Hotel Saurat
Why we like it: Three-star family hotel in the Espot square, with 39 exterior rooms, restaurant, free parking and pets admitted; 6 minutes from Espot Esquí.
Duration2 nights
From Manresa3 h (estimated)
From Barcelona3 h 50 (estimated)
Day lift passEspot €39 · Port Ainé €42–46, online
Budget€260–400 pp
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to arrive in Espot on Friday night, ski on Saturday at Espot Esquí and, on Sunday, snowshoe up to the Sant Maurici lake on one of the Rutes Pirineus dates, or ski at Port Ainé on the way home.
Friday
- 120:30Arrival in Espot
C-13 to Sort and then the Espot road. You stay at Hotel Saurat, on the square, with free parking, or at Hotel Roya. Have dinner at L'Avet de Sant Maurici, the Saurat's restaurant; call ahead, as the website does not list opening hours.
Saturday
- 109:00Espot Esquí
Two kilometres to the resort. Park free at Estanyets, with 450 spaces. 22 runs between 1,500 and 2,500 metres, many of them blue. Lift pass €39 online. Lunch at the Altitude 2000 self-service, from 13:00 to 15:00.
Sunday
- 108:45Snowshoeing to Sant Maurici
On the Rutes Pirineus dates (3 and 17 January, 14 February and others), you meet at 8:45 next to the park taxi office in Espot. A 4x4 taxi to the lake, €11.50 per adult; 12 km on snowshoes towards Ratera and Amitges; back at around 16:45. Guide, €47.90; snowshoes, €9.90. From age 9.
- 209:15Or Port Ainé
If there is no outing that day, drive down to Rialp and up to Port Ainé, an hour by car: 25 north-facing runs and a buffet from 13:30 to 15:30. With children aged 4 to 12, on the igloo dates (28 February, 21 March), a day building one with a guide.
- 317:00Drive home
Via Sort and the C-13. If you leave on Sunday morning, the spa at Hotel Pessets in Sort opens from 10:00 to 13:00 for €20 an hour.
From Manresa, the Pallars Sobirà is about three hours away; from Barcelona and Tarragona, under four, via Lleida or the Solsonès. It is too much for a Sunday and just right for a weekend: you sleep in Espot, two kilometres from the slopes and at the gateway to the national park, and choose between two ski resorts and a snowshoeing outing.
What to do each day
| Day | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Espot Esquí, 25 km and 1,000 m of vertical drop | Lift pass €39 online |
| Sunday, option A | Guided snowshoeing to the Sant Maurici lake | €47.90 + snowshoes and taxi |
| Sunday, option B | Port Ainé on the way home | Lift pass €42–46 online |
| With small children | Igloos at Port Ainé | €39.90 up to age 12 |
Where to sleep
In Espot, the three-star Hotel Saurat, with 39 rooms, a restaurant, parking and pets accepted; or Hotel Roya, with renovated doubles and breakfast. In Sort, the four-star Hotel Pessets, with a spa, if you would rather alternate with Port Ainé.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Pallars Sobirà, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Pallars Sobirà
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
The Pallars by Car, from Espot to Port Ainé
With a car you can move between the two Pallars Sobirà resorts: Espot Esquí, above the Espot valley, and Port Ainé, above Rialp. Sort, in between, is the base with the most services. The budget includes lift pass, food and shared accommodation.
100–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Saurat, in the Espot…
- Getting aroundFrom Lleida, the C-13 via…
- Where to eatL'Avet de Sant Maurici, in…
- ServicesALSA Ski Bus from Lleida…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Saurat, in the Espot square, with parking and pets
- Hotel Roya, in Espot, doubles with breakfast
- Hotel Pessets, in Sort, with spa
Getting around
- From Lleida, the C-13 via Balaguer, Tremp, la Pobla de Segur and Sort
- Chains in the boot for the resort roads
- Free car parks at Espot Esquí and Port Ainé
- Snow Taxi from Sort, €2, if you prefer not to drive up
Where to eat
- L'Avet de Sant Maurici, in Espot
- Altitude 2000 self-service at Espot Esquí
- Port Ainé buffet, every day from 13:30 to 15:30
Services
- ALSA Ski Bus from Lleida, with lift pass
- Hotel Pessets spa, €20 an hour
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Roya
Why we like it: Hotel with renovated double rooms in Espot, beside the national park entrance, with a local-produce breakfast and 5 minutes from the pistes.
Hotel Pessets & Spa
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in the centre of Sort with spa with heated pool and sauna, restaurant and apartments; half an hour from Port Ainé.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Espot | East gateway to the national park and Espot Esquí | 2 km to the slopes |
| Sort | District capital, spa and services | About 30 min to Port Ainé |
| Rialp | Foot of the Port Ainé road | Access to the resort |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Pallars Sobirà
L'Avet de Sant Maurici
What to order: ask for the day's traditional menu and, in the afternoon, the hot chocolate
Altitude 2000 Self-service
What to order: a hot dish from the self-service between runs
Port Ainé Buffet Restaurant
What to order: the full buffet if you are spending the day; to be quick, the Burger Track
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Barcelona to the Pallars?
About three hours fifty to Espot Esquí, by our estimate.
Which resort is better to start with?
Espot has ten blue runs; Port Ainé has the green Bellavista run of over 3 km.
How much does the weekend cost?
With one day's lift pass, the snowshoeing outing, two nights shared and meals, from €260 to €400 per person.
Can I go with small children?
Yes: up to age 6 the lift pass costs €7 and the igloos take children from age 4.