# Sant Joan long weekend from Girona: getaways for the verbena and Sant Joan Three getaways with a night away and four day trips from Girona for Sant Joan, 24 June: the verbena the night before and then Carcassonne before summer, Núria lake, a balloon over the volcanoes, Pals with a still-quiet beach and Montsoriu's last month. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/girona/getaways/sant-joan-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Girona - [A weekend in Carcassonne: the Cité, the Canal du Midi and a Cathar castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/occitanie/carcassonne/itineraries/weekend-cite-from-girona.md) (2 nights, Carcassonne): In June the Cité has the longest afternoons of the year and not yet the heat or the groups of July and August. 24 June is not a holiday in France: midweek, the citadel is seen with fewer people than on any French long weekend. - [A weekend in the Ripollès: Romanesque monasteries and the Núria rack railway](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/ripoll/itineraries/ripolles-romanesque-monasteries-and-nuria.md) (2 nights, Ripoll): At the end of June the Núria valley no longer has snow and the lake and meadows are green. The Rack Railway has its summer timetable and is bought online; the Ter greenway, in the morning shade, goes well after the verbena. - [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): In June the balloon takes off with the first light, before seven, and the Garrotxa is at its most intense green. Sleep in Besalú on Sant Joan night if you want to fly: on the morning of the 24th the sky is usually calm. - [Pals: rice fields, Gothic quarter and beach](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/pals/itineraries/pals-rice-fields-gothic-quarter-and-beach.md) (Day itinerary, Pals): June is the last month when Pals beach can be parked at without getting up early: in July and August the coast fills. The rice fields are already tall and green; book the little train, which has limited places. - [Montseny: Gothic castle and chestnuts](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montseny/itineraries/montsoriu-castle-and-chestnut-lunch-from-girona.md) (Day itinerary, Montseny): Montsoriu castle closes in July and does not reopen until the first weekend of September, so June holidays are the last passes before summer. Book it: the door closes when the visit starts. - [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): In June the Penedès vines are in full green and wineries with tables serve outside. On spring Sundays those tables fill: book with days to spare, and better by train so nobody drives. - [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): From May to August the Empordà balloon goes up every day at 6:30, on Sant Joan morning too. June is the month of mild nights in the Peratallada courtyard, before the coast's visitors arrive. ## The night matters more than the day Sant Joan, 24 June, is a holiday across Catalonia, but what counts is the night before. On the night of the 23rd bonfires are lit in the squares, coca is eaten and firecrackers are set off late, and the Flama del Canigó, which comes down from the French summit, reaches the villages to light the fires. That is why this long weekend is planned the other way round from the others: the night of the 23rd wherever you want to spend the verbena, and the getaway afterwards, with the morning of the 24th for sleeping or for getting up early for a balloon. When the 24th falls on a Monday or Friday, it is three days; when it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many people take the bridge day. And if it falls on a Wednesday, there is the single day, enough for Pals or the Montseny. ## Verbena in the village or on the beach In Girona, the verbena is neighbourhood and square. On the coast, the beaches of the Baix Empordà fill with groups with small bonfires and music until dawn; if that is what you want, the beach at Pals is fifty minutes away. If you prefer a quiet night, the stone villages have their bonfire in the square and go to bed early: Peratallada and Besalú are good for sleeping there and flying the next day. ## Before summer, not in summer June is the province's best-value month: days of fifteen hours of light, the sea can be touched and the coast does not yet have July's crowd. It is the last month with Montsoriu castle open before the summer closure, and the first in which the Núria valley is free of snow. On the other side of the border, the 24th is not a holiday. The Cité of Carcassonne is seen on a French working day, and the long afternoons allow the rampart walk at dusk, close to ten o'clock. ## What to book Rooms for the night of the 23rd on the coast go early: if you are going to the beach, book them in spring. The balloon, on the other hand, depends on the wind and is confirmed the night before. In the Penedès, outdoor tables on June Sundays fill days ahead, and the Pals little train has quotas. ## Midday heat and afternoon storms At the end of June it is already hot at midday in the Empordà; in the Ripollès and Núria, at 2,000 metres, afternoons can bring storms: start walks early and come down if the sky closes in. The sea is mild, but not warm. Bring sun protection to the mountains too. ## Firecrackers, lake and rice fields with children The verbena is their night: small firecrackers, bonfires and coca. Afterwards, Núria lake and its meadows, the rice-field little train and Pals beach work at any age. The balloon admits children depending on the company; ask the minimum age when you book. ## Empty roads on the morning of the 24th The coastal roads dawn quiet on the 24th, and in the afternoon they fill on the way back: the C-66 and AP-7 from the coast, from six o'clock. If you cross into France, the AP-7 towards La Jonquera is light on a holiday that is not one there. And beware of the wind: with a strong tramuntana, town councils may ban beach bonfires. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is Sant Joan a holiday in Girona? Yes, 24 June is a holiday across Catalonia. The big celebration is the night of the 23rd, the verbena. ### Can you go to Carcassonne for Sant Joan? Yes: there it is a working day and the Cité has fewer people than on a French long weekend.