18 Essentials: what to see and do in El Priorat (Tarragona)

Our recent trip to the city Tarragona, riding a Catalonia, to follow in the footsteps of the Roman Tarraco had as a complement the visit of Reus to see its modernist heritage and the Priorat region.

La route through El Priorat has allowed us to delve into its great attraction as wine region, which is reflected in the fact that it is, along with The Rioja, of the only Designation of Origin which has the qualifier Q quality.

Indeed, it is a region of the interior of the province of Tarragona with 23 municipalities and not too much extension.

In this wine region there are concentrated two designations of origin.

Designations of origin of wine in Priorat

On the one hand the DO MonsantAnd secondly, the DOQ Priorat, in which currently produced high quality wines in which the grapes grenache y honey They are the protagonists.

The prestige of Priorat wine In recent times it has transcended our borders.

For this reason this region has become a highly appreciated destination to do wine tourism by visitors who come from all over the world to visit some of its 160 wineries.

But in order to make a tourist getaway, in The Priorat you find other attractions, such as beautiful ones scenery mid-mountain where there are plenty of terraced vineyards, or the olive and almond trees.

In your car trip through El Priorat, always along a winding road, you also find towns with a total population for the entire region that is barely around 10.000 people.

Of course, don't expect to find the typical postcard-perfect medieval town that, for example, characterizes the Costa Brava, but the attractiveness of these Priorat towns It is found more in its beautiful locations at the top or on the slopes of the hills in the region.

This does not prevent some of these towns from containing corners that are well worth discovering and, above all, it must be said that they are very authentic, they don't look like a set for tourists.

From the heritage point of view, in addition to the numerous hermitages, the most prominent corner is the Escaladei Charterhouse, first Carthusian monastery that settled on our peninsula, and whose archaeological remains you can visit.

And as it could not be less, the gastronomy It is also another notable attraction in The Priorat, where traditional cuisine is combined with the most elaborate signature cuisine.

What is essential to see and do when visiting El Priorat

In order to plan your getaway, below you have suggestive images that allow you to know The best things to see and do in El Priorat.

Siurana in Priorat

If you are looking for a town with a spectacular location, you should go up to the historical and landscape complex of siurana.

It is a very small village where tourists go up to enjoy its spectacular location on a large rocky promontory.

There you find the remains of a arabic fortification from the 9th century, as well as a romanesque church XNUMXth century.

On your walk through Siurana you will also be able to see some charming corners with stone houses.

Romanesque church in Siurana 

On your walk through siurana you will see the church of Santa Maria, a Romanesque building that was built in 1154 after the arrival of the troops of the Count Ramón Berenguer IV.

In this church you will be struck by its sober and very pretty façade with an enigmatic representation of the Holy Supper in its tympanum, in which apostles are missing.

Siurana mountain hut

siurana has also become a very prominent climbing destination where climbers from all over the world come to climb one of the more than 1.600 routes opened in the cliffs of the area.

As a reflection of this activity, during your visit to this beautiful town you will be able to see the mountain retreat installed on a rocky promontory.

It is a truly spectacular enclave from whose bar terrace you have views of the aforementioned cliffs, the true destination of climbers.

Escaladei Charterhouse in El Priorat

As we have commented previously, The Priorat reserves the remains of the first Carthusian monastery in Spain, which was founded in 1125.

Precisely the donation of land in 1218 by James I to the prior father of the monastery is the origin of the name of the region.

La Escaladei Charterhouse It was a place of retreat and prayer that had its greatest boom in the 16th century and became a very important cultural center.

These remains, which have been open to visitors since 2013, are in a gradual restoration process.

Wine tasting at Celler Capçanes in El Priorat

One of the wineries that you can visit in your Priorat wine route is the one of the Capçanes cooperative which, as a curiosity, in 1995 was the first in Spain to develop kosher wine for Jewish community.

To make the wines in this winery, they rely on Grenache grape.

In addition to being able to see the warehouses where the kosher wineDuring the visit to the winery you can do an interesting tasting that allows you to see the importance of the characteristics of the terrain when it comes to shaping the flavor of the wine.

Vilella Baixa, the New York of Priorat

La Vilella Baixa It is a town known as New York of the Priorat for its buildings that hang over the rocky ravine of escaladei so that they reach a height of up to nine stories.

Oriented towards the east, from the road that reaches Vilella Baixa You will have the ideal views to appreciate the characteristic scene of the town's tall buildings.

In the video that accompanies this report you can see images of this town where the special configuration of its buildings can be clearly appreciated.

The “Street that doesn't pass” in Vilella Baixa

But also, on your walk through La Villella Baixa you find some interesting corner from when I was a little medieval village.

Specifically, the one known as the Street that does not pass, a corner with no exit that is accessed through a passage, in which the residents took refuge from external attacks.

En La Vilella Baixa you will also be able to see your church of San Juan Bautista.

Artisan sausages at Cal Centro in La Vilella Baixa

If you like sausages, in La Vilella Baixa You can taste them at the butcher shop and bar Cal Center. where you find a wide variety of Sausages from the area which are made in an artisanal way.

Sundials in Porrera

One of the most curious corners you will find in your route through El Priorat are sundials that are shown on the facades of numerous houses in the town of cheerleader.

In fact, a tourist route has been set up through the interior of the town to discover various sundials.

Charming corners in Porrera

On your walk through cheerleader In search of the aforementioned sundials, you will see that this is one of the Priorat towns that contains more attractive charming corners.

Narrow streets and stone stairs in a continuous up and down through this town located in a beautiful landscape.

Porrera Viewpoint (El Priorat)

In the upper part of the town you have a gazebo from which you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of Porrera, with its parish church in the foreground and the hermitage in the background, on top of a hill.

You can reach this viewpoint by walking up its steep streets, or by car along the road that enters the west side of Porrera.

Porrera Hermitage (The Priorat)

On a hill above the town of cheerleader rises hermitage of San Antonio Abad XNUMXth century.

From there, specifically in the mornings, you have the best panoramic views of Porrera, as well as the sinuous landscapes that extend through this area of ​​Priorat.

Vineyard landscapes in Gratallops

In your car route through El Priorat you will see continuous vineyard landscapes, for the most part, extending into terraces in the mountains of the region.

But gratallops, one of the most notable places due to the number and importance of the wine cellars of the region. DOQ Priorat, along the trails that surround it you have the possibility of seeing beautiful panoramic vineyard landscapes with the image of the town in the background.

Olive trees and oils in Cabacés

In addition to vineyard landscapes, in this inland region of Tarragona You will also see many landscapes of olive trees.

A reflection of this is the possibility of doing the activity of Oleoturismo like the one developed by the company Miró Cubells en Cabacés, in which you can learn about the artisanal production of oil.

In this tourist activity you can also do a 4×4 route which will allow you to reach the most remote places where olive trees are grown.

Falset Marçá Wine Cathedral (El Priorat)

At Priorat you can see one of the wine cathedrals that characterize the wine-growing areas of Catalonia.

These are modernist style buildings designed by Cesar Martinell at the beginning of the 20th century with said architectural style.

The design of this winery building was commissioned at the time by the Falset Marçá cooperative, where various types of wine are currently made, from white or red, to sweet and aromatic wines, as well as vermouth.

Organic wine at Celler Mas Sinen in Poboleda (El Priorat)

El ecological wine It also has its representation in a wine route through El Priorat.

You can taste it in the Celler Mas Sinen, winery located near Poboleda, where you can also see terraced vineyard landscapes.

Hermitage of Sant Pau in El Priorat

Now, without a doubt the most spectacular panoramic views of El Priorat you have it since viewpoint of the hermitage of Sant Pau.

Two and a half kilometers from the town of La Figuera, at the top of a mountain is located the aforementioned hermitage where the Virgin of La Mola.

From there you can see the Ebro river, Pyrenees, the lands of Segre river, Maestrat of Castellón and the various mountain ranges that surround the area.

And near the viewpoint you can access by car an old trench fortified with cement that was used by the Republican Army command during the Battle of the Ebro in the Civil War.

Best places to eat in El Priorat

Enjoy the gastronomy It is also another of the attractions of a Getaway to Priorat.

Specifically, we are going to recommend some of the Best restaurants where it is worth tasting it.

Thus, in More Trucafort, a farmhouse near Falset, the capital of the region, you have a wide variety of dishes that are characterized by all being grilled, among which their rice dishes stand out.

La local and seasonal cuisine You can try it at the restaurant hostel-Sport hotel in Falset.

And the most elaborate dishes with author's kitchen you find it in Brots restaurant en Poboleda and in The celler de l'ÀspicAlso in Falset.

Map: how to get to El Priorat in Tarragona

La Priorat region It is located 40 minutes by car inland, west of the city of Tarragona, and you can also arrive in just over an hour and a half heading south from Barcelona.

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