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 (over 20 million have been 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 one to admire the peculiar silhouette of its two parallel ridges — the famous pollegons — from all possible angles. With a positive elevation gain of 639 meters that make you feel your pulse but allow you to breathe, it is an experience moderate in effort but maximum in emotion, where one goes 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 zone 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 called 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 a 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 that rests in the center of the Santa Margarita crater are moments of absolute peace. The route ends with a necessary forest bath in the Jordà beech forest, which makes this route an affordable luxury.

Welcome to a scenario where water becomes the mirror of the soul and the 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 Gran d'Amitges pond. With moderate difficulty, the route offers us a mosaic of ponds and ridges that recharge our batteries to face a new week.

Another of the most valued points in Catalonia has been Montserrat, a labyrinth of rock where mysticism and the land remind us of the spiritual heartbeat of the country. The user jsindreu's route is a sacred journey of 14.21 kilometers 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 ladders, the path transports us to the ancient eremitical 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 the silence of Montserrat 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 gift with a 352-meter elevation gain that allows us to glimpse one of the most brutal viewpoints in the country without having to suffer too much. Walking up to an altitude of 832 meters, passing by the ruins of Santa Margarida and corners that recall the magnetism of Savassona, is the ideal plan to fill your backpack with brutal panoramas over the Sau valley. The descent through the Cargol section, with Roca Falconera watching our zig-zag 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 Ripollés reserves for us on those days when we literally need fresh water to clear our minds. 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 to 4 hours to savor without any 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 protective measure that reminds us that the purest beauty deserves to be cared for with all our respect.

The Montseny could not be missing from this ranking, and that's why here we leave you the circular traverse Turó de l'Home and les Agudes from the font de Passavets, a proposal signed by user ssoti. It is a hike 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 already close to home. The path, which makes us cross a rocky area 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 the living memory of a massif that is, above all, a necessary refuge for the soul.