Somrurals invites you to relax in this unique region by offering you the possibility of reserving rural houses in different areas of the region. Without a doubt, it is a good opportunity if you are looking to disconnect from the big city.
What should we know about Pla de l'Estany?
Pla de l'Estany is a region that is located in the province of Girona and borders the following regions: Alt Empordá, Gironés and La Garrotxa.
As far as surface area is concerned, it has approximately 262 square kilometers, being one of the smallest regions in Catalonia. This means that it is only made up of 11 municipalities . The best known are: Banyoles (capital), Porqueres, Cornellà del Terri, Vilademuls, Fontcoberta and Serinyà.
Car. We can get to the region using one of the following highways: C-66, GI-524, GI-513, GI-150 or AP-7 .
Bus. There are different lines that go to Banyoles. These buses depart from different cities such as: Olot, Girona, Figueres or Barcelona.
Train. The region does not have train stations. However, we can get to Sant Martí de Centelles station using the R3 line of Rodalies de Catalunya (RENFE) and then take a taxi to our destination. We can also get to Girona station by train and then take a bus.
Plane. The main airports in Catalonia are at the following distance: Gerona-Costa Brava at 37 kilometers, Barcelona-El Prat at 150 kilometers, Reus-Tarragona at 220 kilometers and Lleida at 263 kilometers .
If we refer to its location in Catalonia, it is located to the northeast and as a particularity we could highlight that it is a recently created region, because until 1988 its lands were part of the Gironés region. Something that we love about it is that it has different lakes and lagoons and all of them give rise to wonderful landscapes, hence its name Plana del Lago or in Catalan Pla de l'Estany.
For example, Banyoles Lake is one of the most beautiful locations in the entire region and the largest lake in the entire province of Girona and the largest natural lake in the Iberian Peninsula. It is even declared as a space of natural interest. As a curiosity, we would like to emphasize that in 1992 this lake was the scene of the rowing competitions of the Olympics and in 2004 of the rowing world championship.
The 5 towns that you must visit before leaving
The 11 towns that make up the region have a special charm. Even so, we recommend the following for you to visit while you are in the region:
Banyoles, Banyoles in Catalan. As we have already mentioned, it is the capital of the region. It is in this municipality where we can find the recently mentioned Lake Banyoles . This occupies a large part of the land of the Catalan population.
Porqueras, Porqueres in Catalan. It is very close to Lake Banyoles and is known for its parish church of Santa María. This church is from the 12th century and is in the Romanesque style. It is declared as an asset of cultural interest.
Cornellà del Terri . Almost all the population centers that make up this municipal area have a Romanesque-style church. In addition, it has a great history, since it has been the protagonist of different wars that have happened throughout history.
Fontcuberta, Fontcoberta in Catalan. Many of the buildings that we can see in this town are stone farmhouses. We can also visit the Clot d'Espolla . This is a temporary pond that belongs to the Banyoles lake area.
Seriñá, Serinyà in Catalan. If we like something about Serinyà, it is its caves and prehistoric sites. In these areas they have found archaeological remains of great value and can be visited.
Although the above are the best known and the most populated, this region is also made up of the following municipalities: Esponellà, Palol de Revardit, Crespià, Sant Miquel de Campmajor, Camós and Vilademuls.
What to do during our stay in the Pla de l'Estany region?
The time that our stay in this region lasts, we can do countless activities because this region offers visitors a great offer. We recommend that you do some of the following:
Visit to the lakes. As we have already highlighted, the Banyoles Lake ( Estany de Banyoles in Catalan ) has a great cultural interest because it is the largest natural lake in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, it also causes great interest that it has been the scene of the Olympic games or the rowing world championship. In this lake we can carry out different activities such as, for example, visiting the fisheries (buildings that were used to store fishing equipment).
- Routes. As in other regions, you can go hiking, mountain bike routes or off-road car routes. We recommend you visit the historic center of Banyoles on foot and cycle the route that starts from Estunes and goes to Pujarnol . If you don't bring your MTB, don't worry, there are different establishments where you can rent them. Even some rural houses will put them at your disposal.
Visit prehistoric caves. We have previously mentioned that in Serinyà there are different caves from prehistory. We recommend that you visit them, since you will be able to understand how our ancestors lived and you will be able to get in touch with nature.
Museums. If you like museums, in this region you can find different ones. The most visited and the ones we recommend are the Darder Museum and the Archaeological Museum. Both are located in the capital.
Places of cultural interest. In the event that you love culture, but do not want to invest money in museums, you can visit some of the buildings that you can find throughout the different municipalities of the region. For example, in Porqueres we can find the parish church of Santa María . It is in the Romanesque style and is very close to the Banyoles lake.
Water falls. Thanks to all the lakes and lagoons you can also see impressive waterfalls or waterfalls. We recommend the jump called " La Gorga Blava " which is located in the town of Cornellà del Terri.
These are just some of the activities you can do. You can also visit the Bosc de Can Ginebreda in the municipality of Porqueres or practice rowing.