41.31° N · 0.99° E
A red-stone village high in the Muntanyes de Prades, with a fountain shaped like a globe, forest all around and dark skies. You can see it in a morning and it begs you to stay the night.
Part of Prades MountainsStarry skies in Spain
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
A 1.1 km, one-hour circular walk through Prades’ red-stone centre: gateway, arcaded square with the globe fountain, Santa Maria and the wall.
A natural arch of red rock 1.5 km from Prades, with a picnic area and a small pond. A short path with little ascent from the tourist office.
A hermitage from around 1570 set in a cave in the cliff, 2 km from Prades, on foot or by car. The key to the enclosure is collected at the tourist office.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
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
In October and early November, with the Festa de la Pagesia, the Prades Bosc castanyada and the forest changing colour. In summer, at 950 metres, it cools down at night. In winter it is properly cold and can freeze.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The car takes you up and the rest is done on foot: the square, the Roca Foradada and l'Abellera all start from the same old town.
Prades can only be reached by mountain roads climbing from the Camp de Tarragona, the Conca de Barberà and the Priorat. It is a classic stop for lunch on the square before riding on.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Prades works with small children because everything is close: the old town fits into an hour and the Roca Foradada into a relaxed morning.
With children of different ages, Prades is good for two days: short walks, an adventure park and a night of stars.
For a teenager, Prades is a base for activities: guided canyoning, mountain bike tracks and the summit of the range.
Prades gets on well with dogs: the routes start on foot from the village, the old town can be walked in full with the dog on a lead and three accommodations accept dogs, each with its own conditions. At the astronomy park, the dog stays out of the visitor centre.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Hotel with its own restaurant on Prades's main square, opposite the Renaissance fountain; downstairs, the house pizzeria too.
Why we like it: A village inn with its own restaurant on Plaça de Sant Roc in Prades, next to the coach stop and two minutes from the Plaça Major.
Why we like it: Five rural apartments in the Can Llorenç family house, in the centre of Prades, less than a minute from the Plaça Major.
Why we like it: A rural guesthouse on Carrer Nou del Pont in Prades, with five rooms, a kitchen for guests, a courtyard with a garden and a lounge with a fireplace.
Why we like it: Rural resort in Prades with glass-roofed igloos, tree houses and wooden cabins, a children's farm, a summer swimming pool and a restaurant.
Why we like it: A campsite 200 metres from Prades with 80 pitches, wooden bungalows and mobile homes, summer swimming pools, the Roca Vermella spa and a restaurant.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the *fonda* menu of the day; ask when you book.
What to order: something to nibble on the terrace of the arcaded square.
What to order: pizza, the easy option with children.
Takeaway and markets
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
It is collected free of charge at the tourist office against a €20 cash deposit and opens the hermitage enclosure for two hours.
La Costa del Castell is the street with the most red stone in the village.
The astronomical park sessions have limited places and depend on clear skies.
Come up to stay on a Saturday in October: a festival in the square in the morning, the Roca Foradada in the afternoon and stars at night.
On foggy days, frequent in winter, the summit of the Muntanyes de Prades gives no views. Stay in the village and go to the Roca Foradada.
Prades is up high, at 950 metres, at the end of twisty roads that climb from the Camp de Tarragona and from the Conca de Barberà. By car it is about 60 minutes from Tarragona or Lleida, about 2 hours from Barcelona and almost 3 from Girona. The old town, inside the wall, has narrow, steep streets: leave the car in the streets outside the wall and walk in through the gate at the square.
There is a coach stop at Plaça de Sant Roc and a taxi in the village, but timetables are sparse: for a getaway, the car is the practical choice.
The old town takes an hour. With the Roca Foradada or the Abellera hermitage, which start on foot from the village, you fill a morning. If you want to see the sky at the astronomical park, which runs at night, stay overnight. On festival Sundays (the Pagesia in October, Prades Bosc at the end of the month) the square fills up: arrive before ten.
Questions
Because of the reddish sandstone of the area, with which many of its houses, the wall and the church were built.
It is Renaissance, made of red stone and shaped like a globe, with four bronze spouts pointing to the cardinal points. It is the symbol of the village.
Yes. The walk around the old town is short and the Roca Foradada is 1.5 km from the village, with little climb. The astronomical park has a session designed for under-8s.
The potato is the star of the Festa de la Pagesia, which in 2026 was on 10 and 11 October, with a communal breakfast, a market of local produce and competitions. The castanyada (chestnut festival) comes with Prades Bosc, from 30 October to 1 November 2026.
The village and the routes are free. You pay for the astronomical park, the adventure park and guided activities.
At Carrer Muralla 3, next to the Centre d'Interpretació de les Muntanyes de Prades. It is open every morning and some afternoons; telephone 977 868 302.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/prades
