# Pilar long weekend from Lleida: getaways for 12 October, the National Day Four getaways with a night away and three day trips from Lleida for 12 October, the Pilar and National Day: Guara with the warm water of late summer, the Lakes Train in its last month, the Priorat after the harvest and the Montsec sky at dusk. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/lleida/getaways/pilar-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Lleida - [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): September and October are the other good season for the Guara canyons, with less flow than in spring and the water less cold. 12 October is a big festival in Aragon: book the canyon, walkways and table weeks ahead. - [A night in La Pobla de Segur: Tren dels Llacs one way and a ferrata or river the next day](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/la-pobla-de-segur/itineraries/one-night-with-train-and-ferrata-la-pobla-de-segur.md) (1 night, La Pobla de Segur): October is the last month of the Lakes Train, which closes its season at the end of the month, and the Pilar is among its most requested Saturdays. Buy the ticket as soon as sales open, and book the Sunday via ferrata first. - [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): After the harvest the Priorat vines begin to turn yellow, and the Siurana kayak opens on autumn weekends. The 4x4 route goes out with a single vehicle: on the long weekend, it is the first thing to book. - [Devinssi, Buil & Giné and Cal Llop](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/priorat/itineraries/two-wineries-and-a-night-in-gratallops.md) (Day itinerary, Priorat): In early October, in Gratallops, the grapes are already in the tanks and the winegrowers have time to show the vineyard. Tastings are not held on Wednesdays: if the 12th falls that day, swap it for the next day. - [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): In October it gets dark earlier and the Astronomical Park session starts at a time that lets you get back to Lleida for dinner. The time changes with sunset: check it for your date and buy the pass beforehand. - [Valderrobres and the Parrizal](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/valderrobres-and-matarrana/itineraries/sunday-in-valderrobres-castle-and-parrizal.md) (Day itinerary, Valderrobres and the Matarraña): In October the Parrizal is toured without August's heat and with the river already calm. The ticket is cheaper than in summer, but on the long weekend it sells out: buy it with a time, and remember that dogs are not admitted. - [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): With the harvest just finished, the Penedès cellars show the grapes fermenting. The hotel serves its gastronomic menu on the eve of holidays, so on 11 October too: book the table with the room. ## The holiday Aragon celebrates most 12 October is National Day across Spain, and in Aragon it is also the Pilar, the biggest festival of the year. Zaragoza is in festival, and many Aragonese take the chance to head for the Somontano, Guara or the Matarraña: the Aragonese side of Lleida fills these days more than on any other autumn long weekend. If you go to Alquézar or the Matarraña, count on that: what on another long weekend is booked days ahead, at the Pilar is booked weeks ahead. The long weekend, which many call Hispanidad or October's, is three days when the 12th falls on a Friday or Monday. Midweek it depends on each company, and the single day is enough for the Montsec or the Priorat. ## The train's last month The Lakes Train closes its season at the end of October. The Pilar trip is one of the last and prettiest, with the Noguera Pallaresa poplars beginning to turn yellow beside the reservoirs. With a night in La Pobla de Segur, Sunday is left for the Roca Foradada via ferrata or the Collegats gorge on foot. ## Guara with warm water In spring the Alquézar canyons run cold and with lots of water; in early October, after a sunny summer, the water is less cold and the flow kinder. For a first canyon, October is better than May. Somontano wine, with the harvest just done, is tasted in the Barbastro wineries. ## The Priorat after the grapes are cut In the Priorat, the garnacha and cariñena harvest ends at the end of September or early October. By the Pilar, the wineries have full tanks and, in Gratallops, the winegrowers go out to the vineyard to explain what has been cut. At Siurana, the reservoir and the crag are still there, with the vines below starting to change colour. ## Longer nights October shortens the afternoons and lengthens the sky. In the Montsec, an hour from Lleida, the telescope session at the Astronomical Park starts at dusk, and in October that lets you have dinner at home. It is cold up there: bring a coat even if it is hot in Lleida. ## What to book, and in what order First, what has group places: the Guara canyon, the La Pobla via ferrata, the Siurana 4x4. Then the train ticket and the Parrizal ticket, which are bought online with a time. Finally, the rooms, which in Alquézar, Valderrobres and Beceite are few, and the tables: in the Priorat many wineries with a restaurant serve only at midday, and on the Pilar long weekend they fill both sittings. If something does not work out, the day plan in Gratallops with a night in the village is easier to fit in than a two-night getaway. ## Planetarium and flat walkways with children The Parrizal walkways are flat and under-sixes go free. The Lakes Train is a plan for them. The Astronomical Park has family sessions from age five, and the general one from ten. In Guara, some companies have canyons for families. ## The N-240 and A-22 on the long weekend The A-22 towards Barbastro and Huesca gets heavy on the Pilar long weekend in both directions, with Zaragoza's traffic heading for the Pyrenees. The C-12 and N-420 towards the Matarraña go better. The return to Lleida on the last day, after lunch. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Does the Lakes Train run on the Pilar long weekend? Yes: the season lasts until the end of October. Buy the ticket in good time. ### Are there lots of people in Alquézar on the Pilar long weekend? Yes, because it is a big festival in Aragon. Book canyon and accommodation weeks ahead.