# A weekend in the medieval Empordà, based in Peratallada Two nights inside a stone village, a balloon flight at dawn, the Iberian city of Ullastret and the dolmens of the Gavarres. Under two hours from Barcelona. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/peratallada/itineraries/medieval-weekend-peratallada-emporda · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Peratallada Peratallada is a small village of golden stone set inside a moat cut into the rock. You can walk round it in two hours, but at night, when the day visitors' cars leave, it falls silent. That is why it works as a base: you sleep inside the old town, set off at dawn to fly in a balloon over the Baix Empordà, climb to the biggest Iberian city in Catalonia, 4 km away, and on Sunday get lost among the dolmens of the Gavarres. You are 48 minutes from Girona and a little under two hours from Barcelona. ## Is the balloon worth it? It is the activity that makes sleeping here make sense. Globus Empordà takes off from the Parc del Ter flying field, in Colomers, about 20 minutes from Peratallada, and flies for an hour over the patchwork fields, the Ter and the villages on top of their hills, with the Medes Islands and, on clear days, the Pyrenees in the background. The shared flight costs €170 per adult and €105 for ages 5 to 12; groups of four or more, from €160. All told, with the transfer and the landing, it takes two or three hours. The time rules: from September to February it flies at weekends at 7:45; in March and April, at 7:00; from May to August, every day at 6:30. From Barcelona you would have to leave in the small hours, hence the weekend. If the wind doesn't allow flying, the company changes the date: keep Sunday as plan B. ## Where to sleep? What changes the trip is sleeping inside or outside the old town. Inside, everything is on foot and the village is empty at dusk; outside, a garden, a pool and parking at the door. AccommodationWhereFor whom Hostal BlauCarrer del Forn, a 16th-century houseCouples who want the old town at the door; the triple room has a fireplace Ca l'AliuCarrer de la Roca, seven rooms and a gardenFamilies: a double with a sofa bed for a child and a shared kitchen Hotel El PatiCarrer Hospital, an 18th-century houseSleeping and dining in the same courtyard Hotel Aatu400 m from the village, three hectares of gardenCouples: only admits over-14s Mas GenerósFonteta, a few kilometres awayRest, a vegetable garden and its own restaurant The old town is pedestrian. Guests of the hotels in the village centre park free in the municipal car parks; ask the hotel how to prove it on blue-zone dates. ## If you don't fly: Saturday another way Without the balloon, the plan loses the early start but not its point. Do Ullastret first thing, when the hill is quiet, and spend the afternoon on the long dolmen route in the Serra d'en Cals: 10.38 km and about four hours from Fitor, with ten megalithic monuments. It is for teenagers and adults with strong legs; small children are better off on Sunday's short route. ## With children and with a dog Children can fly from age 5, always with an adult. Ullastret is free for under-16s and works well with children who ask questions; the short Fitor route is designed for them. Hotel Aatu doesn't admit under-14s: choose Ca l'Aliu. Dogs can go through the old town, the moat and the Gavarres paths, and at Ullastret around the site on a lead, but not in the museum or the balloon. ## El plan ### Friday · 18:30 · Arrival and a stroll round the old town Leave the car in the Dalt or Baix car park and walk in. Take your time over the castle-palace, Plaça de les Voltes and Sant Esteve: with few people about you can see the cart marks in the rock. ### Friday · 20:30 · Dinner in the El Pati courtyard The hotel restaurant opens in the evening from 19:30 to 22:15 and closes on Wednesdays. Go to bed early: tomorrow is an early start. ### Saturday · 07:00 · Balloon flight from Colomers Twenty minutes by car to the Parc del Ter. An hour in the air and a toast on landing. Bring a jacket: it is cold at dawn even if the day turns out fine. ### Saturday · 11:30 · The Iberian city of Ullastret On the Puig de Sant Andreu, 4 km from the village: the wall, the streets, the silos and the cistern cut into the rock, and the museum at the top. Admission €7, free for under-16s. From October to May it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Allow an hour and three quarters. ### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at La Roca Seasonal Catalan cooking in a family house on Carrer de la Roca: canelloni made from the roast, Empordà duck with apple or the house paella. It doesn't publish opening times: call to book. ### Saturday · 17:30 · Moat, wall and Torre de les Hores The moat carved into the rock, seven or eight metres deep, and the clock tower, which you can climb free from 10:00 to 20:00 until the end of 2026. From the top you see the rooftops and the plain you flew over in the morning. ### Sunday · 10:00 · The Fitor dolmens, in the Gavarres Forest tracks from Fonteta to Santa Coloma de Fitor. The short route is 1.62 km and 45 minutes, with a dolmen that looks like a little stone house. Download the track first: up there there is no reliable signal. ### Sunday · 13:30 · Farewell lunch at D.O. Candelaria Sharing plates in a 15th-century house on Carrer Major. In winter it opens on Sunday at midday; closed Monday and Tuesday. Home in mid-afternoon. ## Un consejo más Book in this order: the flight, the accommodation and the two lunches. The balloon depends on the wind; if it is postponed to Sunday, swap the day of the dolmens and leave the farewell lunch as it is. ## Cuándo no ir The first weekend of October, unless you are going on purpose for the Fira Medieval: the village fills up, parking is paid and the night-time silence disappears. And weekends in July and August, with the heat and the old town full of visitors from the coast. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Barcelona? An hour and fifty minutes by car. From Girona, 48 minutes. Without a car the plan doesn't work: the balloon takes off at dawn and the dolmens are reached by tracks. ### How much does the balloon flight cost? The shared one, €170 per adult and €105 for ages 5 to 12; from €160 per person in groups of four or more. A private flight starts at €870. ### What day is Ullastret closed? Mondays. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, and on the first Sunday of each month admission is free for everyone. ### Can I drive into Peratallada? No. The old town is pedestrian: park in the car parks around it. Guests of the hotels in the village centre don't pay on blue-zone dates. ### Do I need to book for lunch? Yes, especially on Saturday. There are few tables and many day visitors; La Roca and D.O. Candelaria are booked by phone. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hostal Blau**: A 16th-century house on Carrer del Forn Hostal Blau is a small hotel on Carrer del Forn, one of the narrow rock streets of Peratallada’s centre. It occupies a 16th-century house restored for its present use without erasing the passage of time. The décor plays with light and dark blues and with the golden ochres of the Empordà fields in summer. It has changed hands and is now run by Toña Aysa. It has capacity for about fourteen people. The rooms There are four types: double, superior double, double with terrace and triple. All have their own bathroom with shower and toiletries, hairdryer, air conditioning with heat pump, heating, fridge, television and wifi. The double with terrace has a large window from which you can see the village skyline and the morning light comes in. The triple occupies the house’s former kitchen, where the hearth was, with a double bed and a single, a small sitting area at the entrance and a fireplace with firewood included: useful in winter or if there are three of you. Breakfast Breakfast is included, with local produce: homemade jams, artisan cured meats, seasonal fruit, oats, bread and croissants. The website says nothing about lunches or dinners; there are several restaurants in the village a few steps away, on Carrer del Forn itself and around the square. Getting there and parking The address is Carrer del Forn, 2. The centre is pedestrianised, but parking is free for guests during their stay: hotels in the core are exempt from the blue zone that applies in high season. Girona is about 30 minutes away and Púbol about 15. From the door you have the medieval centre as far as Plaça de les Voltes and the moat cut into the rock; if it coincides with the first weekend of October, you will be sleeping inside the grounds of the Fira Medieval. - **Ca l’Aliu**: A village house in the heart of the centre Ca l’Aliu is a rural guesthouse in the pedestrian core of Peratallada, on Carrer de la Roca, a cobbled street that still bears the marks of cart wheels. It is run by David and Anahí, a couple who have lived in the Baix Empordà for almost thirty years and who come from more than twenty years in catering. They want you to feel at home and take particular care over breakfast, with local produce. The rooms It has seven rooms, for about twenty people in total: a triple, several doubles (standard, with terrace, superior and deluxe), a studio and a “double plus one” of 20 m², with a 150 cm bed and a 70 cm sofa bed for a child up to 8 years old. All have a full bathroom, air conditioning, heating, television, hairdryer and wifi. For relaxing there is a dining room with several tables, a fully equipped kitchen that guests can use and a terrace with a porch and a large garden, with flowers, tables and chairs. Breakfast Breakfast is always included. The website does not offer dinners, but you can use the kitchen, and the restaurants in the centre are a few steps away. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out is at 11:00 at the latest, punctually. Getting there and parking You arrive by car: the house is inside the centre, where cars can’t go, and guests park free all year in the municipal car park. The nearest bus stop is about 2 km away, according to the house. From the door you have the medieval centre as far as Plaça de les Voltes, the moat cut into the rock and, a few kilometres away, the Iberian town of Ullastret and the Gavarres dolmen routes. The coves of Calella de Palafrugell, Llafranc or Tamariu and the beach at Pals are a short drive away. - **Hotel Aatu**: A garden hotel on the edge of the village Hotel Aatu is about 400 metres from the centre of Peratallada, surrounded by farmland and woodland, with three hectares of its own gardens. It is a four-star hotel designed for relaxing: outdoor terraces, spacious lounges with fireplaces, a bar and café, and two saltwater pools with sun loungers. It only admits adults and over-14s, so it works mainly for couples or groups of friends. It also has two meeting rooms and organises private celebrations. The rooms There are fourteen, in two settings. Seven are on the ground floor, next to the garden, with a private terrace and direct access to the pool; one of them is a suite with a garden. The other seven are on the first floor of the main building, in a more contemporary style, with walk-in showers; one is a triple. All have a minibar, Smart TV, air conditioning, safe, bathrobe, slippers, hairdryer and toiletries. Breakfast and dinners Breakfast is included and is a buffet served on the terraces: fruit, bread and pastries from its own oven, cheeses, cured meats, salmon, yoghurt, cereals and eggs or omelettes made to order. In the afternoon there is a bar service with drinks and snacks, also by the pools, and the hotel mentions light dinners. For a full dinner there are the restaurants in the centre a short walk away. Getting there and what to do nearby You arrive by car; the hotel has free parking and wifi, and from there you walk to the village without worrying about the blue zone. It offers bicycle hire, massages, yoga, guided routes, taxi and car hire. The coves of the Costa Brava are about 15 minutes away by car. Nearby you have the medieval centre of Peratallada, the Iberian town of Ullastret, the Serra d’en Cals dolmens and the sunrise balloon flight over the Empordà. - **Hotel El Pati**: An 18th-century Catalan house in the centre Hotel El Pati is a two-star hotel on Carrer Hospital, in the centre of Peratallada, surrounded by the natural stone wall, the bell tower, the Torre de les Hores and the castle. It occupies an 18th-century Catalan house carefully restored and decorated in traditional Catalan style. It is small: it has capacity for ten or twelve people, so the service is personal and it is best to book well ahead in high season. Eating in-house In the same building is the El Pati restaurant, with a large courtyard between natural rock, walnut trees and plants, and indoor dining rooms. It opens at lunchtime, from 12:30 to 15:15, and in the evening, from 19:30 to 22:15, and closes on Wednesdays: if you are staying that day, look for dinner at another restaurant in the village. The hotel’s website does not detail the rooms or breakfast, so ask when you book. Getting there and parking You can’t drive into the centre. Park in one of the three car parks around it (Dalt, to the west; l’Església, opposite Sant Esteve, or Baix, to the east) and walk up with your luggage. From 2 to 6 April, from 14 June to 14 September and on the weekend of the Fira Medieval they are blue zone, but guests of the hotels in the core don’t pay: ask the hotel how to prove it. What to do nearby From the door you have the medieval centre as far as Plaça de les Voltes and the moat cut into the rock and the wall. By car, a few minutes away, the Iberian town of Ullastret and the Fitor dolmens, in the Gavarres. At sunrise the balloon flight over the Empordà takes off from Colomers. - **Hotel Mas Generós**: A hotel born from a garden Mas Generós is a small, sustainable rural hotel in Fonteta, a few kilometres from Peratallada, in a landscape of holm oaks and pines in the first foothills of the Gavarres, with the Montgrí in the background and the fields of the lower Ter around. The house explains that the project began with the garden: a naturalistic garden adapted to the Empordà landscape, with a vegetable garden, aromatic herbs and a “secret garden”. It is inspired by the so-called blue zones, the places where people live longest, and translates this into a Mediterranean diet, a calm life and outdoor activity. The rooms There are four types: double, deluxe double (larger, with a whirlpool bath), superior with private terrace and the Mas Generós Pavilion, a separate, recently built building, made with local materials and with its own entrance, for up to eight people. On the first floor, next to the library, there is a historic piano. Breakfast and restaurant Breakfast is a buffet, in the garden or inside with classical music, with eggs from its hens, honey from its bees, jams and lemon curd made from the garden’s fruit, curd cheese from Fonteta and herbal teas picked each morning; there are vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options. The restaurant, also open to non-guests, serves Mediterranean “garden” cooking with vegetables and flowers from its organic vegetable garden and recipes by its gastronomic director, Iolanda Bustos, author of Cuinar amb flors. It has an open kitchen, a stone fireplace, large windows onto the garden and a terrace in good weather, with vegetarian and vegan options. It presents itself as a restaurant for adults. Getting there and what to do You need a car. The address is Sant Generós, 21, in Fonteta. The house organises yoga in the garden, botanical walks, music nights, workshops and bike getaways. Peratallada, with its medieval centre and the moat cut into the rock, is a short distance away, and in the Gavarres you have the short Fitor dolmens route.