Montsoriu Castle, in Arbúcies

Montsoriu castle crowns a hill on the Selva slope of the Montseny, between Arbúcies and Sant Feliu de Buixalleu. It is first mentioned in writing in the year 1002, and in the 13th century the chronicler Bernat Desclot counted it among the most beautiful and noble castles in the world. What you walk on today is mostly the great Gothic work commissioned by Bernat II de Cabrera in the mid-14th century, when it was the residence of the viscounts of Cabrera. Beneath lie the remains of an Iberian settlement from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.

A Saturday morning with a guide and no ticket

You can only enter in a group and with a guide. There are two sessions every Saturday and Sunday, at 10:15 and 12:30; in November one at 11:30 is added. The visit is free, but places are limited and it is advisable to book on the castle's website: you choose how many of you there are (up to eight per booking), the day and the time, and a confirmation email arrives. Before starting, each visitor signs a sheet accepting the conditions. The guide normally speaks Catalan; if you need another language, write beforehand to [email protected].

The castle closes all of July and does not reopen until the first weekend of September. The management may suspend a visit in progress if the weather turns bad.

From the lower enclosure to the noble hall

The route climbs through the castle's three enclosures. It begins in the lower enclosure, the service courtyard where villagers took refuge in wartime, and crosses the barbican, the gate tower and the wall walk. Beside it stands a pre-Romanesque chapel, probably from the second half of the 10th century, with a horseshoe apse. Through a double bent-entrance gate you pass into the upper enclosure, with its Gothic courtyard, the keep and its terrace, the highest point, at about 640 m, with views in all directions.

At the end you reach the parade ground, the palace the Cabreras built: the Gothic chapel, the viscounts' private rooms, the cistern, which held about 250,000 litres of rainwater to withstand a siege, and the noble hall, the largest of the complex, with two large windows and a great fireplace. A good part of the route is outdoors and there are many steps.

The track from the Coll de Castellar

By car you arrive from Arbúcies, by exit 209 of the Eix Transversal (C-25), or from the AP-7 via Hostalric or Sant Celoni, taking the GI-552 through Breda and following the signs to the Fogueres de Montsoriu housing estate. The signposted public car park is at the Coll de Castellar. From there it is 2.8 km of forest track to the gate, 30 to 40 minutes on foot, and it has to be done on foot. To go down you can take a signposted path that leaves the outer square and reaches the foot of the tarmac road in less than ten minutes.

Anyone with reduced mobility can ask to go up in a private vehicle by writing a week in advance to [email protected]; even so, the steps inside make the visit difficult.

Children, dogs and picnics

Under-16s enter with a responsible adult. Pets are not admitted, except guide dogs, so the dog stays at home. Up there you cannot picnic or smoke. Bring footwear and clothing for the time of year: the track and half the castle are in the open.

To complete the day, cross to the Osona side: in Viladrau, the Xalet La Coromina restaurant cooks with the village's chestnut, and the plan Montsoriu castle and chestnuts in Viladrau joins the two. If you want to sleep nearby, the Cabanes als Arbres are in Sant Hilari Sacalm.