# Ripoll

Capital of the Ripollès, where the Ter meets the Freser beneath a monastery founded in 879 and its 12th-century portal. A quiet base for Núria and Sant Joan.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/ripoll · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## How do I get there from Barcelona and Girona?

By car, from Barcelona it is about 105 km along the C-17, the Vic autovía, which continues to Ripoll and Puigcerdà: a little over an hour and a half without traffic. From Girona it is about 100 km along the A-26 towards Olot and the N-260 to Ripoll, around 1 h 20. From Vic, half an hour.

Without a car, the Rodalies R3 links Barcelona with Ripoll and continues to Ribes de Freser and Puigcerdà. In 2026 the line has spent months under works: Rodalies reopened La Garriga – Ripoll in March and Ripoll – Ribes in May, with replacement buses on the affected sections. Check the service status before setting off. TEISA buses also run from Barcelona and Girona.

## Where do I park and how much time do I need?

Ripoll is a town open to traffic, not a pedestrianised old town. The council's tourism website doesn't publish parking zones or fees, and the hotels in the centre advertise free parking by the door. The monastery and the tourist office are together, on Plaça de l'Abat Oliba, a few minutes' walk from the train and bus station.

The monastery, with the portal and the cloister, needs a good hour. With the Museu Etnogràfic next door, half a morning. If you add Sant Joan de les Abadesses, ten minutes away, or the Ruta del Ferro greenway, it is a day. To go up to Núria on the rack railway from Ribes de Freser, allow another whole day: two nights is just the right measure.

## What you can't miss

The portal of Santa Maria, from the middle of the 12th century, is a great triumphal arch in stone attached to the west façade, carved with scenes from the Bible, the labours of the months and fights between beasts. Look at it up close and take your time: the entrance to the monastery, €7.50, includes the basilica with the counts' tombs and the cloister, whose north gallery is Romanesque and the rest Gothic.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Catalan Pre-Pyrenees, Pyrenees, Scenic train journeys in Spain
- Cerca: Rupit (a 29.9 km), Berga (a 30.4 km), Vic (a 30.5 km), Cerdanya (a 33.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Santa Maria de Ripoll Monastery, portal and cloister** (1 h 15 · All ages · Entry €7.50 · reduced €5.50 · €3.50 ages 5 to 18 · free for under-5s): What it is
The monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll was founded around 879-880 by Count Guifré el Pilós, at the confluence of the Freser and the Ter, to consolidate his power in the upper Ter and to have a place where he could be buried and where prayers would be said for his soul. It became the first pantheon of the dynasty that ruled Catalonia until the 15th century and, under Abbot Oliba in the 11th century, one of the great cultural centres of Europe: its scriptorium produced manuscripts of the 10th to 12th centuries that are now kept in the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, the National Library of France and the Vatican Library.
The monastery suffered greatly in the 19th century. In 1835, during the First Carlist War, it was stormed and set on fire, and in 1847 the east wing of the cloister collapsed. The restoration, promoted by Bishop Josep Morgades and directed by Elies Rogent, ended with a solemn inauguration in July 1893 and made Ripoll a symbol of the Renaixença. What you see today of the church is largely that reconstruction, which sought to recover Oliba's ideal church.
What you will see

The portal. This is the jewel of the complex: a great triumphal arch of stone from the mid-12th century, covered in scenes from the Bible. Look for Moses at the battle of Rephidim with his arms held up by Aaron and Hur, Jonah swallowed by the whale, King David with four musicians and Christ in majesty between two angels.
The counts' pantheon. In the north transept, the tomb of Guifré el Pilós, in its final place since 1982, and the cenotaph of Ramon Berenguer IV. In the south, the monumental tomb of Ramon Berenguer III the Great, with a 12th-century chest and an equestrian figure by Josep Llimona. Beside the presbytery, the Modernista urns of Bernat Tallaferro and of Radulf, Guifré's son.
The cloister. Trapezoidal in plan and with two storeys. The north gallery, Romanesque, from the second half of the 12th century, has white marble capitals with plants, animals and figures on reddish shafts. The other three galleries are Gothic, from 1384 to 1408, and the upper storey was finished around 1510. The 2011 restoration uncovered walls from the 10th century.

Opening hours

Summer, 28 March to 27 September 2026: 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00. Sundays and some holidays, 10:00 to 14:00; from 15 July to 1 September, also on Sunday afternoons, 16:00 to 19:00.
Winter, 29 September to 31 March: 10:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 18:00. Sundays and some holidays, 10:00 to 14:00.
Christmas: closed on 25 and 26 December and on 1 and 6 January. On 24 and 31 December and 5 January, 10:00 to 14:00.

Tickets are sold until 30 minutes before closing. Check holiday opening with the monastery.
Tickets

General: €7.50.
Reduced: €5.50, for over-65s, young people up to 25, teachers, unemployed people and large or single-parent families.
Ages 5 to 18: €3.50. Under-5s: free.
Groups of 20 to 30 people: €5.50 per person.

You can buy them online or at the ticket office. A self-guided visit takes an hour or an hour and a half.
Guided tour
On Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00. The schedule may change depending on services and celebrations; the monastery recommends booking on 972 70 42 03.
How to get there
The monastery is in the centre of Ripoll, in the plaça de l'Abat Oliba, next to the tourist office. The R3 train station is a few minutes' walk away, and the TEISA buses also arrive here. If you are driving, leave the car outside the historic centre.
With children
The portal can be read like a comic in stone: ask the children to find Jonah's whale or King David's musicians. The ticket is cheap for them. If they enjoy it, follow on with the Scriptorium at the Museu Etnogràfic, next door, where they learn how parchment was made.
- **Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser up to the valley at 2,000 metres** (6 h · All ages; under-4s free · Desde 34 € adult, return from Ribes): From Ripoll, the most complete excursion in the Ripollès fits into a day and needs no car beyond Ribes de Freser.
What it is and why it is worth it
For more than ninety years the Núria Rack Railway has been the only way into the Vall de Núria, a mountain resort in the municipality of Queralbs, in the eastern Pyrenees. The train leaves from Ribes-Enllaç, stops at Ribes-Vila and Queralbs and ends at Núria, at 1,964 metres. Along the way the track climbs a thousand metres in 12.5 km, and at the end the valley opens up around the sanctuary.
The good thing is that the ticket is not just the train. It includes one ride on the Coma del Clot cable car, entry to the Núria basilica, the exhibitions on the history of the rack railway and of snow, and the audiovisual show at the interpretation centre. On Saturdays and Sundays some trains stop with a guide at Fontalba, a viewpoint over the valley.
Who it is for
Almost everyone. Children under 4 travel free and children aged 4 to 13 have their own fare. The train does the hard work: at the top you can stay around the sanctuary and the exhibitions or head out on one of the hiking routes the resort offers. Dogs travel free, on a lead and muzzled; if you do not have a muzzle, you can buy one at the ticket office for €5.
How to get there from Ripoll
By car it is 14 km along the N-260 to Ribes de Freser, about 16 minutes. There is free parking for customers at the Ribes-Enllaç, Ribes-Vila and Queralbs stations. Ribes-Enllaç is also the interchange stop with the Rodalies R3 line, so you can also get there by train from Ripoll when the line is running normally. If you want to skip half of the rack railway journey, go up from Queralbs: the ticket is a little cheaper.
When to go
The rack railway runs all year. From spring to autumn is walking season; in winter Núria works as a ski and mountain resort. Before you go, check the timetable finder on the website: in low season there are days with fewer trains.
How much it costs and what is included
In 2026, the Ribes – Núria return costs €34 for adults aged 14 to 64, €22 for children aged 4 to 13 and €29 for over-65s. From Queralbs, €31, €20 and €25. Single from Ribes, €23.50 for an adult. The outward and return journeys must be on the same day. Large families and single-parent families get a 20% or 50% discount depending on their category. Buying online is compulsory to guarantee your place.
- **Ruta del Ferro i del Carbó Greenway, from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses** (12 km · All ages; suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs as far as Sant Joan · Self-guided · free): What it is
The Ruta del Ferro i del Carbó greenway follows the line of the old mining railway that carried coal down from the Ogassa mines to the port and industry of Barcelona. The line was built by a mining company, passenger service opened in 1880 and it closed completely in 1985. Thirteen years later, the region turned the abandoned stretch into a greenway.
From Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses it is paved, almost flat and car-free: Ripoll Town Council counts it as 12 km of surfaced path, with about 100 m of ascent and low difficulty. You can do it on foot or by bike, and the stretch to Sant Joan is suitable for wheelchairs and adapted bikes, with Braille panels. It is free and self-guided.
The route step by step

Ripoll station. Beside the building stands locomotive 1006, on a plinth. Continue along carrer del Progrés and carrer del Ter to passeig de Sant Joan, which already runs over the old track.
Start of the greenway. It begins at a roundabout on the C-151 bypass, next to a statue of sardana dancers. The paved track leaves on the left, with an underpass a few metres on.
Torrent de les Carboneres. The track runs beside the road for a while and, about 500 m later, separates from it with a strip of grass. Look out for the old Renfe kilometre posts: they count from Barcelona and the first one marks km 108.
Meadows and woodland. You pass between meadows and small woods until you come out at the Ter, about 4 km from Ripoll.
The tunnel. Where the river and the hillside narrow, a 49 m false tunnel.
The iron bridge over the Ter, at about 6 km. It was adapted for vehicles: the railings are low and the service walkway no longer exists, so cross it with care and keep children by the hand. Just after it, an underpass avoids the road.
Embankments and views. The track rises above the road and crosses a couple of streams on high embankments. Look north, towards the Serra Cavallera.
Sant Joan de les Abadesses station, at about 10 km. The old warehouse houses a restaurant, and the complex has a hostel, bike hire and a play area. Cross the Ter by the Gothic bridge to climb up to the town and the monastery.
On to Toralles, about 2 km more up the Malatosca valley, crossing the Ogassa road twice, to the old ore loading bay.

Beyond: on to Ogassa
From Toralles it is about 4 km to Ogassa, on a stretch that never had a passenger train. It is harder: the slopes have been softened, but Vías Verdes only recommends it for cyclists and walkers in good shape. From Sant Joan there is also a 2 km extension to the Llaudet textile colony, which continues along the Pirinexus route towards Camprodon.
Getting there and back
The start is at Ripoll station, so you can arrive by train with your bike. If you are driving, park in Ripoll. For the return, retrace your route: since the way to Sant Joan climbs gradually, the way back is slightly downhill.
When to go
All year. In spring and autumn the Ter valley is greener and the temperature is kind. In summer, set off early. In winter it can be cold, with frost first thing in shaded spots.
With children and with a dog
It is the bike excursion for children in the area: tarmac, almost no climbing, no cars except at crossings and on the iron bridge, and a playground and food when you reach Sant Joan. It is fine for pushchairs, wheelchairs and small bikes. Dogs are allowed, on a lead, especially because of the cyclists.
- **Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery and the Santíssim Misteri** (1 h · Families and teenagers; free for under-12s · Entry €5 · free for under-12s): What it is
The monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses is 11 km from Ripoll, up the River Ter. It was founded in 885 by Guifré el Pilós and his wife Guinedella as a community of Benedictine nuns: it was the first women's monastery in Catalonia, and their daughter Emma governed it as its first abbess. In 1017 the nuns left and the monastery passed to canons regular.
The present church was consecrated in 1150, in the time of Abbot Ponç de Monells, and it is one of the great examples of monumental Romanesque architecture of the 12th century in Catalonia. It was restored from 1912 under the direction of Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
What you will see

The Santíssim Misteri. A Descent from the Cross of 1251 with seven life-size wooden figures, still in the place it was made for. In 1426 an incorrupt host, placed there in 1251, was discovered in Christ's forehead, and since then it has been venerated under that name.
The Romanesque church, consecrated in 1150.
The Gothic cloister, from the 15th century.
A Renaissance building attached to the south transept.
The chapel of the Mare de Déu dels Dolors, with a Baroque dome.
The museum, opened in 1975, with works from the 8th to the 20th century: sculpture, painting, textiles and goldsmithing. Many pieces are still used at the great festivals.

Opening hours

June: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, except Thursday, when it is closed. Sunday, 10:00 to 13:00.
July and August: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 18:00. Sunday, 10:00 to 13:00. Open every day.
September to May: every day 10:00 to 13:00, except Thursday, when it is closed; on Saturday, also 16:00 to 18:00.

It is a parish church with daily Mass at 11:00 on weekdays, at 20:00 on Saturdays and the eve of holidays, and at 12:00 on Sundays and holidays: keep those times in mind when planning your visit.
Tickets

General: €5.
Reduced: €3 for groups and pensioners; €1 for school groups.
Free: under-12s and residents of the town.

The ticket includes the monastery and the museum. Allow an hour for the visit.
Guided tour with the Palau de l'Abadia
Every Saturday at 11:30, the guided tour takes in the monastery, the Palau de l'Abadia and the town, with its history, legends and traditions. It costs €10 for adults, €7.80 for pensioners and young people, and €2 for children. It leaves from the Sant Joan de les Abadesses tourist office. For groups there are tours by appointment all year round. Information on 972 720 013.
How to get there
From Ripoll, by car, along the Ter road, about 11 km. If you have time, the prettiest way is the Ferro i Carbó greenway, paved and flat, on foot or by bike: about 10 km to the former Sant Joan station. From there, cross the Ter over the Gothic bridge and climb up to the old town.
With children
The visit is short and under-12s do not pay. The Santíssim Misteri, with its life-size figures, impresses older children. The monastery offers educational worksheets for school groups. With the greenway, the day becomes a bike ride with a reward at the end.
- **Ripoll Ethnographic Museum and the Scriptorium** (1 h · Families; also good in the rain · General entry €4): What it is
The Museu Etnogràfic de Ripoll was born in 1929 as the Arxiu Museu Folklòric, set up in the attic of the former church of Sant Pere. It was the first museum in Catalonia dedicated to ethnography. For seventy years it collected, without interruption, the trades, customs and objects of the Ripollès. After ten years of refurbishment, it opened its current home in March 2011, next to the monastery of Santa Maria. Its collections explain how people in the eastern Pyrenees lived before and during industrialisation.
What you will see
The visit starts on floor 0, goes up to floor 2 and ends on floor 1:

Floor 0. An audiovisual show on the museum's more than 80 years, prehistoric pieces from the excavations of Eudald Carbonell, the remains of a lorry tyre rim destroyed in a bombing in 1939, images of the monastery before its restoration and a fragment of wall found during work on the building.
Floor 2. The sound of sheep bells leads you to the memory of the old museum and to the shepherds' diorama, made in 1932 by Salvador Alarma and Josep Mestres Cabanes. Next come work on the land, with shepherds and farmers, life at home, popular religiosity and leisure time: handmade toys, dolls, tin soldiers, spinning tops and cricket cages.
Floor 1. The town's craftsmen, the Saturday market and industry: textiles and, above all, iron. The forges produced iron of great quality, and three quarters of the population lived from trades linked to it. Ripoll's portable firearms, from the 17th and 18th centuries, are now kept in museums in Paris, Edinburgh, St Petersburg and Chicago.

The Scriptorium
The museum also runs the Ripoll Scriptorium, a permanent, interactive and educational exhibition on the importance of the monastery in copying manuscripts between the 10th and 12th centuries, among the most significant in Europe. Adults and children learn how parchment was made and how inks were prepared. In summer it runs guided tours; for groups, book on 972 70 31 44. Ask at the museum whether the ticket includes it and where the visit takes place.
Opening hours

September to June: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 13:30 and 16:00 to 18:00. Sundays and holidays, 10:00 to 14:00.
July and August: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 13:30 and 16:00 to 19:00. Sundays and holidays, 10:00 to 14:00. On Mondays in August, 10:00 to 14:00.
Closed: Mondays, 1 and 6 January and 25 and 26 December.

Tickets

General: €4.
Reduced: €3 for pensioners, young people aged 13 to 25, students, large or single-parent families and unemployed people; €2 with a disability or a Carnet Jove.
Free: children aged 0 to 12 and everyone on the last Sunday of each month.
Groups of 15 or more: €2.50 per person; the guided tour for a group costs €35.

Allow about an hour for the museum.
How to get there and accessibility
It is in the centre, on the same square as the monastery and the tourist office. You can walk from the R3 train station. The museum publishes physical accessibility information and works with the Fundació MAP in Ripoll; if you need something specific, call 972 70 31 44 beforehand.
With children
It is a good plan for rainy days and for children: they go in free up to age 12, the route is varied and the floor of old toys hooks them. The museum offers family activities, such as a treasure hunt that leaves the display cases and heads out into the streets, and a card game for inventing stories. Ask about them at the ticket office.
- **A walk along the Ter from the Santa Maria colony, on the VORATER route** (6 km · All ages · Self-guided · free · materials at the tourist office): What it is
This is Ripoll's VORATER route: a 6 km round-trip walk beside the River Ter, of low difficulty, with only 70 m of ascent and as much descent, and a maximum altitude of 668 m. It starts at the Santa Maria factory colony, also called the Roig colony, and so it shows above all the industrial side of the river: the train, the weir, the canal, the d'en Botei power station and the sewage treatment plant. Along the way there are natural spots chosen for stopping: places for calm, meditation, observation and even writing.
VORATER is a project of the Consell Comarcal del Ripollès, co-funded by European ERDF funds, with four routes on the banks of the Ter: Camprodon, Sant Pau de Segúries, Sant Joan de les Abadesses and Ripoll. It is not a route for going fast, but for strolling slowly, sitting by the water and looking.
What you will see along the way

The Santa Maria or Roig colony, the starting point: a factory colony on the banks of the Ter.
The train, which runs alongside the river on this stretch.
The weir and the canal, the dam and the channel that carried water from the river to industry.
The d'en Botei power station, a former electricity plant.
The sewage treatment plant.
The calm spaces, spots by the water chosen for sitting, observing and writing.

It is a there-and-back route: you return the way you came. It is signposted as the Ruta del Ter and with GR waymarks. The route can be downloaded from the Ripollès Turisme website.
How to do it
With the VORATER notebook and map, which the tourist offices hand out, the walk suggests exercises for looking at the river calmly: listening, observing, writing. Ask for them at the Ripoll tourist office, in the plaça de l'Abat Oliba, next to the monastery. The project also has a web app. Allow about two hours at an easy pace, with stops.
How to get there
The Santa Maria colony is in Ripoll, beside the Ter. Ask at the tourist office how to walk there from the centre or from the R3 train station, and where to leave the car if you come by car.
When to go
All year. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons by the river. In summer, go early or in the late afternoon. After heavy rain, the path beside the river can get muddy: wear suitable footwear.
With children and with a dog
It is a flat, short walk, suitable for all ages. Children are interested in the train, the dam and the water; keep an eye on them near the canal and the bank. With a pushchair, ask at the tourist office about the state of the surface. Dogs are allowed, on a lead.
- **Roca de la Creu via ferrata in Ribes de Freser, with a guide** (3 h · Teenagers and adults with no experience; under-8s, ask first): What it is
The Roca de la Creu via ferrata, in Ribes de Freser, climbs a rock that is unusual in Catalonia: granophyre, a rock of volcanic origin that combines features of granite and volcanic rocks. It is what remains of an old volcanic chimney from the Upper Ordovician, more than 400 million years ago. The Ribes granophyre is the most extensive and best known in Catalonia, and plenty of heather grows on these acid soils, accompanying you along the whole route.
A via ferrata is a route equipped with a safety cable, rungs and walkways, along which you progress secured with a harness and energy absorbers. You do not need to know how to climb.
What it is like

Difficulty: K2/K3, moderate on the via ferrata scale.
Notable sections: two bridges, three overhangs and an escape route for leaving halfway.
Duration: 2 h 30 to 4 hours, depending on the group.
Season: spring, summer and autumn.

Who runs it
Pura Vall, an experiences agency in the Vall de Ribes and the Vall de Núria, runs it with a mountain technician. It includes:

The technician's company.
Shared equipment: rope, slings, karabiners and belay device.
Personal equipment: harness, energy-absorbing lanyards and helmet.
Accident insurance.

No prior fitness or experience is needed: the guide explains everything before you start and, if you already have some practice, adjusts the pace to your level. They recommend groups of 2 to 5 people; for more or fewer, you need to ask. The same goes for children under 8.
Price and booking
Pura Vall does not publish a price: it works on quotes, depending on the experience and the size of the group. Ask for one on their website, at info@puravall.com or on 685 940 375. They answer Monday to Friday 8:00 to 16:00 and at weekends 10:00 to 14:00. The departure is from Ribes de Freser; they give you the exact point when you book.
What to bring

Comfortable clothes and shoes with a good sole. Do not break in new kit that day.
Cycling or climbing gloves: Pura Vall recommends them for the cable.
Water, something to eat and sun protection.
A warm layer outside summer.

How to get there from Ripoll
Ribes de Freser is up the Freser valley, on the same Rodalies R3 line as Ripoll, and it is also the base for the Núria Rack Railway. In 2026 there are stretches of the R3 under works with replacement buses: check the timetable before you go.
If the weather changes
A via ferrata is a steel cable on a rock face: you should not be on it in a storm. The escape route lets you leave halfway. Check the forecast the day before, confirm the departure with Pura Vall and always follow the technician's instructions.
Canyoning in the Gorges del Freser
From spring to autumn, the same company offers an introductory canyon in the Gorges del Freser: about 4 hours, up to the Salt del Grill and down the beginners' section, with a qualified guide, full equipment and insurance, for a maximum of 6 people per guide. It is also by quote.
- **Guided snowshoe introduction in the Vall de Núria** (2 h · Introduction · From age 7 with the habit of walking · Desde 32 € per person): What it is
Núria is a closed valley at 1,964 metres that can only be reached on the Cremallera, and in winter it turns white around the sanctuary and the lake. The resort has marked, free snowshoe circuits for going on your own, hiring equipment there. If you have never put on snowshoes, the simple option is the guided introduction with Oxineu, the mountain company from Ribes de Freser that runs the Núria ski school: two hours on a gentle route, with someone who teaches you to move on snow and to read the landscape and the tracks of wildlife.
What the outing is like
You meet at the Oxineu ski school, in the Volum Nord building in the Vall de Núria. There are two departures, at 10:00 and 12:30; on 1 January, at 10:30 and 13:00. The guide hands out snowshoes and poles, explains the technique and sets out with the group on an introductory route, suitable for all ages with a little fitness: it is two hours walking on mountain terrain. There is one guide for every twelve people at most. On some days there is also a night version, and on the resort's website the full-moon outing and the route to the valley viewpoint appear.
Price and what is included
From €32 in an open group. It includes the mountain sports technician, snowshoes, poles and accident insurance. It does not include the rack railway ticket (€34 return from Ribes for an adult in 2026), lunch or personal equipment. Book on the Oxineu website: you choose the date and number of people and the times appear. Pets are not allowed on the activity.
When
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays of the ski season, when there is snow. Before buying the rack railway ticket, check the outing calendar and the resort's snow report.
What to bring
Mountain boots, gloves, hat, sunglasses or snow goggles and warm clothing in layers. In Núria the sun is strong on the snow: sun cream and lip balm.
To eat without going down, Racó de la Vall, in the hotel building, serves Catalan cooking with local produce.

## Dónde comer
- **Restaurant Reccapolis** (Restaurant, Ripoll, €€€). Qué pedir: the €33 menu of the day; à la carte, the Ripollès veal entrecôte or fillet, and in autumn the game, such as the wild boar stew or the partridge
- **La Trobada · Café 1981 and Botiga Orígens** (Café, Ripoll, €). Qué pedir: the traditional breakfast with Ripollès cheeses and cured meats, from 8:00 to 11:00, and something from the shop for the road.
- **Restaurant Solana del Ter** (Restaurant, Ripoll, €€). Qué pedir: menu of the day or à la carte market cooking with Ripollès produce; in the bar, tapas and raciones.
- **La Piazzetta** (Restaurant, Ripoll, €). Qué pedir: pizza, also to take away, on the plaça Nova, with options for coeliacs.
- **El Racó de la Vall** (Restaurant, Núria). Qué pedir: the Catalan cooking of the day; ask what there is from the Ripollès, which the hotel highlights on its menu
- **La Barricona** (Restaurant, Ripoll, €). Qué pedir: the set menu of home-style market cooking, with a vegan option every day and gluten-free desserts.

## By car: Ripoll as a base for the Ripollès
By car, Ripoll is at the centre of everything: Sant Joan de les Abadesses ten minutes away, Ribes de Freser and the rack railway a quarter of an hour and Vic half an hour.
Presupuesto orientativo: 80–150 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Ecohotel Mas el Mir** (Small hotel, desde 145 € / night): A 1366 farmhouse on the Les Llosses road
Mas el Mir is a Catalan farmhouse documented since 1366, deep in the mountains beside the road to Les Llosses, near Ripoll. It has been restored with lime plaster from Catalan quarries, wood and recovered antique furniture, and it runs as an eco-hotel: 26 solar panels, a biomass boiler, rainwater for the vegetable garden, the garden and the animals, a saltwater pool treated by electrolysis, an outdoor jacuzzi and cleaning with ozonated water. It is adults only and accepts pets. The owners also have two restaurants in Barcelona.
Seven rooms, from €145 to €270
The website prices, with VAT and accommodation only, for two people in low and high season:

Hisop, 20 m², €145 or €165; single occupancy, €110 or €130. Milfulles and Espernallac, double rooms.
Espígol, a 23 m² superior room, €155 or €175.
Civada, a 28 m² superior room with a double sofa bed, for two to four people: €155 or €175 for two, and €40 more per extra person.
Suite Heura, 40 m², with a fireplace: €230 or €250.
Suite Romaní, a self-contained 80 m² apartment with a kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, a bathroom with a bath and its own parking: €250 or €270.

All have heating, a shower, towels, a bathrobe, a hairdryer and wifi. Firewood for the suites' fireplaces, €30 per stay. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
A shared table at nine
Breakfast, with organic and local produce, costs €18 per person and is served until 11:00. Dinner, at 21:00 and always by reservation, costs €28: it is a varied table of mountain cooking with organic produce from the area, designed for sharing between two. They cater for vegan and vegetarian diets, allergies and intolerances if you let them know. They also prepare picnics for setting out on a route.
Dogs, always on a lead
Pets cost €18 a night and may be in the room, in the common areas and in the dining room, always on a lead. In the room there is a food bowl and a water bowl, and they get a welcome treat, but you need to bring their bed.
In winter, weekends only
During the winter season the hotel is closed from Sunday to Thursday. The Suite Romaní stays open all year, with breakfast by reservation, massages and the jacuzzi, but no dinners on those days.
How to get there without getting lost
If you are coming from Barcelona or Vic, do not go into Ripoll: turn off on the C-26 towards Les Llosses just before. Satnavs tend to send you through Ripoll and along narrow mountain tracks. Once here, the monastery of Santa Maria and the walk beside the Ter are in Ripoll, a short drive away.
- **La Trobada Boutique Hotel** (Hotel): Over the Ter, two minutes from the monastery
From the windows of La Trobada Boutique Hotel you can watch the Ter flow past: the building stands over the river, at passeig Honorat Vilamanyà, 4, in the centre of Ripoll. The monastery of Santa Maria is two minutes' walk away and the train and bus station five. There is free parking in front, and from the door you can join the greenway. The family started in 1981 with a restaurant to make use of what their farms produced; in 1985 they built this building, and in 2020, with the hotel closed because of the pandemic, they refurbished it entirely. Today it is run by the third generation.
Five suites named after materials
The refurbishment created five junior suites dedicated to what defines Ripoll: water, nature, iron, wood and stone.

Agua and Natura are the deluxe ones: a 180 cm bed, a rain shower and a bath for two; Agua also has an electric fireplace and a balcony with a table, and Natura a tantra sofa.
Hierro, Madera and Piedra: rain shower, air conditioning, a work area, bathrobe and slippers; Hierro has a 150 cm bed.

The rest are doubles, with views, with two beds or the so-called Romantic, all with air conditioning, TV, wifi and a work area. The website gives two different figures, 17 or 18 rooms in total: twelve or thirteen doubles and the five suites.
Breakfast at the 1981 and dinner elsewhere
Breakfast is served at the Café 1981, run by the same family, from 8:00 to 11:00: the traditional one, with local cheeses, cured meats, yoghurt and fruit, or the Orígens, served in three rounds. If you leave early, you can order it to take away as a picnic. The café only serves dinner to groups of more than six with a booking, so for dinner you have to go out; at reception they recommend where. Next to reception is the Botiga Orígens, with cured meats, cheeses, honey, beer and ratafia from the Ripollès.
Arriving late, coming by train
Reception is staffed from 9:00 to 21:00, but you can get in with a code, so arriving at night is no problem. If you come on the R3 from Barcelona, the station is five minutes' walk away and everything in Ripoll can be done on foot. The hotel sells monastery tickets and Núria rack railway tickets, hires out bikes and prepares picnics. It accepts pets; check the conditions when you book. On its website cancellation is free up to 72 hours before and early check-in depends on occupancy.
If you are looking for something simpler, the same family has the Hotel Sport, at the foot of Sant Bartomeu.
- **La Trobada Hotel Sport** (Hotel): At the foot of Sant Bartomeu, right in the centre
La Trobada Hotel Sport is the cheapest accommodation of the La Trobada family, who have been welcoming guests in Ripoll since 1981. It is at carrer Celestí Sadurní, 1, in the centre, at the foot of the Sant Bartomeu mountain, a few minutes' walk from the train and bus station. Some rooms look onto the monastery of Santa Maria and the town; others onto the mountain or the hotel's courtyard.
A garage for the bike and the motorbike
It is the family's hotel designed for people arriving on two wheels. It has a closed car park for bicycles and motorbikes, and free spaces on the same street reserved for guests who come by car. For touring cyclists travelling with panniers there is a space for washing and drying clothes. Many guests use it as a stop on a long ride or as a base for motorbike or bike routes towards Molló, Andorra, France or the Costa Brava, and the Ferro i Carbó greenway starts in Ripoll itself.
From single to family
There are rooms of many types: single, double for single use, budget double, twin double, comfort double, doubles with views of the mountain or the monastery, triple, family and connecting double. The family rooms have a double bed and two single beds and face the courtyard. The connecting double is two refurbished rooms joined by a door, each with its own bathroom, with views of the monastery. The refurbished ones have air conditioning; all have a full bathroom, a desk, wifi and a flat-screen TV.
Getting in at any hour
Arrival is self-service: you receive a code and go in whenever you like, without depending on reception hours. There is breakfast, which you add when you book, and a local products shop at reception. Pets are accepted. The website does not advertise dinners. The family also has the Café 1981, next to the boutique hotel, which opens every morning from 8:00 to 11:00.
Booking
On its website it publishes the best price, with free cancellation up to 72 hours before and early check-in subject to availability. The phone number is the same as the boutique hotel's: 972 70 23 53.
- **Hotel Solana del Ter** (Hotel): On the edge of the C-17 since 1965
Solana del Ter opened in 1965 on the C-17, at kilometre 92.5 in the direction of Puigcerdà, on the way out of Ripoll, and it is still a family business. Over the years it has grown into a small complex: hotel, restaurant, function rooms, a sports club with padel and a pool, and a campsite. For a family with a car it has the advantage of having everything on the same site: you park, eat, swim in summer and set off on a route.
Twenty new rooms and sixteen classic ones
The hotel has 36 double, triple and quadruple rooms. Twenty, superior doubles, were recently refurbished, with air conditioning, parquet floors and a contemporary design. The other sixteen, standard doubles and family rooms with or without a balcony, keep the classic style, with central heating and a ceiling fan. All have a flat-screen TV, a full bathroom with a hairdryer and free wifi, and some have a private terrace with views of the Ripollès. There is a lift and a room adapted for reduced mobility.
The house offers stays with dinner and breakfast. Book on the website, by phone or by WhatsApp on 972 70 10 62.
Eating at the Comte Arnau
The hotel restaurant, the Comte Arnau dining room, serves lunches and dinners from a set menu and à la carte, with market cooking and Ripollès produce; it has its own listing as Restaurant Solana del Ter. At the bar counter, tapas and raciones are served, also to take away. The Bernat Tallaferro room, with a fireplace, serves as a café, reading room and games room.
Pool, padel and campsite
The pool runs in 2026 from 20 June to 6 September, weather permitting, from 10:30 to 19:30, and is free for hotel guests. The sports club has padel, mini-basketball, volleyball and beach tennis courts, open from 8:30 to 23:00. The campsite, third category, is open from 1 March to 30 November and also serves as a stop for motorhomes.
By bike from the door
The hotel is part of the Bikefriendly network and suggests road, gravel and mountain bike routes. The Ferro i Carbó greenway, which climbs at a gentle 1% gradient to Sant Joan de les Abadesses, starts in Ripoll, and the centre with the monastery of Santa Maria is a short drive away.
- **Ca n'Aliguer** (Country house): On the plana d'Ordina, across the Freser
Ca n'Aliguer is a farmhouse on the plana d'Ordina, on the bank of the River Freser and less than a kilometre from the monastery of Santa Maria, in the centre of Ripoll. The oldest surviving photos of the house date from 1910 to 1912. Between 2021 and 2022 the family partly restored and partly refurbished it so as to live in it all year round and open the other half to guests: it is a lived-in farmhouse, and the owners are at home.
Two rooms and the shared house
There are only two rooms, spacious, bright and with their own bathroom, and both have a fridge for keeping food:

Nerol, with two single beds and an optional third, for three people.
Ordina, with a double bed and room for a cot if needed.

Guests share a kitchen-diner with everything needed for cooking, a bathroom and a TV with internet, which opens straight onto the garden. There you will find a terrace, a barbecue and a space for eating outside. There is also a sitting room with a sofa, a TV and a small pantry area, designed for cold days.
Hens, vegetable garden and sun
The house runs on 22 solar panels and a battery that make it almost self-sufficient, collects rainwater for the vegetable garden and the animals and has a mini treatment plant. They keep laying hens and grow vegetables, and breakfasts are made with local produce; the house works with Ripollès producers and can tell you where to buy from them.
How to get there without a car
You reach the door by a paved path. By train, the Rodalies R3 stops at Ripoll and the farmhouse is a 1.5 km walk away. By car or bike, from the Mossos d'Esquadra police station in Ripoll go straight on towards the Font del Tòtil and La Roca: Ca n'Aliguer is halfway. From here you can walk to the monastery of Santa Maria and the walk beside the Ter, and the Ferro i Carbó greenway leaves from Ripoll itself.
The website does not publish prices or rules about animals: book and ask on 698 90 00 39 or at info@canaliguer.com.
### Servicios
- **Núria Rack Railway car parks**: Free for customers at the Ribes-Enllaç, Ribes-Vila and Queralbs stations

## Car-free: Ripoll by train and on foot
Ripoll is one of the few mountain towns where you can arrive and get around without a car: train, monastery on foot and greenway from the station. That said, in 2026 the R3 has had stretches under works.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **La Trobada Boutique Hotel** (Hotel): Over the Ter, two minutes from the monastery
From the windows of La Trobada Boutique Hotel you can watch the Ter flow past: the building stands over the river, at passeig Honorat Vilamanyà, 4, in the centre of Ripoll. The monastery of Santa Maria is two minutes' walk away and the train and bus station five. There is free parking in front, and from the door you can join the greenway. The family started in 1981 with a restaurant to make use of what their farms produced; in 1985 they built this building, and in 2020, with the hotel closed because of the pandemic, they refurbished it entirely. Today it is run by the third generation.
Five suites named after materials
The refurbishment created five junior suites dedicated to what defines Ripoll: water, nature, iron, wood and stone.

Agua and Natura are the deluxe ones: a 180 cm bed, a rain shower and a bath for two; Agua also has an electric fireplace and a balcony with a table, and Natura a tantra sofa.
Hierro, Madera and Piedra: rain shower, air conditioning, a work area, bathrobe and slippers; Hierro has a 150 cm bed.

The rest are doubles, with views, with two beds or the so-called Romantic, all with air conditioning, TV, wifi and a work area. The website gives two different figures, 17 or 18 rooms in total: twelve or thirteen doubles and the five suites.
Breakfast at the 1981 and dinner elsewhere
Breakfast is served at the Café 1981, run by the same family, from 8:00 to 11:00: the traditional one, with local cheeses, cured meats, yoghurt and fruit, or the Orígens, served in three rounds. If you leave early, you can order it to take away as a picnic. The café only serves dinner to groups of more than six with a booking, so for dinner you have to go out; at reception they recommend where. Next to reception is the Botiga Orígens, with cured meats, cheeses, honey, beer and ratafia from the Ripollès.
Arriving late, coming by train
Reception is staffed from 9:00 to 21:00, but you can get in with a code, so arriving at night is no problem. If you come on the R3 from Barcelona, the station is five minutes' walk away and everything in Ripoll can be done on foot. The hotel sells monastery tickets and Núria rack railway tickets, hires out bikes and prepares picnics. It accepts pets; check the conditions when you book. On its website cancellation is free up to 72 hours before and early check-in depends on occupancy.
If you are looking for something simpler, the same family has the Hotel Sport, at the foot of Sant Bartomeu.
- **La Trobada Hotel Sport** (Hotel): At the foot of Sant Bartomeu, right in the centre
La Trobada Hotel Sport is the cheapest accommodation of the La Trobada family, who have been welcoming guests in Ripoll since 1981. It is at carrer Celestí Sadurní, 1, in the centre, at the foot of the Sant Bartomeu mountain, a few minutes' walk from the train and bus station. Some rooms look onto the monastery of Santa Maria and the town; others onto the mountain or the hotel's courtyard.
A garage for the bike and the motorbike
It is the family's hotel designed for people arriving on two wheels. It has a closed car park for bicycles and motorbikes, and free spaces on the same street reserved for guests who come by car. For touring cyclists travelling with panniers there is a space for washing and drying clothes. Many guests use it as a stop on a long ride or as a base for motorbike or bike routes towards Molló, Andorra, France or the Costa Brava, and the Ferro i Carbó greenway starts in Ripoll itself.
From single to family
There are rooms of many types: single, double for single use, budget double, twin double, comfort double, doubles with views of the mountain or the monastery, triple, family and connecting double. The family rooms have a double bed and two single beds and face the courtyard. The connecting double is two refurbished rooms joined by a door, each with its own bathroom, with views of the monastery. The refurbished ones have air conditioning; all have a full bathroom, a desk, wifi and a flat-screen TV.
Getting in at any hour
Arrival is self-service: you receive a code and go in whenever you like, without depending on reception hours. There is breakfast, which you add when you book, and a local products shop at reception. Pets are accepted. The website does not advertise dinners. The family also has the Café 1981, next to the boutique hotel, which opens every morning from 8:00 to 11:00.
Booking
On its website it publishes the best price, with free cancellation up to 72 hours before and early check-in subject to availability. The phone number is the same as the boutique hotel's: 972 70 23 53.
### Servicios
- **Ripoll Station, Rodalies R3 Line**: Barcelona – Vic – Ripoll – Ribes de Freser – Puigcerdà · stretches under works in 2026 with replacement buses · check rodalies.gencat.cat
- **TEISA Bus**: Lines from Barcelona, Girona, Vic and Olot · timetables at teisa-bus.com

## With young children: A mountain train and a path without cars

With small children, Ripoll works because it is easy: a flat, paved greenway and a train that climbs on its own to 2,000 metres.

### What works best
The Núria Rack Railway: under-4s free

The greenway towards Sant Joan, with a pushchair or a bike with stabilisers

The walk beside the Ter from the Santa Maria colony

### Where to sleep
Hotel with quadruple rooms and a summer pool, on the way out of Ripoll

Mas el Mir is adults only

### Where to eat
Pizza on the plaça Nova

A picnic on the greenway or up at Núria

### Worth knowing
It is cool at Núria even in summer: bring a coat

The greenway returns by the same path: it is 24 km there and back, so just do one stretch

### Qué hacer with young children
- Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser up to the valley at 2,000 metres
- Ruta del Ferro i del Carbó Greenway, from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- A walk along the Ter from the Santa Maria colony, on the VORATER route

## As a family: Counts, monks and a rack railway

With children of different ages, Ripoll makes a weekend: one day of monasteries and greenway and another at Núria.

### What works best
The Ripoll monastery: €3.50 for ages 5 to 18

The Núria Rack Railway, with the Coma del Clot cable car included

Sant Joan de les Abadesses, free for under-12s

### Where to sleep
Hotel with campsite and pool on the C-17

Farmhouse with a three-bed room beside the Freser

### Where to eat
Restaurant with set menu and tapas bar at Solana del Ter

Home-style set menu at the cooperative on the Sant Joan road

### Worth knowing
The Museu Etnogràfic and its Scriptorium save a rainy day

Buy the rack railway ticket online

### Qué hacer as a family
- Santa Maria de Ripoll Monastery, portal and cloister
- Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser up to the valley at 2,000 metres
- Ruta del Ferro i del Carbó Greenway, from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery and the Santíssim Misteri
- Ripoll Ethnographic Museum and the Scriptorium
- A walk along the Ter from the Santa Maria colony, on the VORATER route

## With teenagers: Via ferrata, bikes and high mountains

A teenager will be bored in Ripoll if it is only Romanesque stones. They will be hooked if there is height, a bike and a challenge with a helmet.

### What works best
The Roca de la Creu via ferrata, with a guide and no previous experience

The 12 km greenway to Sant Joan, by bike

The Núria Rack Railway and the routes from the sanctuary

### Where to sleep
Hotels in the centre: they can go out alone to the square and the river

Mas el Mir is adults only

### Where to eat
Pizza in the centre

Cured meats and cheese from the Botiga Orígens for the trail

### Worth knowing
The via ferrata and canyoning are booked by prior quote

At the monastery they pay €3.50 up to age 18

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Santa Maria de Ripoll Monastery, portal and cloister
- Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser up to the valley at 2,000 metres
- Ruta del Ferro i del Carbó Greenway, from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery and the Santíssim Misteri
- Roca de la Creu via ferrata in Ribes de Freser, with a guide

## With a dog: Beside the Ter and along the greenway, with the dog

From Ripoll you can head out with the dog without taking the car: the walk beside the Ter and the greenway towards Sant Joan de les Abadesses are flat and short, with the dog on a lead. To go up to Núria, the rack railway takes it free, with a lead and a muzzle. Three accommodations accept dogs; only one publishes its conditions.

### Routes
Walk beside the Ter, 6 km there and back from the Santa Maria colony: flat, on a lead

Ferro i Carbó greenway, about 10 km to Sant Joan: on a lead, because of the cyclists

Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser: the dog goes up free, on a lead and muzzled

### Where to sleep
Ecohotel Mas el Mir: €18 a night, always on a lead and with its bed; adults only

La Trobada Boutique Hotel and La Trobada Hotel Sport, in the centre: pets allowed

### Worth knowing
If you do not have a muzzle, you can buy one at the rack railway ticket office for €5

Neither of the two La Trobada hotels publishes its conditions: ask when you book

### Qué hacer with a dog
- Núria Rack Railway, from Ribes de Freser up to the valley at 2,000 metres
- Ruta del Ferro i del Carbó Greenway, from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- A walk along the Ter from the Santa Maria colony, on the VORATER route

### Dónde dormir with a dog
- Ecohotel Mas el Mir: €18 a night; always on a lead, also in common areas and at meals; bring its bed
- La Trobada Boutique Hotel: Dogs allowed; check conditions when you book
- La Trobada Hotel Sport: Dogs allowed; check conditions when you book

## Consejos

### Go on the weekend guided visit
The monastery runs a guided visit on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00. It is best to book on 972 70 42 03.

### Buy the Núria ticket beforehand
The rack railway requires online purchase to guarantee a place. Do it the day before and take one of the first trains from Ribes.

### Combine monasteries
Santa Maria de Ripoll and Sant Joan de les Abadesses were founded by the same count, Wilfred the Hairy, a few years apart. They can be seen in a day.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does it cost to enter Ripoll monastery?
€7.50 general admission, €5.50 for over-65s and young people up to 25, €3.50 for ages 5 to 18 and free for under-5s. The guided visit is on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00.

### What are the monastery's opening hours?
From 28 March to 27 September 2026, from 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00; in winter, from 10:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 18:00. Sundays and some public holidays, from 10:00 to 14:00. The ticket office closes half an hour earlier.

### Can I get to Ripoll by train?
Yes, on the Rodalies R3. In 2026 it has had sections under works with replacement buses between Barcelona and La Garriga, so check the service status on the same day.

### What is there near Ripoll?
Sant Joan de les Abadesses 11 km away, Ribes de Freser and the Núria Rack Railway 14 km away, and Vic half an hour away on the C-17.

### Where is the tourist office?
On Plaça de l'Abat Oliba, next to the monastery. From October to March it is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 18:00, and Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00. Telephone 972 70 23 51.

### When are Ripoll's festivals?
The Festa Major de Sant Eudald is on 11 May; the Festa Nacional de la Llana, in mid-May; the Mercadal del Comte Guifré, from 10 to 12 August, and the Fira de l'Ovella, on 15 October.

### Is it a good plan in the rain?
Yes: the monastery, the cloister and the Museu Etnogràfic, with its Scriptorium, are indoor visits that fill a morning.