# Sant Anastasi long weekend from Lleida: getaways for 11 May Three getaways with a night away and four day trips for 11 May, Sant Anastasi, Lleida's holiday: what works when it is a festival in your city and a working day outside, from the Lakes Train to Núria, Cardona, Alquézar and Sant Jeroni. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/lleida/getaways/sant-anastasi-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Lleida - [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 leaves on spring Saturdays at 10:40 from Lleida, so the Festa Major Saturday fits whole. It returns to the city at 19:00, in time for the evening events. - [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 mid-May the Priorat vines have new leaves and the reservoir kayak opens on spring weekends. The 4x4 route goes out with a single vehicle: book it before the accommodation. - [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): 11 May is a holiday only in Lleida: in Cardona it is a normal day, and if it falls on a Monday, castle and mine are closed. Do the getaway before the holiday; from May the castle closes at 19:00, and on Sunday at 15:00. - [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): In mid-May Núria goes from snow to meadows, and midweek the Rack Railway is much emptier. If Sant Anastasi falls on a working day, it is the day to go up: buy the train online all the same. - [Alquézar: walkways, ternasco and cloister](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/alquezar/itineraries/alquezar-sunday-vero-walkways-and-collegiate-church.md) (Day itinerary, Alquézar and the River Vero): The Vero walkways are done in May without the heat, and on a working 11 May in Aragon Alquézar has few people. The collegiate church and museum have visiting hours: start with the walkways first thing. - [Montserrat: cable car and Sant Jeroni](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montserrat/itineraries/montserrat-cable-car-and-sant-jeroni-from-manresa.md) (Day itinerary, Montserrat): May is the last month of the good season for going up Sant Jeroni, before the heat. On a working day the Aeri has hardly a queue, and the two-and-a-half-hour circuit is done with the air still cool. - [Aínsa and Muro de Roda](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/ainsa-and-sobrarbe/itineraries/plaza-mayor-and-muro-de-roda.md) (Day itinerary, Aínsa and the Sobrarbe): In May Muro de Roda is seen with the countryside green and the Mediano reservoir below, and on a working day the Plaza Mayor in Aínsa is almost empty. El Bodegón de Mallacán is open all year: book all the same if you go at a weekend. ## The city on holiday, the rest at work Sant Anastasi, 11 May, is Lleida's local holiday: the city's patron saint and the centre of the May Festa Major, with concerts, giants and street events over several days. Outside Lleida it is a working day, and that decides how to use it. Whoever wants the festival stays for the nights and goes out by day; whoever wants to escape it has a day when the Pyrenees, the Priorat and the Somontano are almost empty. When the 11th falls on a Monday or Friday, it joins the weekend and makes three days. When it falls midweek, it is a single day, ten days after the 1 May long weekend; so the practical thing is a day plan. Getaways with a night away work best when the holiday sits next to the weekend. ## A working Monday, with what that closes That it is a working day in the rest of Catalonia and in Aragon has its bad side. What closes on non-holiday Mondays, closes: the castle and mine at Cardona, the Escaladei charterhouse, many museums. Many inns rest early in the week. Before setting out, check which day of the week it falls on and call. The good part is the crowd. On a midweek 11 May, the Núria Rack Railway is half empty, the Montserrat Aeri has no queue and the Alquézar walkways are toured without waiting. ## The Festa Major Saturday, by train If you do not want to miss the festival nights, Saturday on the Lakes Train is the best-rounded plan: you leave Lleida station mid-morning on the historic train, lunch in La Pobla de Segur and are back at seven. There is no driving and you miss nothing of what happens in the city at night. ## High spring By mid-May spring has climbed into the mountains. In the Priorat, the vines at Siurana have new leaves and the reservoir opens kayaking at weekends. In the Sobrarbe, the Mediano reservoir gleams at the foot of Muro de Roda, and the road to Aínsa is quiet. In Núria, the snow retreats and the meadows remain. ## May weather, almost summer already On the Lleida plain the first hot days may arrive; at Montserrat and in the Pyrenees, afternoon storms. Start walks early and bring a layer for the afternoon. ## Old carriages and a lake for children The historic train is the plan for them: old carriages, reservoirs and tunnels. The Alquézar walkways have stairs and do not admit pushchairs; the Sant Jeroni path is for children who walk well, from age ten. Núria, with its lake and meadows, works at any age. ## There and back from the festival The streets in the centre of Lleida are closed for the Festa Major events: park far away or leave by train. The return, on the other hand, has no jams: in the rest of the country it is an ordinary day. If you go and come back in the day, the only traffic is that of leaving work, from six to seven. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is Sant Anastasi a holiday outside Lleida? No, it is the local holiday of the city of Lleida. In the rest of Catalonia and in Aragon it is a working day. ### What is closed that day? If it falls on a Monday, whatever closes on non-holiday Mondays: Cardona castle and the Escaladei charterhouse, among others.