Historic park of Peralada castle, with a guide

What it is

It is the historic park of Peralada castle, the garden surrounding the counts' palace. It was designed by the Franco-Belgian landscape designer François Duvillers in 1877, commissioned by the counts of Peralada. Two years earlier, in 1875, the Rocabertí family had turned the medieval military castle into a French-style château, and wanted a park to match. They planted it on land next to the castle known as lo Bosch del Comte, the count's wood.

It keeps its original layout. Some parts of Duvillers' project, such as a maze, were never built or have disappeared; others were added later, such as the pond, from 1909. In 2015 it won the prize for best flowering public space in the Viles Florides project.

What you see

• The white stork colony. It is what draws the most attention, especially from children. The recovery project began in 1995, with the Aiguamolls de l'Empordà natural park, and in 2014 the colony already had 32 nests and 66 chicks.
• The French rose garden.
• The trees: yews, brachychitons, magnolias, pines, cypresses and a holm oak more than two hundred years old, older than the park itself.
• A 19th-century aviary, with pheasants and several species of pigeon.
• The pond and the auditorium where the Festival Castell de Peralada is held every summer.
• The castle facade, which can be seen from the square every day from 12:00, except when there are events in the square.

What the visit is like

The park is always visited with a guide. The visit lasts about 55 minutes. You enter through the Carme convent, on plaça del Carme, the same door as the Castle Museum. Punctuality is essential: once the group has formed and the visit has begun, the door is closed until the next opening. Arrive ten minutes early.

The museum, in the former Carmelite convent, has its own guided visit: the library, with nearly 80,000 volumes and more than a thousand editions of Don Quixote, one of the largest glass collections in the world and the wine museum. If you are interested in wine, the Perelada winery offers a combined visit to the museum and the winery, with tasting.

Hours and price

The town council does not publish the hours or price of the park visit, and the museum website was not available when this entry was prepared. Call the Castle Museum before you go: 972 53 81 25, or write to [email protected]. The tourist office, at the Centre de Turisme Cultural Sant Domènec, plaça Peixateria, 6 (972 53 88 40), also gives information.

Getting there

The castle is in the old part of Peralada itself, a few minutes' walk from the square. If you come from Figueres, it is about 10 minutes by car, or by bus. The old town is small and explored on foot.

With children

It is a visit that works with small children: it lasts less than an hour, is outdoors and the storks can be seen up close in spring, when they are on the nests. If you are going with a pushchair, ask when booking whether the whole route is accessible.

When to go

The storks are best seen from late winter to early summer, when they breed. In spring the rose garden flowers. In July and August the park hosts the festival and the visit schedule may change: confirm it by phone.