Territory

Lleida A DESTINATION FOR THE WHOLE YEAR

Lleida, where everything started...

Welcome to Lleida

The horizon seems to throw down a challenge, as your engine roars and you let your motorcycle carry you along secondary roads full of magic that are never more than just a step from home. First you will pass a field of fruit trees, then a castle, followed by a medieval village, before you relax at the foot of a shimmering lake... As you ride through the territory, you will feel yourself becoming part of a landscape that will feel more and more like your own. From Lleida’s great plain to the Pre-Pyrenees and from its deep-cut river gorges to the lofty mountain passes of the Pyrenees, you will travel through a world full of new sensations. This is what the local districts of Lleida have to offer...

You will enjoy a privileged, strategically-located setting: a place where routes cross and yet which remains just a twist of the throttle away from the great metropolises of Barcelona and Madrid. You will be far away from the crowds, at a place where routes meet on a map that stretches from an endless plain to mythical summits of perpetual snows. You will also remain just a step away from the rest of the world, thanks to such modern facilities as the high-speed train and the Lleida-Alguaire and Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell airports.

You will ride through a friendly territory which receives travellers with all the pride of well-conserved tradition, built upon generations of hospitality. In fact, you will feel completely at home as soon as you set foot in Lleida. So come and discover the comarques (local districts) of Lleida with your friends or family and enjoy an invitation to savour the most authentic aspects of this unique country. Its two main tourist brands: the "Lands of Lleida" and the "Pyrenees", present the perfect umbrella under which to offer the best natural, gastronomic, cultural and heritage treasures.

Nature to take off your helmet to

Nature is a concept that is inseparable from the Lands of Lleida. All along the way, the route will tempt you with endless plains, vertiginous landscapes, hills, colourful woodlands and summits that lie lost in the distance.

As you calmly ride across the plain, you can enjoy an explosion of fruit trees and crop fields. Let yourself be captivated by the natural adventure offered by the Ivars and Vila-sana pool and by the confluence of the rivers Segre and Cinca; these are two watery gifts that stand in the middle of the Lleida plain as an invitation for visitors to relax. You can also travel through the Pre-Pyrenees, beneath the magnificent walls of rock that seem to stretch out to touch the sky in the Mont-rebei gorge (which is a Starlight destination), the Collegats-Terradets Park and the Boumort reserve. In this shaded part of La Noguera and El Pallars Jussà, in a territory dominated by stone, rivers and sky, you can stop for the night at El Montsec to enjoy the mystery of the stars at its Astronomy Park, which has been recognised by UNESCO as a Starlight Reserve.

Seduced by streams of seemingly never-ending tarmac, you will then reach the old Pyrenees, where the dream worlds of our forebears still seem to live on, guarded within three natural parks: the Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, which is the only National Park in Catalonia; the High Pyrenees Natural Park; and the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park. The Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park does more than any other area to introduce visitors into the labyrinthine universe of water and wildlife that lies beneath the glaciers of its highest peaks. In this lofty destination, the adrenaline of speed will no doubt encourage you to enjoy a day's skiing at one of Lleida's eleven ski resorts. In fact, this territory boasts one of the most important professional networks for skiing and adventure sports to be found in the whole of Spain, with the presence of 200 specialist companies. If you cannot find adventure here, you will not find it anywhere! Skiing and action sports offer the ideal complement for long days on your motorcycle.

The Val d'Aran is another of the treasures offered by the Lleida Pyrenees. This valley will greet you with the unequalled mixture of tradition and sustainability that have ensured its recognition as a Biosphere Destination. In the Atlantic valleys of Aran, you will find age-old villages and welcoming people who will help you along your route with their excellent tourist services. They are already an internationally-known reference, so you will have no choice but to stop here, take off your helmet, admire the countryside and place yourself in the hands of the local people. This explains why the Pyrenees and the Lands of Lleida carry the "Moturisme AraLleida" stamp of approval, which recognises establishments that specialise in welcoming motorcyclists. Here, you will find houses full of warmth that provide the body with pleasant relief after the rigours of the route.

Thousand-year-old stones

The Lands of Lleida boast a rich heritage of the highest order. The cultural treasures that lie at the end of a day on the road include: the Romanesque art and architecture of the Val de Boí, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000; the monasteries of the Cistercian Route; and the Castles of the River Sió. When you discover these monuments, just let yourself be carried away by the stories that their thousand-year-old stones have to tell. This is a journey through time that you will always remember. The heritage of this land, which is where everything begins, offers something new around every corner. You can discover its splendour through the Lakes Train, in the great diversity of its museums, along the Wine of Lleida Route and through the network of villages with charm, all of which offer new challenges and secrets if you follow their stony streets...

And once you have recharged your batteries in the peace and quiet of the rural hamlets, there is the city of Lleida, which will seduce you with its human-scale urban attractions and where everything is at hand and there is no need to queue. The bewitching route through the capital will take you to the watchtower of the Seu Vella (Old Cathedral) and also to the Knights Templar Castle of Gardeny, where you will be able to look out in awe over the great platform of the comarca of El Segrià. The lively streets of the city centre also offer details full of history, including buildings with Art Nouveau-style façades, as well as more modern proposals, such as the La Llotja congress and conference centre.

A territory served on a plate

Gastronomy is an important factor that distinguishes each area of Lleida, giving it its own particular personality. The villages and the people who live in them are waiting to greet you with designation of origin products that include: the cheeses and butter of L'Alt Urgell and La Cerdanya; the pears of Lleida; and the olive oil of Les Garrigues, which is pure, liquid gold and will reward your palate with the smooth taste of this territory.

You will return to the road with renewed strength after sampling the natural products from the local territory, which also include: the veal of the Pyrenees; the wines of Costers del Segre; and the almond nougat of Agramunt. They represent a land that you will now regard as almost your own.  The Lands of Lleida: a thousand journeys at the twist of a throttle.
 

Highlights

 

THE VAL D’ARAN

This is the only Atlantic valley in the Spanish Pyrenees, with lakes of glacial origin, kilometres of routes through virgin territory, and a unique culture and gastronomy. Heritage blends perfectly with nature, allowing visitors to discover a country through its historic routes. www.visitvaldaran.com

 

AIGÜESTORTES AND ESTANY DE SANT MAURICI NATIONAL PARK

The only National Park in Catalonia can be found in the heart of the Lleida Pyrenees, in the local districts of El Pallars Jussà, El Pallars Sobirà, L’Alta Ribagorça and the Val d’Aran. Excursions on foot and horseback and with snowshoes, nocturnal routes and MTB rides are some of the activities through which you can discover the extraordinary landscapes of this beautiful natural setting. parcsnaturals.gencat.cat/aiguestortes

 

THE ROMANESQUE CHURCHES OF THE VALL DE BOÍ

The maximum expression of Romanesque art and architecture in Catalonia; this is an exceptional site due to the concentration of a large number of churches of the same architectonic style which have been conserved over time without any major changes. The group consists of 8 Romanesquestyle churches and one chapel that have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. www.centreromanic.com

 

THE MONT-REBEI GORGE

The Mont-rebei gorge is a narrow channel that the River Noguera Ribagorçana has cut through the Montsec Sierra. The route follows a path carved out of the rock face, which is free from infrastructure, making this a natural space of great ecological value and a good place from which to observe wildlife. You will find a sheer drop of 500 metres and stretches that are no more than 20 metres wide. www.pallarsjussa.net

 

RAFTING ON THE RIVER NOGUERA PALLARESA

The best river in Europe for white-water sports: 60 kilometres of navigable water, open to everyone. It is possible to enjoy rafting, the king of adventure sports, and also canyoning, river canoeing, kayaking, bus bob, hydrospeed and canoeing, etc. turisme.pallarssobira.cat

 

THE ALT PIRINEU NATURAL PARK

Located in El Pallars Sobirà and L’Alt Urgell, the almost 70,000 hectares of the Alt Pirineu Natural Park make it the largest in Catalonia, with a tremendous variety of scenery and culture. Its highlights include the Pica d’Estats, the highest mountain in Catalonia (3,143.5 m). parcsnaturals.gencat.cat/altpirineu

 

THE CADÍ-MOIXERÓ NATURAL PARK

The park has a surface area of over 40,000 hectares in the local districts of L’Alt Urgell and La Cerdanya. The two mountain chains of El Cadí and El Moixeró, connected by the Tancalaporta Pass, form an imposing 30 km-long mountain barrier. The main attraction is Mount Pedraforca. www.gencat.cat/parcs/cadi

 

THE LA LLOSA VALLEY

The Vall de la Llosa is located in the north-east of the municipality of Lles de Cerdanya. This is a large area of pasture, riverside vegetation, high-mountain woods and meadows, surrounded by mountains with steep slopes and rounded peaks. You must walk this area at our own speed and the best way to do that is following the Good Men’s Routewww.cerdanya.org

 

SOLSONA, A GIANT EXPERIENCE

With its impressive medieval centre, Solsona is a small, welcoming town that offers visitors a giant experience through its enchanting streets, cathedral, fountains, ice well, rich and varied gastronomy, peaceful atmosphere and rich folklore. The surrounding area contains many points of interest that invite short outings from Solsona. www.turismesolsones.com

 

THE SEU VELLA OF LLEIDA

The Seu Vella (Old Cathedral) is, without a doubt, the monument most closely associated with the city of Lleida. This unique cathedral is built on a hilltop from which it looks out over, not only the city, but also much of the Lleida Plain. A visit to the monumental group on the Seu Vella hill will allow you to enjoy magnificent views of the city from the Serpent’s Tongue or Queen’s Bastion. www.turismedelleida.cat

 

THE CISTERCIAN ROUTE

L’Urgell is an inland district on the Cistercian Route which offers visitors lovingly conserved cultural and scenic attractions in a truly genuine setting. This is an authentic territory, with a rich variety of scenery. It offers welcoming settlements full of charm and with a distinctly medieval flavour. Its emblematic buildings include the Cistercian Monastery of Vallbona de les Mongeswww.turismeurgell.cat

 

THE MONTSEC ASTRONOMY PARK

The Centre for Observing the Universe (COU) is the educational and informative part of the Montsec Astronomy Park (MAP). It brings visitors closer to the world of astronomy and the natural environment of El Montsec, establishing a connection between tourism and science. The skies of El Montsec have been recognised as a Starlight Reserve and Starlight Tourism Destination by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. www.turismenoguera.cat

 

THE CAVE ART OF THE MOORS’ ROCK OF EL COGUL

One kilometre from El Cogul, on the way to L’Albagés, you will find the cave paintings of the Moors’ Rock, which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This splendid example of Mediterranean cave art consists of 45 figures, including images of humans, various animals and inscriptions in the Iber and Latin alphabets. www.turismegarrigues.com

 

THE CASTLES OF THE RIVER SIÓ ROUTE

Conquered from El Andalus in the middle of the 11th century, the banks of the River Sió soon saw a proliferation of castles and churches. Of the castles that have given this route its name, those of Florejacs (1099), Concabella (1031), Les Pallargues (1040) and Les Sitges (1116) are open to the public. www.lasegarra.org

 

THE IVARS AND VILA-SANA POOL

This is the largest inland lake in Catalonia in terms of surface area and a source of great biological diversity. The fresh-water pool hosts numerous lake communities, favouring fauna - and especially birds – by providing them with resting, feeding and reproduction spaces. There are two visitor service points. www.estanyivarsvilasana.cat

 

+ Info: aralleida.com / 34973 24 54 08