# December long weekend from Lleida: stars, snow and castles for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception Six getaways and plans from Lleida for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception: the winter sky of the Montsec, the snow of Andorra, Boí and Benasque, the castle of Cardona and the one at Valderrobres. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/lleida/getaways/december-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Lleida - [Àger collegiate church and a night at the Parc Astronòmic](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montsec-and-ager/itineraries/collegiate-church-telescopes-and-masia-dinner.md) (Day itinerary, Montsec and Àger): The Montsec Astronomical Park opens on the nights of the long weekend with night sessions and some Christmas ones for families, but on 8 December there are no sessions: choose the night before. In December it is fully dark by six, and places sell out weeks ahead. - [Ski weekend at Grandvalira, two and a half hours from Lleida](https://www.geocalia.com/en/andorra/grandvalira/itineraries/grandvalira-ski-weekend-from-lleida.md) (2 nights, Grandvalira): Grandvalira usually opens its season in early December and sells weekend stays for the long weekend with hotel and lift pass. Check the opening date on its website, buy the lift pass online and bring documents: you cross the Andorran customs. - [A ski, Romanesque and spa weekend in the Vall de Boí, two and a half hours from Lleida](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/boi-valley/itineraries/ski-romanesque-spa-weekend-vall-de-boi.md) (2 nights, Vall de Boí): Boí Taüll opens when the snow allows, and the long weekend falls at the very start of the season: check the report the night before. If there are few pistes, the spa afternoons and the Romanesque of the Vall de Boí carry the two nights on their own. - [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 offers a guided Medieval Christmas visit, with booking and a set time. Castle and Salt Mountain close on non-holiday Mondays: if your long weekend has one, leave the mine for the 6th or 8th. - [A weekend in the Matarraña: Valderrobres, Beceite and the Puertos, under two hours from Zaragoza](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/valderrobres-and-matarrana/itineraries/matarranya-valderrobres-beceite-weekend.md) (2 nights, Valderrobres and the Matarraña): On the December long weekend the castle and church at Valderrobres have guided visits every day, without booking and with several sessions; on the 8th, fewer. It is the getaway on this list that depends neither on snow nor on a clear sky. - [Llanos del Hospital: Nordic skiing beneath the Aneto](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/benasque-valley/itineraries/nordic-and-snowshoes-llanos-del-hospital.md) (Day itinerary, Benasque Valley): The Nordic circuits at Llanos del Hospital run from 9:30 to 17:00 when there is snow, and in early December it is wise to check the report. The free public car park at Vado del Hospital is about 400 metres from the hotel. Lleida has the Pyrenees and one of the darkest skies in Catalonia less than three hours away, and the December long weekend arrives just as both get going. Between Constitution Day, the 6th, and the Immaculate Conception, the 8th, the ski resorts try to open and the nights are among the longest of the year. For those who do not want to depend on the snow, there are two castles with winter visits, one on each side of the province. ## Two days or four The long weekend rarely gives everyone four days in a row. If you only have an afternoon, the plan most in keeping with the season is the Montsec, less than an hour away: you leave after lunch and come back home to sleep. The Matarraña and Cardona are done with one night. Snow, in Grandvalira or the Vall de Boí, calls for two for the trip to pay off. ## The December sky The Montsec is a Starlight reserve, and in December the sun sets shortly after half past five. The Àger Astronomical Park opens on the nights of the long weekend, with planetarium sessions, telescopes and some designed for families at Christmas, but on the day of the Immaculate Conception there are no sessions. Tickets sell out, so buy as soon as you know the day. It is very cold on the observation terrace: hat, gloves and ski clothes if you have them. The next day, if you want to walk, the Mont-rebei Gorge has the La Masieta car park open on holidays until mid-December. ## Snow: what opens and what does not In early December no resort has its season assured. Grandvalira usually opens with the first cold and sells stays for the long weekend; Boí Taüll, Port Ainé and Baqueira open depending on the snow. The rule is the same for all: check the opening status the night before and have a plan without pistes. In Boí, the spa and the Romanesque churches cover it; in Benasque, the Llanos del Hospital valley on snowshoes, if there is snow even though you cannot ski. Mountain roads require chains with the first snowfall: the Vielha tunnel, the Bonaigua pass and the access to Andorra via La Seu are the stretches that get most complicated. Check the road status before leaving. ## Castles for a long weekend without snow Cardona and Valderrobres are two hours away, each in a different direction, and both have visits on the long weekend. In Cardona, the castle offers from 5 December a Medieval Christmas visit, and the Salt Mountain is toured wearing a helmet along a mine gallery. In Valderrobres, the castle and the Gothic church have guided passes every day. They are the two getaways on this page that do not depend on the weather. ## Planetarium and snow with children The Astronomical Park's family sessions are the best option with children: they are shorter and start earlier. In the snow, Grandvalira has beginners' areas and a toboggan run in Canillo; at Boí Taüll, the highest resort in the Pyrenees, it is colder: wrap them up well. The Cardona Salt Mountain impresses them: you go in wearing a helmet along a mine gallery; ask the minimum age when you book. ## First, what sells out The Astronomical Park places and the Cardona parador are the first to go. Then the hotels in Soldeu and Taüll on the long weekend, especially if it has snowed the week before. In the Matarraña there are few beds and they fill with Aragonese and Catalans at once. ## What calls for another season The Lakes Train and the via ferrata at La Pobla de Segur are for spring to autumn. Aigüestortes on snowshoes needs settled snow, more typical of January. And the Garonne rafting route, in Aran, is for summer.