Guided visit to medieval Peralada and the Sant Domènec cloister

What it is

Medieval Peralada is the guided visit run by the town council's tourist office through the historic centre. Peralada was one of the most important medieval towns of the Empordà, head of the viscounty of the Rocabertí, and it still looks the part: narrow streets, walls, convents and squares in a small village. The tour explains how people lived in the Middle Ages and the figure of its best-known son, the chronicler Ramon Muntaner, who was born here in 1265.

What you see

The visit begins and ends at the Centre de Turisme Cultural Sant Domènec, which is both the tourist office and the village museum, and goes into three places:

• The Romanesque cloister of Sant Domènec. It is the only remnant of an Augustinian monastery founded in the second half of the 11th century. The capitals and columns are from the original Romanesque cloister; the building that holds them up is from the 16th century. Look at the six historiated capitals: the hunt, the atlantes, Adam and Eve, the harpies, the deadly sins and the banquet. The building has been a hospital, a court, a barracks and even a cinema.
• The remains of the Iberian oppidum, in the centre itself, predating the medieval town.
• The church of Sant Martí, the former parish church, where the guide explains its architectural evolution.

Between one stop and the next you stroll along the main streets and squares: the birthplace of Ramon Muntaner and the garden where, according to tradition, Na Mercadera defeated a soldier of the French army. In June 1285, during the crusade against the Crown of Aragon, the whole town burned, and with it the house of Muntaner's father.

When, how long and how much

• When: the second Saturday of each month, at 11:00.
• Language: Catalan. For other languages, ask about availability.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• Price: €6 per person. Free for under-10s.
• Meeting point: the tourist office, at the Centre de Turisme Cultural Sant Domènec, plaça de la Peixateria, 6.

Booking is compulsory and the visit needs a minimum number of participants to go ahead. Book at the tourist office: 972 53 88 40, by WhatsApp on 635 18 49 88 or at [email protected].

For groups and other days

For groups there are visits outside the calendar, depending on guide availability. They cost €6 per person from 20, €8 per person for 10 to 19, and €80 for the group if there are fewer than 10 of you. Under-10s do not pay. If you are travelling as a family or with friends and the second Saturday does not suit you, it is the way to do it on another day.

The office also offers other guided visits: the artistic jewels of medieval Peralada, the Ramon Muntaner literary route and the Romanesque paintings of Santa Eulàlia. Ask about dates and prices.

If you go on your own

The tourist office suggests a historical route to do at your own pace, with twelve points: the Carme convent, the Sant Bartomeu convent and the old castle, the walls, the church of Sant Martí, the Plaça Gran, the Portal del Comte, the Romanesque church of Santa Eulàlia, the Plaça de Sant Domènec, the Count's lock, the Muntaner house, the Jewish quarter and the old hospital with the pump house. Ask for the map at the office.

Getting there

Peralada is about 10 minutes by car from Figueres. If you arrive by train, the Figueres stations have buses to the village. The old town is explored on foot.

With children

At 90 minutes and in Catalan, it works best with children from about 8 who can already follow an explanation. Under-10s enter free. The story of Na Mercadera and the capitals with monsters and harpies are usually what grabs them most.