# December long weekend from Girona: nativity scenes, spas and monasteries for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception Seven getaways and plans from Girona for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception: the Fira del Pessebre in the Garrotxa, the Vic and Caldes markets, the Escolania, Ripoll, Cardona and the Cerdanya if it snows. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/girona/getaways/december-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Girona - [A getaway to Besalú and the volcanic Garrotxa, with a balloon flight](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/besalu/itineraries/besalu-garrotxa-one-night-balloon.md) (1 night, Besalú): Olot, twenty minutes from Besalú, holds its Fira del Pessebre in early December, with a Christmas market and a figures market in the centre. The date moves with the calendar and does not always reach the 8th: check the council's programme before booking. - [Vic: square, cured meats and inn](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/vic/itineraries/vic-square-and-inn.md) (Day itinerary, Vic): On the Immaculate Conception long weekend the Medieval Market takes over the Plaça Major and the streets of Vic's old town with hundreds of stalls, taverns and tournaments. Do the plan in reverse: Sert's cathedral first thing and the market afterwards. - [Caldes de Montbui: Roman baths and a thermal soak](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/caldes-de-montbui/itineraries/roman-baths-and-el-safareig-soak.md) (Day itinerary, Caldes de Montbui): On the days of the Mercat de Nadal, which Caldes sets up on the December long weekend, broth made with thermal water is served in the square. But on those days there is no guided visit to the Roman baths: the plan swaps that stop for the market and the bath. - [Ripoll: two monasteries and a greenway](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/ripoll/itineraries/ripoll-monasteries-and-greenway-from-manresa.md) (Day itinerary, Ripoll): In winter the Ripoll monastery opens on Sundays and some holidays only from 10:00 to 14:00, and needs confirming by phone: on 6 and 8 December, start with the portal. The greenway is flat and, if it freezes, remains passable. - [Montserrat: flat path and mató](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montserrat/itineraries/montserrat-flat-path-and-mato.md) (Day itinerary, Montserrat): On 6 and 8 December the Escolania sings at the eleven o'clock Mass and at vespers; on the 7th only the midday Salve, which requires booking. Go up on the first rack railway and leave the Sant Miquel viewpoint until after the singing. - [A ski weekend in the Cerdanya, an hour and three quarters from Barcelona](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/cerdanya/itineraries/cerdanya-ski-weekend-from-barcelona.md) (2 nights, Cerdanya): Masella and La Molina open the season when the snow allows, and on the long weekend they may be in full swing or have few pistes. Masella discounts the lift pass bought on its website; the night piste only runs with the resort open. - [Two nights at the Parador de Cardona, inside the castle, with the Salt Mountain and Solsona](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/cardona/itineraries/two-nights-inside-the-castle-cardona.md) (2 nights, Cardona): From 5 December Cardona castle runs a guided Medieval Christmas visit, with booking and a set time. The castle and the Salt Mountain close on non-holiday Mondays, so on a long weekend put the mine on the 6th or 8th. Girona sets out on the December long weekend with Christmas already lit at home and half of Catalonia less than two hours away. Between Constitution Day, the 6th, and the Immaculate Conception, the 8th, the province and its neighbours set up the fairs that open the nativity-scene season, and the Pyrenees begin to look to the sky. What you choose depends above all on how many nights you have. ## One night or three, depending on the calendar Four free days rarely come together. With one day, stay close: Besalú and the Garrotxa are under forty minutes away and Vic an hour. With two, one night away is enough for Besalú and Olot or for Caldes de Montbui. With three or four, the two-night getaways pay off: the castle of Cardona or the Cerdanya if it has snowed. If the 6th falls on a Sunday, some regions move the holiday to Monday. Before booking, check that year's working calendar for Catalonia. ## The first weekend of nativity scenes The nativity tradition weighs heavily in the Garrotxa. Olot, with its religious imagery workshops, holds the Fira del Pessebre in early December: stalls of figures, moss and cork, and a Christmas market in the centre. The date moves with the calendar, sometimes from the 5th to the 7th and sometimes up to the 8th, so check the municipal programme before booking the night in Besalú. Besalú, twenty minutes away, switches on its lights with a video-mapping show over the old town. The living nativity scenes, on the other hand, come later: the one in Rupit is held at Christmas or in early January, not on the long weekend. ## Two markets at the same time Vic and Caldes de Montbui hold their markets on the same days, and there is no time to see both properly in a single day. The Vic Medieval Market is a street one, with taverns, craftspeople and tournaments; the Caldes Mercat de Nadal is smaller, with wooden stalls and a handout of broth and carn d'olla made with thermal water. If you go with small children, Caldes is more manageable, and afterwards there is a hot bath. ## If there is snow in the Cerdanya From Girona, the Cerdanya is two hours away via Ripoll and the Collado de Toses. Masella and La Molina open when the snow allows, and on the long weekend they may be in full swing or have few pistes. If the report is weak, the getaway is still good for snowshoeing through the woods or for a stroll round Puigcerdà lake. Bring chains: with the first snowfall, the Collado de Toses may require them. ## Nativity scenes at children's height The easiest is whatever has short hours and room to move around. The Caldes thermal bath lasts an hour, and during the Mercat de Nadal there are children's workshops in the square. In Olot, the nativity fair appeals to children: stalls of figures, moss and cork at their height. At Montserrat, the Escolania sings the Salve and Virolai in a few minutes: it is easier than a whole Mass. ## What to book first In the Garrotxa, accommodation: Besalú has few beds and on the long weekend it fills. The balloon flight depends on the wind: book it with a day's margin. In Cardona, the parador, whose weekend rooms sell out early. For Montserrat, if you want to hear the midday Salve on a weekday, book on the sanctuary's website. ## Beech woods and rice fields, at another time The Fageda d'en Jordà beech wood is for October and November; in December it is already bare. The rice fields of Pals and the Sant Feliu coast are for spring to autumn. And the Cement Train, in the Berguedà, stops in winter. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### When is the Olot Fira del Pessebre? In early December, around the long weekend. The dates change each year with the calendar: Olot Town Hall publishes them. ### Can you ski from Girona on the December long weekend? If it has snowed. The Cerdanya is about two hours away; Masella and La Molina open depending on the snow. Check the report the night before. ### What is there to do near Girona on 8 December? Vic has the Medieval Market, Caldes its Christmas market and Montserrat the Escolania at Mass and vespers.