1. Circular Route between Castellterçol and Sant Quirze Safaja (Moianès) 

Setting off from Castellterçol, in the south of the Moianès region, we suggest a 14-kilometre circular route with little elevation gain that, while not overly difficult, does require some prior experience. It’s an ideal route for a day out, on which you’ll see many beautiful places. Following the GR 177, a well-signposted long-distance path, this walk begins with a must-see stop at the Castle of Sant Miquel or Terçol Castle, listed as a national cultural heritage site.

From this point, following an easy path that’s ideal for group walks and conversations, you head up to the Rosanes Pass, and then on to the noteworthy Romanesque Church of Sant Julià d’Uixols, where you can catch your breath before continuing. The path then winds through the Matafaluga and Termes passes to Sant Quirze Safaja. This small village nestled among forests is a great spot to have lunch and enjoy a good rest before embarking on the final stretch of the route, which takes you back to the starting point.

On the way back, you pass the Arç Springs and the Spring of Sant Antoni, the latter protected by the shade of huge trees, imbuing the essence of autumn. Finally, you arrive back at the starting point in Castellterçol.

2. From Collbató to Montserrat Monastery (Baix Llobregat) 

They say that Montserrat has so many hidden corners that you can never explore them all. While the monastery is usually the most popular spot for visitors, this is an alternative route to the site that you’re sure to find much less crowded than the usual path. It’s an 11-kilometre route with a 600-metre elevation gain, which you can complete in about four hours, not counting stops.

Setting off from the municipality of Collbató on the south side of the mountain, you’ll cross to the monastery on the north side by following a path that winds through the rocky sentinels that form the mountain. Along the way, you'll discover the place where the famous image that made this iconic site renowned originated.

The Salnitre Caves, also known as the Montserrat Caves, are the starting point. It’s normally worth spending a morning exploring them, but on this occasion, you leave them behind to head towards the Serrat de les Garrigoses, a low mountain range. Here, as you follow the mountain’s capricious forms, you gain an increasingly commanding view of the surrounding landscape.

You then make your way up a zigzagging section known as Les Girades. You might need to stop and catch your breath here, but it’s one of the most spectacular stretches, where rock spires seem to emerge from the surrounding vegetation.

Once you’ve completed this section, close to your final destination, you come to a must-see spot, the Santa Cova (Holy Cave). It was here, more than 1,100 years ago, where the image of the Virgin Mary, also known as La Moreneta, the patron saint of Catalonia and the iconic image of the monastery, was found. At the same site, you can also see one of the most important outdoor sculptural ensembles of Catalan modernism, the Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, where artists including Antoni Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch and Josep Llimona left their mark.

The final stretch to the monastery is along a paved path flanked by holm oaks and oaks, whose falling leaves immerse you in a truly autumnal atmosphere before you embark on the return journey, either retracing your steps or following the Sant Miquel path.

3. The Horta Spring and the Foix Reservoir (Alt Penedès) 

The Foix Reservoir, completed in 1928, receives water from the Foix River, which originates in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. It’s one of the few wetlands in the Alt Penedès region, providing food and exceptional refuge for many species of water birds. This route offers you the chance to explore the surroundings of this unique area, which in autumn is painted in warm colours, creating a bucolic atmosphere.

Setting off from Masia de la Creu, a farmhouse in the municipality of Costa-Cunit, this route is four kilometres long with a 140-metre elevation gain. It’s a simple route, ideal for children or occasional hikers, taking no more than two hours. You follow an easy, pleasant path that runs along gently sloping trails, except for the last stretch, which has a steeper climb. In the first section, until you reach Can Bladet, you follow a forest path dominated by Aleppo pines.

When you reach the Foix Reservoir, you’re rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view, perfect for spotting some of the water birds that inhabit the area. Here, you could enjoy a pleasant stroll around the reservoir, catch your breath and connect with the surrounding nature.

Leaving the reservoir behind, you enter the most autumnal section of the route. On the way to the well-known double-spouted Horta Spring, the path is dominated by deciduous trees such as ash, poplar, and alder. After crossing the Horta Stream, you take a turn-off that leads to the Horta Spring, situated on old crop terraces nestled in a forest of holm oaks, more humid and shaded than the pine forests. It’s as if you were somewhere in the Black Forest!

After visiting the Horta Spring, you get back on the path and make your way back up to the Masia de la Creu through the holm oak forest. 

4. Vantage points of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria de Queralt (Berguedà) 

The Foix Reservoir, completed in 1928, receives water from the Foix River, which originates in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. It’s one of the few wetlands in the Alt Penedès region, providing food and exceptional refuge for many species of water birds. This route offers you the chance to explore the surroundings of this unique area, which in autumn is painted in warm colours, creating a bucolic atmosphere.

Setting off from Masia de la Creu, a farmhouse in the municipality of Costa-Cunit, this route is four kilometres long with a 140-metre elevation gain. It’s a simple route, ideal for children or occasional hikers, taking no more than two hours. You follow an easy, pleasant path that runs along gently sloping trails, except for the last stretch, which has a steeper climb. In the first section, until you reach Can Bladet, you follow a forest path dominated by Aleppo pines.

When you reach the Foix Reservoir, you’re rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view, perfect for spotting some of the water birds that inhabit the area. Here, you could enjoy a pleasant stroll around the reservoir, catch your breath and connect with the surrounding nature.

Leaving the reservoir behind, you enter the most autumnal section of the route. On the way to the well-known double-spouted Horta Spring, the path is dominated by deciduous trees such as ash, poplar, and alder. After crossing the Horta Stream, you take a turn-off that leads to the Horta Spring, situated on old crop terraces nestled in a forest of holm oaks, more humid and shaded than the pine forests. It’s as if you were somewhere in the Black Forest!

After visiting the Horta Spring, you get back on the path and make your way back up to the Masia de la Creu through the holm oak forest.

5. Santa Fe del Montseny and the Empedrat de Morou (Vallès Oriental) 

For a quintessential autumn landscape, head to Santa Fe del Montseny, at the northern tip of the Vallès Oriental region, where the beech leaves create a great carpet of ochre and reddish hues that you'll want to plunge into!

From this stunning starting point, you've got plenty of options to explore one of the most impressive natural parks in Catalonia, which has also been declared a Biosphere Reserve. We'd like to recommend a special six-kilometre autumnal circular route, which you can complete in a couple of hours, without ever straying from the beech forests so characteristic of this massif.

To get to the car park of Santa Fe del Montseny, where the walk begins, you can use the Montseny Park Bus, a convenient and sustainable service that the park operates on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. What’s more, combined RENFE tickets are valid.

From the car park, head towards the Can Casades Information Centre, from which point a series of orange waymarks guide you along the way. In the first section, leading down to the Santa Fe Stream, you enter the Chestnut Forest, where you get your first taste of the Montseny autumn. You then head towards the Mulladís Plain, formed by large granite rocks surrounded by the typical beeches of the area.

Next, you reach the place after which the route is named: the Empedrat de Morou, a rocky balcony that offers a spectacular panoramic view over the entire Santa Fe Valley, the peaks of Les Agudes and El Turó de l’Home, and the entire Vallès depression! It’s wonderful to spend a few minutes in this amazing spot silently contemplating your surroundings. You’ll probably even hear the autumn leaves falling from the trees.

Finally, before you start heading back, you pass through a spectacular beech forest that rivals the famous fageda d'en Jordà (Jordà Beech Forest). This forest is unique not only for the spectacular colours the leaves take on but also because there's barely any undergrowth, so you can walk comfortably among the trees and fully connect with this magical place.

The final stretch of the return path skirts around the Santa Fe Reservoir where, apart from beech trees, you’ll find holm oaks, ashes, oaks and alders. It’s a true botanical spectacle, perfect for visiting in the autumn.

6. The Tous Gorge (Anoia) 

Amid the dry-crop farmland so characteristic of the Anoia region, there’s an amazing beauty spot that looks like something out of a fairy tale. It’s the impressive Tous Gorge, in the town of Sant Martí de Tous, carved out by the passage of water. It’s a lovely place for a leisurely stroll, surrounded by lush vegetation.

If you’d like to make the hike a bit longer, you can start from the village itself, heading along an eight-kilometre path. Another option, if you have a suitable vehicle, is to drive closer and start the walk from the Tous Gorge viewpoint, which reduces the route to just one kilometre and less than an hour, making it a better choice for kids and inexperienced hikers. Here, where the path begins, you get a great aerial view of the gorge and its famous waterfall, but to really feel its essence, it’s worth getting closer.

To do so, you’ll need to follow a well-marked path that leads down to the foot of the waterfall. Once there, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to another world where everything is fresh, humid and so much quieter. If you continue along the path, it will take you on a circular route through the gorge.

Along the way, you’ll find some surprising spots such as the Devil’s Cave, where it’s said bandits used to hide, or the curious Font de la Fou (Gorge Spring), where water flows from the mouth of a stone fox! To round off the day, you can have a nice picnic lunch next to the Sentfores Sanctuary, a tranquil spot with a set of convenient tables and benches, and beautiful views of the surrounding area.