vall de nuria

Perfect for couples with young children. All the staff in hotel, restaurant and in the snow instalations are very kind and charm

A small resort with limited infrastructure, a chairlift and cabins. We were there off peak. The slopes were empty, the lifts were on demand. Enough entertainment for one day, but not much more.The location is beautiful and really secluded. Other facilities are available at the hotel, but we did not try themThree reds, three blues and a black. Did each of them three or four times in the day.The last train back is 5.20 but you will have done everything by then.The ski pass includes the return train journey, which is excellent, this makes the day reasonable value.2wanderers.com

While in Barcelona, my gf and I took a winter Pyrenees tour and vistited this lovely village of Queralbs and the beautiful Vall de Nuria! Enchanting place! Great trip!

As a part of our Spain trip, me along with my family had visited the Vall de Nuria of the Spanish Pyrenees in the winter.It was a wonderful experience. I had booked by trip through viator and everything worked out smoothly at the local agent's office.Our first stopover was Vic, a little medieval town in the countryside of Catalonia with beautiful streets.Then we went up to Queralbs, which was surprisingly one of the highlight of the trip. A beautiful little town in the middle of nowhere with cute streets . A photographer's paradise, I must say.The trip up to the valley by the rack railway was amazing giving us great views of the Pyrenees.Up in the valley, we first had our lunch from one of the two restaurants of the only hotel up there. Then we began exploring the beautiful valley,The children had amazing time playing the snow. We got to take pictures of the breathtaking beauty of this placeWe thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the valley and was definitely one of the best parts of our trip which I will never forget.

A haven for walkers with stunning scenery, train buffs will enjoy the ride up from Queralbs but for the really adventurous walk in from France from the Valley de Eyne or over Finestrells pass.

If you are going to Spain, put this place on your itinerary. This place has a majestic scenery. After you have visited the city of Madrid or Barcelona, head to the Valley of Nuria and you will be amazed of the picturesque view of the mountains. You can ride a train or hike your way (if you're not yet tired after roaming around the city). Our tour guide said it would take 3-4 hours of hiking from the town of Queralb to reach the valley. If you have the energy and an athletic group with you, I suggest that you hike so the experience will be more rewarding. I tell you, the sceneries are worth it. I wish we could've stayed there for couple of days but we didn't have the time. There is a hotel at the valley so if you're planning to visit, book for a day or two so you can enjoy the peace and serenity of this place. Take note of the season when you are going to visit. During winter this place is covered in snow which is great place to go skiing.

We took the train from Barcelona to Ribies de freser, then a cramelera from Ribies to Vall de Nuria, but unfortunately it was the last cramelera ride so we had to stay in it& took it back to Ribies.The lake is surrounded by mountains, so beautiful view and there's a teleferic there just opposie the lake.

During my stay in the area I went twice to Nuria by train to go hiking. The place is absolutely beautiful and worth a visit. I mainly went to go hiking and enjoy the peace and quite of the mountains and I was more than rewarded when I came accross a chamois just a meter away. An encounter I shall never forget. The train journey is extremely pleasant although a little expensive. The only downside would be the service at the information counter. I went twice to ask for information on the best paths to take and received maps but no friendly advice.

The trip with train was fun, the small playground was great for the kids, the pony ride was nice and also the walking trail are nice. If you are travelling in the area, you should include it in your plan

The place is very calming and nice. We took the train from Ribes. Recomend early morning to experience the place before the tourist busses arrive from Barcelona. A 3 hour visit should be sufficient, including train, round tour of the lake, going up for a view point and a nice coffee in front of the views. The track down to querelbs seems good from the train, we did not do it.

Amazing history, a paradise for climbers and runners. Family activities and a little but charming ski resort. Maybe the food and prices can be better.

This Pyrenees adventure began at the base of the "rack" railway (it has a paranoid military reason, see much later below), which is located in the darling and extremely stone-built village of Queralbs, which has strict building zoning laws to maintain the character. And on we go to the Pyrenees by train.Sadly, the 6 most wonderful paths a human could ever walk were not on our radar that day. A slightly cloudy day "down below" (from whence the train begins its transport of tourists), turned into a real serious downpour of biblical proportions. Still, looking out the train window, how beautiful it was to see the mountain waterfalls flowing at high volume. How fortunate we were, snug on the train, to see the soggy pilgrims on those trails waiving back (white flag, anyone?) at us, as they headed for any cave on the path. You know, things could have been worse.And so we dismissed all those "Sound of Music" moments and stomping through the hills and accepted the hand we were dealt. Not so bad, really. The hotel grounds are a destination in and of themselves and, when we come back (yes we will!), this is where we will stay.A highlight of our trip was visiting the church that houses the Madonna. The "Sanctuary of Nuria" contains the pseudo-12th century primitive-style Madonna and child ("Mare de Deu de Nuria). This statue traveled a lot. Pray to the Madonna for fertility (or not). The small statue was removed to the French Pyrenees by monks to protect it from the anti-religious pro-Franco followers and forces. After the war, she was returned to the church. This has always been a major stop on personal pilgrimages.The church houses the statue and stair-steps behind the altar lead up to a higher point for closer viewing. A wood carving (huge, takes up most of a wall) depics an ancient pilgrim from the coast (Santiago de Compostela region); around his neck he wears a scallop shell for drinking and eating, as well as carrying a trowel in his hand (I am not sure why). So this has apparently been going on a long, long time.The statue was discovered in about 1079, and between 1936 and 1941, it was removed and then returned; between 1967 and 1972 she went missing again. This "present" statue dates back to a copy of the statue from the 11th to 13th centuries. Whew. I am so lost! The church was looted in 1198 and that early statue attributed to St. Gil's earliest carving, went missing. So, in some form or another, she has logged quite a few miles and presents an historical "shell game" mystery (now you see it, now you don't, and where is it now?). Anyway, the statue is beautiful and is said that prayers for fertility should be directed to her. Keep us all posted and let us all know how that is turning out for you.So, how to pass the time before the return-trip back down? The rowboats in the little hotel lake are out of the question, so off we go to the "Hotel Vall de Naria" cafeteria. The menu is very extensive (and inexpensive) and we settled on their chicken and cheese crepes (crepes de Polastre) and some beer. At $3.80 Eu each, the crepes were huge, filled with grilled chicken, and mild cheese. All this was dressed in ribbons of mayonnaise with a semi-sweet note. Yum!! Two crepes and two draft beers cost $12.00 Euros, which included the tax. And, we were indoors!After that, we toured the various (indoor) exhibits and displays, learning a lot about the history and human interest segments presented. All in all, when life hands you lemons ... (you know the rest). We had great lemonade! Our "lemonade" was totally visual: the mountinsides were covered with such precision-placed plantings you would swear they were man-made. Well, maybe a higher level hand was at work? We appreciated the gift, nonetheless. WIth noses pressed to the window, we exclaimed at every sensory delight. What "tourists." Oh yes, we will come back. I'd like to stay in this hotel. Some websites to research are: www.valldenuria.cat, and www.altbergueda.cat, and www.trendelciment. Now, about that train railroad being smaller than any other trains in Europe: Franco wanted a rail line that France would not be able to use to invade (their trains would not fit the rails), so there it is. Maybe it worked. Paranoia has its upsides.It is a long trip from Barcelona, it was part of our day-tour (Vic was our first stop) and the "Explore Catalunya" tour was very satisfactory. We were thrilled to have someone else do the driving (so we could sleep).

The ski lift takes you to a dramatic, managable height; enjoy the views. Savor many a moment there. With only about 6 cabins shuttling visitors, you might prefer to climb to the observation point in about a half hour. Enjoy the lake below but save time to see the visitor's center and read about select Catalan luminaries - including Joan Maragall, Josep Danes, Jacint Verdaguer and more. Also learn about the history of ski culture; enjoy seeing wonderful post cards from the 1930s; gift shop sells reproductions of them.

For me, Ripoll rivals some of the carvings we found in Cambodia,in detail and dexterity of carvings. The Morolla pass lead us directly to Ripoll. Leave your car at Ribes for a terrific trip on a rack railway,following a beautiful route up to 2000 m to the higher reaches of the valley. the breathtaking ascent begins beyond Queralbs with its pretty Romanesque church of St. Jaume,the train climbing more then a 1000 m as it winds its way through the gorges and tunnels. You suddenly see the exceptional peaks and the sight of which will never desert you. The journey ends in the pilgrimage town Nuria which is of course,a Mecca for us ski toting fanatics.

With only a handful of tracks it can get a little crowded over here. You have one lift and one cabin system to go up to what are like 8 tracks in this mountain: 3 blue, 3 red and 2 blacks asides from very little green ones at the base. Still you can have fun and a nice weekend over here if you can manage to avoid the crowded school hours (try having lunch earlier). The hotel and the building are really nice and you have a nice cafeteria to snack in between descents but I would recommend staying at the little town of Queralbs 10 min away from train. This little town is magical and has awesome apartments to stay on with great services and amenities. I recommend the Apartments Font Alba with their great warm and over the top personal service.