Visit Santa Pau, Spain; a picturesque village in the Garrocha volcanic area

Visit Santa Pau

Santa Pau is in the province of Girona in the Catalonia region of Spain.

Santa Pau is a picturesque village at the centre of the volcanic Baixa Garrotxa region. There are some excellent walks into the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcanica de la Garrotxa from close to the village.

Explore Santa Pau

Santa Pau is a very attractive and well-preserved medieval village. Its main square, the 13th century Placa Major is surrounded by arcaded stone buidings and is also home to the Romanesque church of Santa Maria.

Santa Pau grew up around its castle and the Placa Major was once an important cattle market, the 'El Firal dels Bous'.

The 16th century church of Santa Maria is light and airy inside with walls painted in white but the edges of the arches left in grey stone emphasising the arched interiour. The alter is large and golden as is common in churches in the area.

Just off the Placa Major on an adjoining square is a fine looking restaurant - again with tables under the arches allowing diners to really savour the atmosphere of this lovely village.

Santa Pau is an 'Artistic Historic monument'.

Santa Pau is in the heart of the Volcanic area of Baixa Garrotxa also known as Garrocha and there are various walks that can be done in the area to discover the volcanic craters. There are thirty extinct volcanoes in the area and it is very popular with walkers.

The Volca Santa Margarida has a huge round crater and together with the Croscat and the Rocanegra volcanoes are the most distinctive in the area. Pick up a map from the tourist office for walks to the craters of Volca Santa Margarida and Volca del Croscat.

The Croscat volcano has a part of its lava flow exposed as the area was quarried for its lava stone. This area is not covered by vegetation and the black lava has oxidized giving striking orange and red colours to the hillside.

If you have time there is also a huge beech wood close to Santa Pau with a couple of walking trails in it. In the opposite direction there is a lovely section of river with waterfalls and a pool - the 'Salt de Can Battle' - a lovely spot for a picnic.

If you are feeling adventurous you can take a hot air balloon ride over the volcanoes and the village or take a land-rover trip or horse riding trip in the area. The tourist office has details.

Places to visit nearby

The nearby town of Olot also makes a good base for visiting this lovely volcanic region.

Don't miss the wonderful medieval village of Besalu with its huge 11th century bridge.

The impressive walled city of Girona is to the South East. Girona has a very attractive historic old town and beautiful tall colourful buildings along the edge of the river.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Girona guide and the Catalonia guide.