Explore La Garrotxa

If you are living in Barcelona, you might want to explore not only the city, but also the surrounding areas. There are many diverse and interesting places to visit in Catalonia, like Olot, also known as “the city of volcanoes”.

In the region of La Garrotxa, we can find an extensive area of inactive volcanoes that make for a very unique day trip. ShBarcelona takes you for a day trip from Barcelona!

Table of Contents

Discover the beautiful region of La Garrotxa

Montsacopa

walking with a backpack on a dirt path in a field between mountains

Photo via Visualhunt

In the Parque Natural de la Zona Volcánica de la Garrotxa we can find four volcanoes. You can visit the first two, Montsacopa and Montolivet, but not Garrinada and Bisaroques.

The Montsacopa volcano can be found in the city of Olot itself, which makes it easily accessible. From “Parc Nou”, there is a specific itinerary with signs indicating the path you have to follow to reach its summit, which offers fantastic views of the city and the whole region.

It is a relatively short journey to the top, lasting approximately forty-five minutes, so almost anyone can do it. Before going up, stop for a moment to visit the Museum of Volcanoes. It will tell you all there is to know about the volcanoes so that you can get all of your facts right before actually seeing them.

Related article: Nature Parks in Barcelona

Montolivet

The Montolivet is the other volcano of Olot that you can go and visit. It is located within an interesting network of trails called Itinerànnia, an extensive network of up to 2,500 kilometers of walking paths in beautiful natural areas of the regions of the Garrotxa, Ripollès and l’Alt Empordà.

You will find a number of different routes proposed on their website, itinerania.net.

Rivers and fountains

river fluvia and old ruins in la garrotxa catalonia

Photo by Passion Leica via Visualhunt

During the walk, there will be an element that will accompany you: the river Fluvià, which crosses Olot and the whole Natural Park. Along the way, you will also come across different sources.

Many people choose the route that allows them to see all of the different spots from which water emerges, which can be really fun. In Olot itself, you can have a look at the fountains of Les Tries, Sant Roc, Deu, Moixina, Castanys and Vila Vella.

Which route will you choose?
Don’t forget to take your camera for some great photos of La Garrotxa!