The 7 best-rated excursions in Catalonia

BarcelonaLife is too short not to walk it. Between the emails that keep filling our inbox, the noise of the cities, and that absurd rush we carry with us, going for a walk has become almost a necessity. This is demonstrated by the almost 20 million members of the most recognized route community in the world, Wikiloc. It is clear that "boot tourism" is the new luxury. In a world where everything goes too fast, Wikiloc's best ratings take us to places where time stands still, or at least, where photos (more than 20 million were taken this year worldwide!) make the moment last forever.

In Catalonia, it seems we have restless legs, and at Wikiloc, we have consolidated ourselves as one of the countries most eager to break in new paths. We have shared almost 2 million new routes. Today we guide you through seven of the paths that have been most blessed by the community.

If there is an emblematic mountain in Catalonia, it is, without a doubt, Pedraforca: an emblem of rock and legend that in 2025 has reaffirmed itself as one of the great desires of Catalan hikers. The proposal by users Joan and Dolors does not seek the vertical conquest of the summit, but a circular itinerary, a 17.58-kilometer journey that allows admiring the peculiar silhouette of its two parallel ridges —the famous pollegons— from all possible angles. With a positive elevation gain of 639 meters that makes your pulse race but allows you to breathe, it is an experience moderate in effort but maximum in emotion, where you go from the medieval air of Gósol to the almost mystical peace of the Lluís Estasén refuge, at the feet of this giant, to feel a little more human.

If Pedraforca is the stone cathedral where we go to seek silence, the volcanic area of Garrotxa is the living room we always want to return to when we need beauty to cure us of the week's stress. This circular route by user Lacoromina, officially named The quarries of the Croscat volcano, the Santa Margarita volcano and a walk through the Fageda d'en Jordà, is an invitation to disconnect through an 11-kilometer route with a positive elevation gain of only 254 meters that allows us to walk with no more pressure than that of enjoying the landscape. Stepping into the Croscat quarries and descending to the hermitage resting in the center of the Santa Margarita crater are moments of absolute peace. The route ends with a necessary forest bath in the Fageda d'en Jordà, which turns this route into an affordable luxury.

Welcome to a scenario where water becomes the mirror of the soul and Els Encantats watch over us with their eternal majesty. This circular route signed by Ramon Codina and specifically named Estany de Sant Maurici - Estany de Ratera - Estany Gran d'Amitges, is the ultimate alpine life bath through 11.37 kilometers and a positive elevation gain of 594 meters that take us to touch the sky at an altitude of 2,388 meters. It is impossible to resist the force of the Ratera waterfall or the deep peace of the Estany Gran d'Amitges. With moderate difficulty, the route offers us a mosaic of lakes and ridges that recharge our batteries to face a new week.

One of the most valued points in Catalonia has also been Montserrat, a labyrinth of rock where mysticism and the earth remind us of the spiritual heartbeat of the country. The user jsindreu's route is a sacred 14.21-kilometer journey that traverses the mountain like a rosary of views and living history. With an elevation gain of 1,223 meters that demands respect and good legs to digest Jacob's ladder, the path transports us to the ancient eremitic life among caves. From the peace of Sant Antoni, with Cavall Bernat nearby, to the summit of Sant Jeroni, at 1,236 meters, each step is a call to let Montserrat's silence do the rest.

The spectacularity of the cliffs of Vilanova de Sau has also captivated Wikiloc users. This route by user En Guillem to Puig del Far is a 7.97-kilometer, 352-meter elevation gain gift that allows us to peek at one of the most brutal viewpoints in the country without having to suffer too much. Walking up to an altitude of 832 meters, passing through the ruins of Santa Margarida and spots that recall the magnetism of Savassona, is the ideal plan to load your backpack with brutal panoramas over the Sau valley. The descent through the Cargol section, with Roca Falconera watching our zigzag descent, reminds us that happiness is found in simple things and in the pure air we share in just over two and a half hours.

The gorgs of La Cabana are the liquid gift that Ripollès reserves for us for those days when we literally need fresh water to clear our heads. This circular route published by user posets63 follows the cool Estiula torrent in a linear journey of about 10 kilometers that asks for about 3 or 4 hours to savor it without more haste than that dictated by the river's current. From the fury of the first waterfall at La Cabana to the final majesty of the Gorg Gran del Colomer, each of the seven crystalline waterfalls is singular and unique. So that this environment continues to be the paradise we all seek, access from the Querol spring is regulated with an entrance fee of between €5 and €10, a protection measure that reminds us that the purest beauty deserves to be cared for with all our respect.

Montseny could not be missing from this ranking, and that is why here we leave you the circular crossing Turó de l'Home and Les Agudes from the Passavets fountain, a proposal signed by user ssoti. It is a walk of moderate difficulty that takes us up to the 1,706 meters of Turó de l'Home, a 360-degree viewpoint that offers us half of Catalonia at our feet and connects us with those ancient sailors who looked for "the sign of the mountain" to know they were close to home. The path, which makes us cross a quarry suitable even for those who suffer from vertigo, culminates in the rocky massif of Les Agudes (1,705 meters) under its large iron cross. It is a route that reminds us that, walking among elegant beech forests, we are not only exercising, but we are also treading on the living memory of a massif that is, above all, a necessary refuge for the soul.