# May long weekend from Manresa: getaways for 1 May, Labour Day Four getaways with a night away and four day trips from Manresa for 1 May, chosen for what spring opens: the Núria valley, the Vero canyons, the Siurana reservoir and the full waterfalls of the Collsacabra. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/manresa/getaways/may-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Manresa - [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 May Núria stops being a ski resort and becomes a walking valley, with the torrents loaded with meltwater. The Rack Railway runs all year, but outside summer it has fewer trains: use the timetable search before buying. - [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): With spring the high season for canyons on the Vero begins: there is water and the July heat is not yet oppressive. The walkways sell their tickets month by month, from the start of the previous month, so buy May's as soon as they open. - [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): The kayak on the Siurana reservoir opens on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays in spring, so on 1 May it is usually on the water. The Priorat vines have already sprouted and the 4x4 trip is booked before leaving home. - [A getaway to Prades: the red town, the forest and a night of stars](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/prades/itineraries/prades-night-of-stars-from-tarragona.md) (1 night, Prades): At 950 metres, May nights already let you look through the telescope without winter clothing, and the Baltasana forest is in its new green. Book the astronomical park session checking the moon on its calendar: with a full moon you see less. - [Rupit: waterfall and inn](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/rupit/itineraries/rupit-sallent-waterfall-and-suspension-bridge.md) (Day itinerary, Rupit): After the spring rains the Salt de Sallent falls with more water than at almost any time of year; in high summer it can be reduced to a trickle. The Rupit 360 bell tower opens on holidays from 11:00 to 15:00, with last entry at 14:30. - [Montserrat: horse, table and rack railway](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/montserrat/itineraries/horse-riding-lunch-and-rack-railway.md) (Day itinerary, Montserrat): Spring is the season for horse riding on the north face of Montserrat: green meadows and no heat. Outings are in the morning, Tuesday to Sunday, with places for few people: ask for yours by WhatsApp a few days before. - [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): The Sant Jeroni circuit calls for long, cool days, and May has them before the heat arrives. On a holiday the Aeri car park fills early: from Manresa you are there in twenty-five minutes, so go up in the first cabins. - [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): In May the oak wood that climbs to Montsoriu is in its tenderest green and the path does not scorch. The castle visit is free, with a guide and in small groups at weekends: book a place on its website, as they are limited and there are up to eight per booking. ## One day or three? 1 May, Labour Day, is a holiday across Catalonia, but it is only a long weekend when it falls next to a weekend. If you have three days left, head north and sleep two nights: the Ripollès is an hour away by the C-25 to Vic and the C-17, and Alquézar, almost three hours by the Eix Transversal and the A-22, calls for exactly that, two nights. With two days, one night is enough: Prades, under two hours away, or Siurana, a little further, both in the ranges of the Camp de Tarragona. If you only have the holiday, Manresa has the advantage: Montserrat is twenty minutes away and Rupit an hour and twenty by the C-25 and Vic. Nobody from Barcelona gets there before you. ## The month of water in the Pre-Pyrenees May is when the most water runs between the Bages and the Pyrenees. You can see it at the Salt de Sallent, which in August may be a trickle and now falls in full; at the Fonts del Llobregat, in Castellar de n'Hug, where the thaw gushes from the rock; and in the Núria valley, with the torrents full and the snow retreated to the peaks. Bring footwear that can take mud: riverside paths, after a week of rain, get soft. On the Vero, that same flow is what makes the canyon good. The Alquézar companies change the route if the river runs strongly, and there the guide decides. ## What to settle beforehand The first things to sell out are beds in small villages: in Siurana there are few and in Alquézar they fill as soon as the long weekend fits. Then whatever has limited places. The Vero walkways open sales at the start of the previous month; the Prades telescope session fixes the time of your night; Montsoriu is visited only in a guided group, with booking; and the Marganell horse goes out in groups of one to four people. The Núria Rack Railway is bought online and is a same-day return. The Cement Train, in La Pobla de Lillet, usually adds 1 May to its calendar: if you are going to the Berguedà, confirm it on the Turistren website. ## Trains and ponies for the little ones The youngest enjoy what has a clear beginning and end. The Rack Railway, with the Fontalba stop at weekends, and Núria lake; the flat loop round the village of Rupit crossing the suspension bridge; the ponies at the Marganell ranch. In Prades, the tree adventure park and the telescope session for families with small children fill a whole Saturday. The Vero canyon has a minimum age: ask the company before counting on it. ## The road on a holiday The C-16 towards the Cadí gets heavy on the return, from five in the afternoon: if you are coming back from the Ripollès or the Cerdanya, do it after an early lunch or at night. The C-55 towards Montserrat saturates on holidays by mid-morning, and the rack railway and the Aeri queue from eleven. To the south, the C-37 to Igualada and the A-2 are the short way to Prades and Siurana; the last bends, both in Cornudella and Prades, are slow. ## Better another month Montserrat on 1 May itself at midday, if you want silence: go early or go another day. The autumn Montseny, with the copper beeches and mushrooms, is for October and November. And the coast of Garraf and Sitges, an hour and a quarter away, fills with people from the whole region as soon as the sun comes out: in May, from Manresa, the interior wins. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is 1 May a long weekend in Catalonia? It is a holiday across Catalonia, but it only makes a long weekend when it falls next to a weekend. Other years it is a single day, ideal for Montserrat or Rupit. ### Is there snow in Núria in May? There may be some on the peaks, but the valley is already for walking. The Rack Railway runs all year; check the timetable, as outside summer it has fewer trains. ### What should you book first? The bed in Siurana or Alquézar, the Vero walkways, the Prades telescope session and the visit to Montsoriu. ### Which getaway is best with children? The Ripollès, for the Rack Railway and Núria lake, and Prades, for the adventure park and the telescopes for families.