# Diada long weekend from Girona: getaways for 11 September Three getaways with a night away and four day trips from Girona for 11 September, the Diada: the Penedès, Empordà and Priorat harvest, the medieval Empordà as calm returns, Besalú and Castellfollit, and Montserrat on horseback before autumn. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/girona/getaways/diada-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Girona - [Two nights at the Cava & Hotel Mastinell, in Vilafranca, with the cava cellars of Sant Sadurní by train](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/penedes/itineraries/two-nights-in-a-cava-winery-by-train-penedes.md) (2 nights, Penedès): The Diada falls in the middle of the Penedès harvest, when the cellars work day and night with the grapes coming in. The hotel serves its gastronomic menu on the eve of the holiday: book the table for 10 September along with the room. - [A weekend in the medieval Empordà, based in Peratallada](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/peratallada/itineraries/medieval-weekend-peratallada-emporda.md) (2 nights, Peratallada): In September the stone villages of the Baix Empordà empty of summer people and the sea is still warm. From September to February the balloon goes up only at weekends: if the 11th falls midweek, it flies on Saturday. - [Peralada: Dalí, winery and mill](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/peralada/itineraries/peralada-dali-museum-and-winery-from-girona.md) (Day itinerary, Peralada): In September the Empordà vineyards are in harvest, and the Perelada winery shows the grapes coming in. The Dalí Theatre-Museum moves off summer hours: buy a timed ticket and start there first thing. - [A weekend in Siurana and the Priorat: cliff, reservoir and vineyards](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/siurana/itineraries/siurana-priorat-weekend-vineyards-reservoir.md) (2 nights, Siurana): In September the Priorat garnacha is harvested and the kayak on the reservoir opens on autumn weekends. The 4x4 route among vineyards goes out with a single vehicle: book it before the room. - [Besalú: bridge, Jewish quarter and basalt](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/besalu/itineraries/besalu-bridge-jewish-quarter-and-castellfollit.md) (Day itinerary, Besalú): After the Besalú Medieval festival, at the end of August, the village returns to calm and in September it is strolled without the heat. The fortified bridge and the Jewish quarter are seen on foot, and Castellfollit is fifteen minutes away. - [Penedès: cava and a table among the vines](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/penedes/itineraries/penedes-cava-and-vineyard-lunch.md) (Day itinerary, Penedès): On harvest Sundays the Penedès wineries with tables fill, and a holiday in September is like a Sunday. Book the visit and lunch with days to spare, and go by train: that way nobody drives after the tasting. - [Montserrat: horse, table and rack railway](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montserrat/itineraries/horse-riding-lunch-and-rack-railway.md) (Day itinerary, Montserrat): September opens the good season for horse riding at the foot of Montserrat, without August's heat. The Escolania sings again after its summer holidays; the rack railway from Monistrol goes up in a quarter of an hour. ## A holiday with the grapes coming in The Diada Nacional de Catalunya, 11 September, is a holiday across the region and falls in the heart of the harvest. In the Empordà, the Penedès and the Priorat grapes are picked from late August to October, and in these days the wineries have trailers at the door and tanks fermenting. That is why, from Girona, this long weekend looks to the vines: those of Perelada, 45 minutes away; those of the Penedès, an hour and a half; those of the Priorat, three hours. The 11th falls on a different day each year. On a Friday or Monday it is three days; midweek, some people take the bridge day and some do not. With a single day, Perelada or Besalú. ## Events in the morning of the 11th, afternoon free The Diada has events in the morning in almost every village: flower offerings, sardanas and, in the cities, demonstrations that close streets. In Barcelona, the streets along the route are closed to traffic for much of the day, and in Girona there are events in the Barri Vell. If you leave that same day, do so early; if you return to Girona, arrive in the afternoon. In small villages the festival is brief and restaurants open as on a Sunday. ## The Empordà, returned September is, for many, the best month of the Baix Empordà: the water is still warm, the summer tourists have gone and the stone villages return to their rhythm. With two nights in Peratallada you can combine the Iberian city of Ullastret, the dolmens of the Gavarres and an afternoon on the beach. Watch out for the balloon: from September it goes up only at weekends. ## Harvest in the Penedès and the Priorat In the Penedès, a Vilafranca cellar with a hotel lets you do the getaway without a car, with the Sant Sadurní cellars by train. In the Priorat, Siurana combines the Moorish crag, the reservoir by kayak and the garnacha vineyards by off-road vehicle. Timed harvest visits are booked a week ahead in either region. ## If you only have the 11th With a single day, the Alt Empordà gives the best return: the Dalí Theatre-Museum and the Perelada winery less than an hour away, with the harvest under way around the mill where you eat. The other option is the Garrotxa: Besalú in the morning, lunch facing the Fluvià and, in the afternoon, the basalt balcony of Castellfollit de la Roca. Both are done without a motorway and you return in daylight, which in September still lasts until half past eight. ## September, still summer At midday it is hot in the Penedès and the Priorat; the Trona ledge, in Siurana, has no shade and is done in the morning. Afternoons can end in storms: it is the season of the first cold drops over the Mediterranean. In the Empordà, September's tramuntana clears the sky and cools the night. ## Ponies, must and walls with children The Iberian city of Ullastret and the old town of Besalú are toured on foot and are flat. In the wineries, children taste must, and at harvest they see how the grapes come in. The Montserrat horse ride has ponies for the little ones, and the Siurana kayak admits children; the ledge, better from age ten. ## The Diada return The return traffic coincides with the return from late holidays, and the AP-7 towards Girona gets heavy on the last day from five o'clock. From the Priorat, leave after lunch. And if you are going to Barcelona by train, check the 11th's timetables: some services change because of the events. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is the Diada a holiday in Girona? Yes, 11 September is a holiday across Catalonia. ### Can you see the grape harvest? Yes: in September the Empordà, Penedès and Priorat wineries are in full harvest. Book the timed visit.