the old Mina Nieves, 86 metres underground, with a helmet. €12.75 for adults and €6 for ages 5 to 11. Inside it is 17 or 18 °C: bring a jacket in summer. No pushchairs or dogs. ### Saturday · 13:30 · Lunch at La Premsa A house from 1637 in La Coromina, five minutes by car, with a cellar under vaults. Open at midday from Wednesday to Sunday; book ahead. ### Saturday · 17:00 · The medieval town From the Plaça de la Fira to Sant Miquel. At weekends there is a guided visit for €5.50, and the Josep Arnau Salt Museum costs €4. ### Sunday · 11:00 · Solsona 20 km away, about twenty minutes. The cathedral and the diocesan museum, with one of the great Romanesque collections in Catalonia, €5; on Sunday it opens from 11:00 to 14:00. Lunch in Solsona and the drive home. ## Consejos ### Choose your time for the mine when buying The departures are chosen on the Cardona Turisme website; for Saturday, buy it days ahead. ### Climb the bastion after dinner With the castle closed to the public, the night view over the town is only for those who sleep inside. ### If you travel in July or August There is a sunset visit to the castle on Thursdays in Catalan and on Saturdays in Spanish, at 19:00, for €9. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can I visit the castle without sleeping at the parador? Yes, Tuesday to Sunday: €6 self-guided or €8.75 with a guide. ### Does the Parador de Cardona accept dogs? No. Only guide dogs. Outside the castle, the viewpoints and streets can be walked with the dog on a lead. ### How long does the Salt Mountain visit last? An hour, 86 metres underground, with a compulsory helmet. ### Which day is it best not to go? Monday: the castle and mine close on non-holiday Mondays.