# Diada long weekend from Lleida: getaways for 11 September Four getaways with a night away and three day trips from Lleida for 11 September, the Diada: the harvest in Escaladei and the Penedès, the end of summer at the Andorran lakes, Guara on a working day in Aragon, the return of the historic train and Cardona castle. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/lleida/getaways/diada-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Lleida - [Two nights at Terra Dominicata, the winery hotel beside the Escaladei charterhouse, with tastings across the Priorat](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/priorat/itineraries/two-nights-between-charterhouse-and-vineyards-priorat.md) (2 nights, Priorat): In September the Priorat garnacha is harvested around the Escaladei charterhouse, and the winery hotel is in the middle of it. The charterhouse closes on non-holiday Mondays, and the Diada is a holiday: if it falls on a Monday, it opens that day. Book the hotel, meals and tastings first. - [Two summer nights in Andorra: Caldea, the Tristaina lakes and the villages of La Massana](https://www.geocalia.com/en/andorra/andorra-la-vella/itineraries/andorra-summer-baths-and-lakes.md) (2 nights, Andorra la Vella and Escaldes): September is the last month for this lake getaway, before the first snows, and the 11th is not a holiday in Andorra, so Ordino and La Massana are quiet. Bring your ID card and start Tristaina early. - [A weekend in Alquézar: canyoning, walkways and Somontano wine](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/alquezar/itineraries/alquezar-canyoning-walkways-somontano-wine.md) (2 nights, Alquézar and the River Vero): 11 September is a working day in Aragon, and Alquézar empties of the August crowd. September is a good time for canyons, with the summer's warm water: book the guide, the walkways and the winery. - [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): The Diada falls in the middle of the Penedès harvest, and on harvest Sundays and holidays the wineries with tables fill. Book the visit and lunch with days to spare, and go by train, which from Lleida arrives with one change. - [Lakes Train, same-day return](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/la-pobla-de-segur/itineraries/saturday-on-the-historic-train-from-lleida.md) (Day itinerary, La Pobla de Segur): The historic lakes train runs on Saturdays again at the end of August, after the summer panoramic one, and in September the reservoirs are full of light. Buy the ticket as soon as you know the day. - [Siurana: cliff, ledge and reservoir](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/siurana/itineraries/siurana-cliff-trona-path-and-reservoir-kayak.md) (Day itinerary, Siurana): In September the kayak on the Siurana reservoir is still open and the Trona ledge loses the summer's hard sun first thing. Book lunch inside the village, which is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. - [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): Until September Cardona castle closes at 19:00, and the Diada is a holiday in Catalonia: it opens even if it falls on a Monday. The parador's Saturdays sell out early; book as soon as you know the days. ## A Catalan holiday with Aragon and Andorra working The Diada Nacional de Catalunya, 11 September, is a holiday across Catalonia and a working day twenty minutes from Lleida, in Aragon, and two hours away, in Andorra. For someone leaving Lleida, that is an advantage: the places that were full in August, like Alquézar or the Ordino lakes, have on 11 September their first quiet day. And those that fill, like the Priorat or the Penedès in harvest, are an hour and a half away. If the Diada falls on a Friday or Monday, it is three days. Midweek, some people take the bridge and some do not; with a single day, Siurana or the Penedès. ## Harvest, from Escaladei to Sant Sadurní September is the harvest month. In the Priorat the garnacha and cariñena are cut by hand on slate terraces, and at Escaladei the winery hotel is among the vines being harvested. In the Penedès, the wineries with tables receive the grapes in the morning and serve lunch at midday. Timed visits are booked a week ahead in both regions. ## Andorra and Guara, at the end of summer The Tristaina lakes have in September their last month before the first snows, with cold water and low light; the afternoon, in Caldea. In Guara, the Alquézar canyons continue with the summer's warm water and fewer people. ## The train, historic again The Lakes Train swaps the summer panoramic train for the historic one at the end of August, and on September Saturdays the wooden carriages return. It leaves Lleida station mid-morning and returns in the afternoon. ## What closes on the 11th In Catalonia, the Diada has events in the morning in almost every city: offerings, sardanas, demonstrations. In Barcelona there are traffic closures for much of the day, and in Lleida, events in the centre in the morning. Museums and monuments usually open on holiday hours; the castle at Cardona, for example, closes on non-holiday Mondays and the Diada is one. ## A single day, two directions With the Diada on its own, Lleida has two outings that can be done in a day. To the south, Siurana, an hour and a half away: the village on the crag, the Trona ledge in the morning and an hour of kayaking under the cliff before heading back. To the north, the lakes train if the 11th falls on a Saturday, without driving. And if you fancy the harvest without a night, the Penedès is an hour and a half away via the A-2, with a lunch among the vines: in that case, whoever does not taste drives. ## Still hot At midday, in the Priorat and Alquézar, it can be as hot as August. Walks in the morning: the Trona, in Siurana, has no shade. In Andorra, cool nights and the odd afternoon storm. On the Lleida plain the first mists of autumn mornings begin. ## Grapes, kayak and easy lakes with children The Siurana kayak admits children; the ledge, from age ten. The Alquézar walkways have stairs, no pushchairs. The Tristaina lakes, easy as far as the first. In the wineries, children see the grapes come in and taste must. And at Terra Dominicata they cannot go: it is for over-14s only. ## The C-12 heavy, the A-22 light On the afternoon of the 10th, the C-12 and N-420 towards the Priorat get heavy with those leaving Lleida and Tarragona; the A-22 towards Aragon is light, because there it is not a holiday. The return, on the last day from five to eight. From Andorra, the La Seu d'Urgell border may have a queue in the afternoon. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is the Diada a holiday in Aragon and Andorra? No: only in Catalonia. That is why Alquézar and Ordino are quieter that day. ### Can you see the grape harvest on the Diada long weekend? Yes. In September the Priorat and Penedès harvest; book the timed visit.