# A snow weekend in the Pallars, three hours from Manresa

Two nights in Espot for a day on the slopes at Espot Esquí or Port Ainé and another of guided snowshoeing to the Sant Maurici lake, with the park's 4x4 taxi. Three hours from Manresa and under four from Barcelona.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/pallars-sobira/itineraries/snow-weekend-pallars-from-manresa · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Pallars Sobirà

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

DayPlanPrice

SaturdayEspot Esquí, 25 km and 1,000 m of vertical dropLift pass €39 online

Sunday, option AGuided snowshoeing to the Sant Maurici lake€47.90 + snowshoes and taxi

Sunday, option BPort Ainé on the way homeLift pass €42–46 online

With small childrenIgloos 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.

## El plan

### Friday · 20:30 · Arrival 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 · 09:00 · Espot 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 · 08:45 · Snowshoeing 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.

### Sunday · 09:15 · Or 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.

### Sunday · 17:00 · Drive 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.

## Aviso

### Off-piste: avalanche bulletin.
The ICGC publishes the Butlletí de Perill d'Allaus every day. Guided outings follow it; if you go on your own, check it beforehand.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Saurat**: In the centre of Espot
The Saurat is the hotel in plaça de Sant Martí, in the centre of Espot, at the entrance to the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. It has three stars and 39 rooms, all exterior and with mountain views, with a balcony, terrace or in the attic. Espot Esquí is about six minutes away by car and Baqueira, over the Bonaigua pass when it is open, about thirty.
A house of five generations
It is one of the oldest hospitality businesses in the Pallars Sobirà. It began in the nineteenth century as the Fonda Saurat, on another site and with three rooms; in the early twentieth century a building with fourteen was added, and between 1932 and 1934 the family built the present hotel on what was then the edge of the village. In the Civil War it was seized by the UGT as a rest home, and the family recovered it afterwards. It was extended in the 1960s and in 2003 the fourth generation carried out a complete refurbishment that respected the original architecture and earned it its three stars. Today the fifth runs it.
Rooms

Superior double with terrace and garden views, with two beds or a large one.
Double with balcony, with two beds.
Attic double, with a large bed, and superior penthouse, with a 140 sofa bed.
Triple with balcony, with three beds.
Family attic room, with a large bed and two singles.
Connecting superior: two doubles joined, for families.
Double adapted for reduced mobility.

The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or whether breakfast is included: all of that can be seen in its booking engine.
What it has
Its own restaurant, L'Avet de Sant Maurici, with a terrace beside the river; lobby with fireplace and reading corner, garden, meeting room, luggage storage and a locked bike room. Free private outdoor parking with two electric chargers and free wifi. The hotel organises rafting, canoeing, horse riding, quad bikes and 4x4 outings.
With a dog
It accepts dogs with no weight limit, two per room at most, with a supplement of €9 a night. There are few pet rooms: ask when you book. They may be in the common areas on a lead and in the garden, but not in the breakfast dining room, nor be left alone in the room except during breakfast. Bring an up-to-date vaccination card.
Who it is for
For families, because of the family and connecting rooms, and for those who come with a dog. In winter, for skiing at Espot or doing snowshoeing to the estany de Sant Maurici, which leaves from the village itself.
- **Hotel Roya**: A family hotel in Espot
The Hotel Roya is in Espot, at the entrance to the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. It presents itself as a small family hotel with more than a hundred years of tradition, handed down from generation to generation. Espot Esquí is about five minutes away by car and Baqueira about half an hour.
The rooms
It has 25 rooms, all doubles, of two types: the doubles with charm, completely renovated and with mountain views, and the doubles with mountain décor. All have a private bathroom with bath or shower, toiletries and hairdryer, central heating, television, wifi and quality mattresses, and breakfast is included. The website does not publish how many of each type there are, their sizes or the prices: they can be seen in its booking engine. There are no family or triple rooms on the website.
Breakfast and dinner
Breakfast is a buffet of homemade and local products: cured meats, bread, homemade jams, local butter and milk, juices and coffee. If you let them know beforehand, they prepare gluten-free and lactose-free options. The website does not publish the hours.
Dinner is another matter: only for guests, with prior booking, for groups of at least ten and with a set menu. If you are a couple or a family, eat out; in the village square there is L'Avet de Sant Maurici, the restaurant of the Hotel Saurat.
Services for skiing and walking
It has a large private car park, which the website presents as free, a ski store, space for bicycles and ski equipment hire under the Ski Roya brand, with a point at the foot of the Espot pistes. Inside there is a café and bar, a lounge with a fireplace, a terrace and the La Llupia space, a covered outdoor area for autumn and winter afternoons by the fire, as well as a small library with information on routes, history and heritage of the valley.
Who it is for
For couples and friends who come to ski at Espot or walk in the national park, and who want a good breakfast and an early start. The guided snowshoeing to the estany de Sant Maurici meets at 8:45 in Espot itself. If you are travelling with small children, the Hotel Saurat has family rooms.
Before booking
The website does not publish the category, prices, check-in and check-out times or whether pets are admitted. Book through its engine, on 973 624 040 or at hotelroya@hotelroya.net.
- **Hotel Pessets & Spa**: In the centre of Sort
The Pessets is a four-star hotel on avinguda de la Diputació in Sort, the capital of the Pallars Sobirà. It has a restaurant, spa, garden with outdoor pool and sun terrace and, separately, the Apartaments Adelaida. It is a good base if you alternate between Port Ainé, about 30 minutes away via Rialp, and Espot Esquí, about 40, and in summer for the river sports on the Noguera Pallaresa.
Rooms and apartments
The website describes five types of room. The standard, with two beds or a double, views of the garden or the village and a minibar, takes an extra bed; some have air conditioning. The terrace room with garden views is for two, with air conditioning and a kettle. The attic room, with rustic décor, also takes a third bed. The family room is over 25 m², with one double bed, three singles and two bathrooms, for up to five; and the family attic room, for four, has the double bed and two singles in an adjoining small sitting room.
The Apartaments Adelaida are two buildings: Adelaida I, within the hotel grounds, with direct access to the garden, pool and spa, and Adelaida II, in a Modernista building between avinguda Comtes del Pallars and carrer Major. There are some for two to four and for four to six people, with equipped kitchen, living-dining room with television and shared laundry with washing machine and dryer. Pets are accepted for a supplement.
Where to eat
The hotel's restaurant is P7S, serving traditional and creative Pallars cooking with local, seasonal produce. In winter La Formatgeria opens, with cheeses and cured meats from Pallars producers, and in July and August the Xiringuito del Jardí, with a grill. On the ground floor of Adelaida II is the Cafè Pessets, restaurant, bar and wine and cheese shop with tapas and half portions. The website does not publish hours or prices for these spaces.
The spa
Heated pool, sauna and massages. Guests pay €14 an hour and non-guests €20. It is open Tuesday to Friday afternoons, Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning; it is closed on Mondays. If you are not staying, see the entry for the Hotel Pessets spa.
Services
Free wifi, bar in the lobby, ski store, left-luggage, bike garage with workshop and motorbike garage, and adapted access. It accepts dogs and cats in standard rooms and apartments, with separate conditions. The website says nothing about car parking: ask when you book.
Before booking
The website does not publish room prices or check-in times; it offers online pre-registration and its own rates when booking on it. Book on its website or on 973 620 000. From Sort the Snow Taxi runs to Espot and Port Ainé at weekends, for €2 each way.