Direct contact with nature is a well-being source, both physically and mentally. Stepping away from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoying the outdoors helps to reduce stress, breathe cleaner air and revitalise you.
If you live in Catalonia (or are planning a visit), you shouldn’t miss visiting one of its most important green lungs and one of the first protected areas to gain the status of Natural Park. A place where nature, history and culture combine to offer a richly rewarding experience at any time of year.
A Green Lung of Catalonia
Situated just 50–70 km from Barcelona (depending on the starting point), the Montseny Natural Park spans 50,166 hectares.
It has a recognised ecological and cultural heritage significance, with rich vegetation and Romanesque heritage. In 1978 UNESCO designated it a Biosphere Reserve, a distinction that recognises the territory’s distinctive natural and cultural characteristics, where the conservation of its extraordinary biodiversity (Mediterranean and Central European landscapes) is balanced with the sustainable development of local human communities in harmony with nature.
The Montseny massif comprises three major mountain groups: to the south, a crest formed by El Turó de l’Home (1,706 m) and Les Agudes (1,705 m); to the north, El Matagalls (1,697 m); and to the west, the Pla de la Calma plain, where Puig Drau (1,344 m) rises.
The combination of altitude and proximity to the sea explains the Montseny’s extraordinary natural diversity. At the lower elevations Mediterranean vegetation dominates, including holm oaks, cork oaks and pines. Mid-height there are forests typical of the moist mountains, with montane oaks and oak coppice, while above 1,000 metres the landscape takes on Central European traits, with beeches and silver firs. At the summits, subalpine character prevails, with scrub and high-mountain meadows.
This variety of environments is also reflected in the fauna, where Mediterranean species (wild boar, foxes, genets or birds of prey) coexist with others typical of cooler climates, such as the hare, the dormouse, the red frog and the Montseny newt, the sole vertebrate endemic to Catalonia.
A Walk Through Montseny Natural Park
In Montseny Natural Park there are two information centres, along with several information points scattered around the area, where you can deepen your understanding of the park’s richness.
Across its vast expanse there are many well-signposted routes (and some guided) that allow you to explore the surroundings, some more demanding and others very easy. Here are just a few of the many you can find:
- Santa Fe del Montseny: one of the most popular routes is the one that goes to the Santa Fe reservoir and circumnavigates it. An easy path that allows you to enter one of the park’s most emblematic forests (and especially in autumn, when it becomes a riot of colour).
- Climb to Turó de l’Home and Les Agudes: the ascent to the Montseny’s highest peaks is one of the classic routes and demands good fitness.
- Route to Matagalls: a very popular trail that crosses beech forests and high-altitude meadows.
- Trails of Pla de la Calma: for those who prefer an easy stroll, in Pla de la Calma you’ll find gentle routes to enjoy nature.
The Towns of Montseny
The Montseny Natural Park covers parts of 18 municipalities spread across the comarques of Vallès Oriental, Osona and La Selva. These towns include Viladrau, Arbúcies, Breda, Aiguafreda, El Brull, Campins, Cànoves i Samalús, Figaró-Montmany, Fogars de Montclús, La Garriga, Gualba, Montseny, Sant Esteve de Palautordera, Sant Pere de Vilamajor, Seva and Tagamanent.
All of them are worth visiting after a stroll through Montseny Natural Park, but if I had to single out just one, I would undoubtedly choose Viladrau.
This beautiful village of around 1,200 inhabitants, famed for its water (with numerous springs within its parish), features a pretty Plaza Mayor, the social heart of the town, where you can stop to have breakfast, a drink or a meal. Just a few steps away lies one of the town’s most emblematic buildings, the Hostal Bofill, a Modernist-style house founded in 1898, which offers delicious home-cooked meals at very reasonable prices.
