Route in a van through the north of Spain: From Barcelona to the Pyrenees

Get ready to go on a van driving route through the Pyrenees!

We start our adventure in Barcelona, on the way to the Pyrenees, where we will see mountainous landscapes, more than 450 kilometers of high peaks, cold climates and historical places such as Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia. Beautiful places hidden in this mountain range that goes from the Cantabrian Sea to the Mediterranean , which are a hub of cultures and a gateway to the “Camino de Santiago”. A perfect destination for your winter holidays. Careful, curves ahead!

Historical towns from Barcelona to the Pyrenees

We start our route through the towns of the Mediterranean Costa Brava in Barcelona, ​​on our way to Besalu, one of the best preserved medieval towns in the country. From there, we go to Beget, in Gerona, a good example of a medieval town with its Romanesque church and stone houses. Queralbs is a jewel full of cobbled streets, where the ascent to the valley and the Nuria Sanctuary by train stands out.

Figols, in Barcelona, ​​Salardú with its slate and wood materials and Artiés, in Lerida, near the Baqueira Beret ski resort, are other charming towns where we recommend you stop on your route through the Pyrenees.

Going through Huesca is an authentic delight because it is the heart of the mountain range that is known as "the hidden valley", from there, we go to Ainsa, one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, and Panticosa, in the Valley of Tena, where its spa, medieval market and its great winter tourist offer stick out.

The last stop in the route by van from Barcelona to the Pyrenees is the city of Pamplona, ​​a town full of history and very particular traditions. An important monumental group is conserved in the streets and the squares of its old town, where its churches and the medieval walls stand out.

We continue through the Aragonese Pyrenees area called the Añisclo Canyon, which offers us a wide range of fauna and flora as well as other beautiful places such as Aguas Tuertas del Valle de Guarrinza or Miradores de San Juan de la Peña.

Finally, in the Navarrese Pyrenees you can find beautiful villages that deserve special mention for the Iberian Peninsula flora reserves where beech and fir trees predominate. You can visit Roncesvalles, a main point on the Camino de Santiago, and Amaiur, a valley full of traditional houses.

On the border between the province of Huesca, the neighboring Andorra and France we find the Lleida Pyrenees valleys, a rich natural space that is a cultural and gastronomic heritage. The Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park is one of the most important locations in Spain, and one of the Romanesque compounds listed as national heritage.

The adventure of enjoying a vacation in a van 

Without a doubt, going on a road trip through the Pyrenees in winter is a real adventure. When you decide to drive through the Pyrenees you must be patient and cautious when driving on curvy roads, despite rewards such as biodiversity, climate and views.

Only in the Spanish part there are more than fifteen ski resorts, with Panticosa and Candanchu among them. For expert mountaineers, we recommend you to visit the highest peak, the Aneto, at 3,404 meters of altitude. For the less adventurous there is always the option of enjoying the climb to the top using the Cerler station’s chairlift with views of the viewpoints.