Plaza Mayor, Sant Pere Cathedral and Old Town
1 h 30All agesDog-friendly
A walk through the centre of Vic: Plaza Mayor with a Tuesday and Saturday market, Sant Pere cathedral with Sert murals, the Roman temple and the MEV.
From Barcelona69 km · about 55 min
TrainRodalies R3
Minimum timeOne day
MarketTuesday and Saturday
What to do
What to do in Vic
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Sant Pere Cathedral and the Sert Paintings
1 hEveryoneAll year
Vic's cathedral, with Josep Maria Sert's murals, the Romanesque crypt, the ambulatory, the Espai Sert and the Gothic cloister. Entry €5; free up to age 18.
From €5
How to do it
MEV, Museu d'Art Medieval de Vic
1 h 30Everyone; with offerings for familiesAll year
Museum of Catalan Romanesque and Gothic art beside Vic Cathedral, with more than 29,000 pieces. Entry €8.50; free under 10. Closed on Mondays.
From €8
How to do it
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Vic, step by step
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
When to go to Vic
Any time of year, best on a Tuesday or Saturday to see the market in the square. In early November, the Fira de la Muntanya. In winter the Plana de Vic is cold and often wakes up in fog.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
Vic your way
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.
By Car, Vic and the Sau Reservoir
Vic is 55 minutes from Barcelona on the C-17. With a car, the day in the city can be rounded off with the Sau Reservoir and the Guilleries, half an hour away, where the train does not reach.
70–140 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepHotel Can Pamplona, next to…
- Getting aroundPark outside the old town…
- EatEl Jardinet, in the old…
- ServicesTourist office on Plaça del…
Sleep
- Hotel Can Pamplona, next to the centre, with free parking
- Parador de Vic-Sau, above the reservoir, with a pool
Getting around
- Park outside the old town and walk in
- To the Sau Reservoir, by the Tavèrnoles road
Eat
- El Jardinet, in the old town; Sunday lunch
- VIA, at the Casa Fontcuberta; Sunday lunch
Services
- Tourist office on Plaça del Pes
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Vic for whoever 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.
Market Square and a Bell Tower in the Water
Vic can be seen on foot in a morning; with children, it is best to come on a market day and keep the afternoon for the water.
- What works bestThe market in the Main…
- SleepHotel Can Pamplona, with quadruple…
- EatEl Jardinet, in the old…
- Keep in mindThe old town is pedestrianised…
What works best
- The market in the Main Square, Tuesday and Saturday mornings
- The cathedral, free for under-18s
- The MEV, free up to age 10, with a short 45-minute route
- Kayaking to the Sau bell tower, from €20
Sleep
- Hotel Can Pamplona, with quadruple rooms
- Parador de Vic-Sau, with a pool in season
Eat
- El Jardinet, in the old town, near the square
Keep in mind
- The old town is pedestrianised with gentle slopes: fine with a pushchair
- In winter the Plana dawns cold and foggy
What to do as a family
Medieval Art and Paddling at Sau
For a teenager, Vic lasts a morning. What makes it interesting is combining it with the Sau Reservoir: kayaking or an off-road segway route.
- What works bestKayaking at Sau to the…
- SleepParador de Vic-Sau, beside the…
- EatVIA, at the Casa Fontcuberta…
- Keep in mindSau activities require advance booking
What works best
- Kayaking at Sau to the bell tower, or the two-hour excursion
- The Sert murals in the cathedral: free up to age 18
- The MEV, with a reduced ticket for ages 10 to 18
Sleep
- Parador de Vic-Sau, beside the water
Eat
- VIA, at the Casa Fontcuberta, with menus for the whole table
Keep in mind
- Sau activities require advance booking
What to do with teenagers
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Can Pamplona
Why we like it: Family-run hotel with 34 rooms less than a kilometre from Vic's Main Square, with free parking, a local-produce buffet breakfast and a bike workshop.
© ParadoresHotelParador de Vic-Sau
Why we like it: Parador in an old farmhouse above the Sau Reservoir, beside the Guilleries: garden, seasonal pool, Osona cooking and spacious rooms, some with a terrace.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Vic
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
El Jardinet
What to order: llonganissa from Riera Ordeix to start and one of its paellas to share, such as the chicken and Dublin Bay prawn one.
Corretgers, 8 · closed Mondays; Sunday lunch only, 13:00 to 15:30 · book by phone, 938 86 28 77
VIA
What to order: the Nico tasting menu, which is served to the whole table, or from the seasonal menu the Segovia suckling pig shank.
Riera, 25, piano nobile of the Casa Fontcuberta · closed Monday and Tuesday; Sunday lunch only, 13:00 to 16:00 · book on its website or on 616 47 44 41
Nearby
Near Vic
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
42.02° N · 2.47° E
Rupit
By carBy motorbikeBy campervan
41.76° N · 2.40° E
Montseny
By car
42.20° N · 2.19° E
Ripoll
By carCar-free
41.63° N · 2.16° E
Caldes de Montbui
By carCar-free
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Come on a Tuesday or Saturday
The market fills the Plaza Mayor in the morning and gives the arcades their meaning.
- 2Book the cathedral visit
Guided visits cost €8 and start at 11:30, Wednesdays and Saturdays, with limited places: book at [email protected] or on 621 194 432.
- 3Hire the audioguide
At the tourist office: 90 minutes around the historic centre at your own pace, with descriptive channels for visually impaired people.
- 4Park outside the centre
The free car parks at the station and Miramarges are a few minutes' walk from the square.
Local tip
Arrive first thing on a market day and look at the Plaza Mayor from the arcades while the stalls are being set up: that is when the square makes most sense.
Coming on a Sunday afternoon expecting life in the square
With no market and the shops closed, the square is quiet and the tourist office closes at 14:00.
How do I get there and where do I park?
Vic is 69 km from Barcelona along the C-17 autovía, about 55 minutes, and 60 km from Girona along the Eix Transversal C-25, about 50. From Olot you come by the C-37. By train, the Rodalies R3 runs from Barcelona to Vic and continues to Ripoll and Puigcerdà; by bus, Sagalés links Barcelona and Vic, and Teisa links Olot and Vic.
The historic centre is explored on foot. The town council has a dozen free public car parks around it: the one by the station, behind the tracks; Miramarges, opposite the Parc dels Estudis; those at l'Horta d'en Canellas, next to the Blanqueig bridge, or those at Torre dels Frares, next to the university. If you prefer to leave the car beneath the centre, the paid car park at Plaza Mayor, on Rambla Davallades, is open 24 hours.
What can I see in a day?
Start at the Plaza Mayor, a great arcaded square that is still what it always was: the market place. On Tuesdays and Saturdays it fills with stalls, and it is the best day to come. The tourist office is next door, on Plaça del Pes, in the Llotja del Blat building, and hires out an audioguide of about 90 minutes around the historic centre in Spanish, Catalan, French and English.
From the square, the streets lead down to the Cathedral of Sant Pere. It has a Romanesque crypt and bell tower, visited with a guide, and inside the great mural paintings by Josep Maria Sert: the city publishes its own leaflet, Vic, city of Sert. Next to the cathedral is the Museu Episcopal de Vic, the MEV, the city's museum of medieval art, and in the very centre, the Roman temple, which on summer nights becomes the screen for a light mapping show.
Vic is a bishop's seat and the capital of Osona, with about 47,500 inhabitants at 485 metres above sea level, in the middle of the Plana de Vic. It is also a slow city, and you notice it in the rhythm of the centre on non-market days.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Barcelona?
About 55 minutes by car on the C-17. By train, on the Rodalies R3; by bus, with Sagalés.
Which days is there a market?
Tuesdays and Saturdays, in the Plaza Mayor.
How do I visit the cathedral?
With a guided visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:30, for €8. On the second and fourth Wednesday and Saturday of each month it includes the nave, ambulatory, crypt, the Sert space and the cloister; on the first and third, the Romanesque cathedral, the crypt and the climb up the bell tower.
When is the tourist office open?
Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00 from October to March, and until 19:00 from April to September; Saturdays from 9:00 to 19:00 and Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00. It is closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 6 January. Telephone 938 862 091.
What festivals or fairs are there?
In early November, the Fira de la Muntanya; in 2026 it ran from 6 to 8 November. The L'Atlàntida theatre has a season all year round.
Where can I stay in Vic?
In the city, the Hotel Can Pamplona, a few minutes' walk from the centre and with free parking. Outside, the Parador de Vic-Sau, above the Sau reservoir, about 14 km away.
What is there to do near Vic?
The Sau reservoir, half an hour away: Aquaterra Club runs guided kayak trips to the bell tower of the sunken village from €20.
Do I have to pay to park?
Not if you use the free public car parks around the centre. The paid ones, such as the one at the Plaza Mayor, are open 24 hours.