Daytrip to Banyoles and Besalú in La Garrotxa

These places are beautiful in the autumn , I really recommend to visit them if you have a free day! The quickest option to get to Banyoles or Besalú by bus, is with the Teisa company. They have their bus stop near Plaza Catalunya, on Carrer de Pau Claris 117, also there is the ticket office but it is written on it " Garrotxa Express" instead of Teisa. The ticket from Barcelona to Besalu through Banyoles is quite expensive for what it is, almost 25 euros for a return ticket , but the journey takes only one and a half hour like this. You can also go by train to Girona and from there by bus, but like that you would only save around 4 euros and the journey would take more than 2 hours each way. If you like cycling you can also take your bike, cause there are plenty of bike ways around that area. Originally we wanted to go to Banyoles by bus then walk to Besalú and come back to Barcelona from there by bus, but finally we ended up taking the bus to Besalú from Banyoles , cause there wasn't any signed paths to walk there at all. At the local Tourist information office in Banyoles they have a map about the footpaths of the area , but none of them is too long, so the longest is 2 hours if you are very slow. We choose the path around the lake of course, which took one and a half hours and it is very smooth. If it would have been a bit warmer we would loved to jump in the lake cause it looks soo clean and inviting, but unfortunately it was a cool october day. The walk is really nice and romantic, absolutely ideal for a picnic, the landscape is beautiful. The old town of Banyoles is medieval and beautiful as well. Besalú is a typical picturesque medieval village by a small river….just like from a postcard. There are more hiking ways go through Besalú, you can check it here: http://en.itinerannia.net/route-planner/. There is also short path by the river with some picnic areas and playgrounds. You can see it on the pictures it is very nice and romantic as well but i think is is absolutely enough to spend here 2 hours maximum, and walk out from town to the mountains. The Camino de Santiago also goes through this little village, although it is not very popular to do it from this route. There is also a mediveal jewish bath a synagogue, for further details you can check out the website of Besalú.

The Estany lake in Banyoles

Path around the Estany

Besalú

Parts of the Camino de Ronda on the Costa Brava II.

Camino de Ronda from Sant Feliu de Guixols to Playa de Sant Pol (this is not the same as Sant Pol de Mar)

The return ticket to Sant Feliu de Guixols  is almost 30 euros, and it takes 90 minutes to get there with the bus from the Estacion Nord with the Sarbus company. Sant Feliu itself is not the prettiest little town on the Costa Brava, but the places and  beaches which surrounds it are amazing and easily can be reached by foot as well, so it is perfect base to stay even for a few days trip. To find the Camino de Ronda direction to the north, you just walk pass the port through the parking , direction to the rocks, and you will see the first little bay , the Cala Jonca, if you want to continue you just have to walk up those millions of stairs opposite to the ones  going down to the bay. From there the path will be very well signed and obvious.The walk to Sant Pol takes around an hour.  It is an easy walk although it is mainly stairs up and down . All the way there are amazing views, beautiful plants, flowers and fantastic smells. The bays are amazing all the way, if you don't like to go in the water on a little complicated way, on slippery rocks, just go almost until the Playa de Sant Pol, there will be a nice natural pool, with some steps craved into the rocks with turquoise blue water. The Playa Sant Pol is nice as well it is long sandy beach the water is quite shallow for a long while so it can be perfect with children. There is a bus which takes you back to Sant Feliu if you don't want to do the steps back again. One more thing about Sant Feliu: The market is very good and cheaper than in Barcelona, fresh and delicious fruits,vegetables and fish, don't miss that!

One ugly building in Sant Feliu which you have to pass by, on the way to the Camino

 Playa de Sant Pol

The market in Sant Feliu

Parts of the Camino de Ronda on the Costa Brava I.

 Camino de Ronda  between Tossa de Mar and the Cala Pola

You can go to Tossa de Mar from Estacion de Nord, and the return ticket is 24 euros  , the journey is around 90 minutes. You have to buy the tickets at the Sarbus company's window. When you arrive to Tossa , go till the Mar Menuda  beach , and turn left at the end of the road , when there is no other chance anyway , jut to turn left a bit uphill, just continue until you see that little blue arrow , which is on the picture, and enter the garage gate-looking thing. From here you just have to follow the path and the blue arrows (there are not many , it is not too well signed, but the path is quite obvious). The whole walk is not longer than an hour.You will have some great  views and pass by a nice little bay, with a restaurant in it , and during july and august a lot of motorboats as well. Sadly the pine forest here is dying for some reason, so now it is not as green and shady as it was before , but still beautiful, you have to go there soon, before all the trees die! The Cala Pola itself is a perfect place for swimming and snorkeling it is very clean and turquoise blue, but in august i wouldn't recommend because of the motorboats and the lot of people from the Camping Pola. Between the end of may and the beginning of september the camping is open , so you can buy food here, and they have small supermarket with bakery. It is a nice camping in this calm valley with the bay, so to sleeping there also can be a good idea if yo have time. If you are too tired to walk back to Tossa you can go by the bus  of Hotel Giverola, in the Camping they have information about it and you can buy the tickets as well.

 This is where the path begins.

 Arriving to the Cala Pola on the path

 The Cala Pola in may, without people

If you don't want to walk you can take the glass bottom boat as well and get out at the Cala Pola, although it is bit expensive.