What to see and do in Santa Pau, a beautiful town in La Garrotxa (Girona)

One of the great attractions of a getaway to La Garrotxa, inside the Girona province, is to visit their beautiful medieval towns.

Precisely that is one of the facets that have most attracted me in recent times when I have traveled to the Costa Brava and to the areas inside it.

In medieval towns in the La Garrotxa region, rather than compact architectural sets, as would be the case, for example, of in peratalla o Pals, you will find, above all, charming corners.

But there are also towns that in themselves justify a getaway to get to know them.

That would be the case of Besalú with its famous and spectacular medieval bridge, one of the iconic images not only of the area, but even of Catalonia.

Now, on this occasion I want to highlight a town that we have had the opportunity to visit in our recent route through La Garrotxa.

Where is Santa Pau in La Garrotxa

I mean Santa Pau, which you find in the territory of natural park of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone.

In this place there are nature spots as attractive as the croscat volcano or Jorda beech forest (Fageda d´en Jordá).

Santa Pau It is a town that is arranged like a walled complex that maintains its architectural uniformity, and when visiting it you will feel transported to medieval times.

Its origins date back to the 13th century with the construction of a castle.

The best things to see and do in Santa Pau in La Garrotxa

The first thing you should do when you arrive before Santa Pau on your tour of this interesting volcanic area, is to go to the viewpoints that extend in front of the old town along the access street to it.

From these viewpoints facing east you have very beautiful panoramic views of Santa Pau, which undoubtedly win from a photographic point of view if you enjoy them in the afternoon.

You will see the configuration of the town at the top of a hill at whose foot the river runs. River Being, where the physiognomy of the castle and the church tower.

From the outside you can see that the enclosure is closed by a mixture of sections of walls and buildings aligned in such a way that they fulfill the function of fortification.

Plaza Mayor of Santa Pau

A Santa Pau You will enter through a portico that leads you to its Plaza Mayor (Firal dels Bous).

Porticoed and with an irregular shape, the square is located church of Santa Maria built in 1430, as well as one of the facades of the compact and robust building of the castle.

But it is really when you walk through the streets that start from the square that you will be able to feel and appreciate the true charm of Santa Pau.

Porticoed galleries in San Pau

You will discover narrow corners that open up through alleys between the stone houses, some with arcaded galleries, and others with Gothic or Renaissance style windows.

On this walk through the old walled enclosure Through small porticos you will enter and exit the fortified area, always with the image of the robust stone houses.

In our case we visited Santa Pau on a weekday, and I will tell you that the old town was practically empty of people, although I suppose that on weekends and festive times there will be numerous visitors who will converge on its streets.

In sum, Santa Pau must become one of the essential visits on your getaway to the region of La Garrotxa It is the best expression of the medieval atmosphere that its towns still preserve.

Photos of Santa Pau in La Garrotxa

Here you have more photos of the beautiful medieval town of Santa Pau in La Garrotxa, In the Girona province en Catalonia.

Map: how to get to Santa Pau in Garrotxa

A Santa Pau you can arrive in just over hour and a half by car from Barcelona, as it is located 118 kilometers north of the Catalan capital, making it an invitation to a perfect getaway.

If you prefer go from Girona, Santa Pau It is located to the west about an hour by car,