Description
Discover Les Garrigues’ history, from the early-humanity treasures until our days. A trip that will guide you through the most important monuments of this territory: the painting caves of El Cogul, the Fortress of Vilars in Arbeca, the Castle of La Floresta, etc.
You will start this itinerary in the medieval castle of La Floresta, where you will spend all the nights of your trip. It’s a monument built during the 14th century and one of the most well-preserved castles of Les Garrigues.
In a step to the past, you will also visit the cave paintings in “La Roca dels Moros” in El Cogul, and the ones in “La Balma dels Punts” in L’Albi, declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1998. You will also see one of the most complex Iberian villages in the country, the Fortress of Vilars in Arbeca.
The trip will end by discovering the traces of the Spanish Civil War in Les Borges Blanques.
DAY 1: LA FLORESTA
- Arrival in Arbeca, and wander around the old town.
- Lunch at La Placeta Restaurant, with the special Extra Virgin Olive Oil Certification.
- Return to La Floresta. Check-in.
- Guided tour inside the castle, the church and the ice pit.
- Dinner on your own.
DAY 2: EL COGUL / CERVIÀ DE LES GARRIGUES
- Breakfast on your own.
- Visit to Interpretation Center in the Cave Paintings in El Cogul, UNESCO World Heritage (1998).
- Lunch at Els Fogons de la Carme Restaurant.
- Walk through the “Camí dels 7 sentits” by the artist Marta Pruna. You will discover Marta’s sculptures all along the route.
- Dinner on your own – Accommodation at La Floresta Castle.
DAY 3: L’ALBI / EL VILOSELL
- Breakfast on your own.
- Guided tour in L’Albi with a visit to the cave paintings of “La Balma del Punt”.
- Lunch at Ca la Margarida Restaurant.
- Stroll through the charming village of El Vilosell and its cobbled streets.
- Dinner on your own – Accommodation at La Floresta Castle.
DAY 4: LES BORGES BLANQUES
- Breakfast on your own.
- Guided tour along the most
highlighted places of the city. - Guided tour in Cal Gineret’s mill with oil tasting.
- Degustation menu at Hostal Benet.
- Guided visit to Assumpció’s chuch bell tower.
- Dinner on your own – Accommodation at La Floresta Castle.
DAY 5: ARBECA
- Breakfast on your own.
- Guided tour in Iberian Fortress of Vilars in Arbeca.
La Floresta Castle
Declared Cultural Asset of National Interest. In this fort there is a lot of art styles like late Romanesque, Gothic, the Renaissance and Baroque. It is the result of the footprint that over the centuries left the noble families of the Counts of Pallars, Dukes of Cardona and Merinaceli, and that has rooms with magnificent coffered ceilings.
Interpretation Center of “La Roca dels Moros” in El Cogul.
Declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1998. They are an example of Levantine Rock Art, with 45 figures, among which there are human images, various animals and inscriptions in Iberian and Latin alphabet.
Iberian Fortress of Vilars in Arbeca
The Iberian village of the Vilars is situated in a plain. This archeological site has one of the most interesting defense systems of the iron age.