Our Pyrenees walking holidays are based in the small picturesque mountain village of Queralbs, which has a small shop, a selection of bars and visitor accommodation.
The mountain resort of Vall de Núria is located in the Eastern Pyrenees, above the village of Queralbs at the head of the Ribes Valley and is surrounded by peaks of almost 3,000 metres, from which flow a number of streams, making the area very verdant. Access to this spectacular mountain landscape is gained either by walking, or more commonly using a the rack railway, from Queralbs or Ribes. It covers a distance of 12.5 km and takes you up an incline of over 1000 metres. Under the management of the Catalan Railways Tourism and Mountain Division, the local tourist authorities take great care to maintain the wealth of natural heritage, introducing and maintaining an environmental management system in all the activities that have been developed. In winter Nuria is a small ski resort which has been awarded a Q rating for quality, granted by the Tourist Quality Institute.
The buildings at the head of the valley include a hermitage, known as the sanctuary, which is still a place of pilgrimage. At an altitude of almost 2000 metres, it provides not just a natural shelter among the high peaks, but also a spiritual oasis whose history can be traced to ancient origins and traditions. It is the ideal space in which to organise retreats and periods for meditation and prayer.
From the Nuria Sanctuary there are a myriad of paths from which to explore the surrounding mountains.
