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La Pobla de Lillet is a small town in Berguedà County, in the north of the Barcelona Province, Catalonia. It is best known for the Artigas Gardens, designed by Antoni Gaudí, and for a narrow-gauge tourist railway that runs through the valley.
Understand
[edit | edit source]La Pobla de Lillet lies at 843 m in the upper valley of the Llobregat river, at the foot of the Catllaràs range and close to the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park. It has around 1,100 inhabitants.
The town grew around a medieval settlement and later around the cement industry: the Asland works at Clot del Moro, a few kilometres upstream, brought a narrow-gauge railway and, with it, Gaudí. He designed both a chalet for the company's engineers on the Catllaràs range and, for the Artigas family who had hosted him, the gardens that carry their name. After Barcelona, La Pobla de Lillet is often described as the Catalan town with the most works by Gaudí.
Winters are cold and snow is not unusual. Most visitors come between spring and autumn, when the tourist railway runs.
- Tourist office, Carrer Nou, 1, ☏ +34 938 236 146. Inside the town hall building.
Get in
[edit | edit source]By car
[edit | edit source]La Pobla de Lillet is about 120 km from Barcelona, roughly a two-hour drive. Take the motorway north to Guardiola de Berguedà, then the B-402 road for the last 15 km. From Ripoll and the east, the road crosses the pass at Coll de Merolla.
The last stretch is a mountain road with tight bends. In winter, check conditions before setting out.
By bus
[edit | edit source]Regular buses connect La Pobla de Lillet with Berga, the county town, and with Barcelona. Services are infrequent, especially at weekends, so check timetables in advance at the operator's website or at the Berguedà mobility portal (mobilitat.bergueda.cat).
By train
[edit | edit source]There is no railway station. The nearest stations on the Rodalies R3 line are at Ripoll and Campdevànol, to the east, from where you would need to continue by bus or taxi.
Get around
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The town centre is small and easily walked. The Artigas Gardens are about 2 km north of the centre and can be reached on foot along the river, by car, or on the tourist railway.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Artigas Gardens (Jardins Artigas), Carrer del Ferrocarril, ☏ +34 687 99 85 41. Daily 10:00-18:00; reduced season out of summer. A garden laid out by Antoni Gaudí around 1905 for the Artigas family, who had put him up while he worked on the nearby Catllaràs chalet. The Llobregat runs through the middle, crossed by bridges and paths of undressed stone, with grottoes, a fountain and sculpted arches. The forms anticipate those of Park Güell in Barcelona. Allow about an hour.
- 2 Old Bridge (Pont Vell). A medieval stone bridge over the Llobregat in the middle of town, and the emblem of La Pobla de Lillet. Free.
- 3 Monastery of Santa Maria de Lillet. A Romanesque monastic church on a rise east of the town, next to the small round church of Sant Miquel, one of the few circular Romanesque churches in Catalonia.
- 4 Castle of Lillet (Castell de Lillet). Ruins of a late 13th-century fortress on the hill above the monastery, with views over the valley. Free.
- 5 Sanctuary of Falgars (Santuari de Falgars). A mountain sanctuary at about 1,300 m on the Catllaràs range, reached by a narrow road from the town. Wide views towards the Pyrenees.
Do
[edit | edit source]- 1 Cement Train (Tren del Ciment), Carretera de Guardiola de Berguedà. Seasonal, roughly from Easter to early November; daily in August, weekends and holidays otherwise. A 600-mm narrow-gauge tourist railway running about 3.5 km up the valley from La Pobla de Lillet to Clot del Moro, with a stop at the Artigas Gardens. The line follows the route of the industrial railway that once served the Asland cement works, now the Cement Museum at Clot del Moro. A combined ticket covering the train, the gardens and the museum is available. Check the current timetable before travelling, as the service does not run all year.
- 2 Cement Museum (Museu del Ciment), Clot del Moro, Castellar de n'Hug. Housed in the former Asland cement works, a stepped Modernista industrial complex built into the hillside and listed as a cultural asset of national interest. It is the upper terminus of the Cement Train, in the neighbouring municipality of Castellar de n'Hug.
Walking and mountain biking routes run in every direction from the town, including paths to the sources of the Llobregat at Castellar de n'Hug and up onto the Catllaràs range. Mushroom picking is a local autumn pastime.
Eat
[edit | edit source]- 1 Cal Pericas, Carrer Furriolas de Altes, 2, ☏ +34 938 23 61 62. Lunch only; closed Mon and Fri. Long-standing local restaurant serving Catalan mountain cooking on a set menu. Set menu around €25.
- 2 La Borda de Lillet, Carretera de Ripoll, ☏ +34 623 31 20 02. Closed Mon. Bar and restaurant with a wood stove, popular with cyclists. Vegan options available.
- 3 Bar Ca l'Àngel, Carrer del Pontarró, 6, ☏ +34 659 44 55 61. Closed Tue Wed. Bar serving a daily set menu as well as à la carte dishes, including at weekends.
- 4 Cansaladeria Bar Falgàs, Carrer Jussà, 1, ☏ +34 938 23 60 33. 08:00-15:00; closed Tue. Butcher's shop and bar serving breakfasts and grilled local produce, including botifarra with beans.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]- 1 Pirineu Turístic - Cadí, Furrioles de Baix, 4, 2nd floor, ☏ +34 667 530 771, info@pirineuturistic.com. Self-catering flat over three floors with five bedrooms and two bathrooms, sleeping up to fourteen. Wood-burning fireplace, balcony and terrace. Dogs allowed. A cleaning fee of €80 is charged once per booking. €100-245.
- 2 Pirineu Turístic - Catllaràs, Furrioles de Baix, 4, 1st floor, ☏ +34 667 530 771, info@pirineuturistic.com. Self-catering flat for four, with two bedrooms and a sofa bed, in the same building as the Cadí. Dogs allowed. A cleaning fee of €60 is charged once per booking. €76-200.
- 3 Pirineu Turístic - Picancel, Furrioles de Baix, 4, ground floor, ☏ +34 667 530 771, info@pirineuturistic.com. Ground-floor flat adapted for wheelchair users, with an access ramp, a level-access shower and a grab rail. One bedroom and a sofa bed. Dogs allowed. A cleaning fee of €55 is charged once per booking. €55-160.
Go next
[edit | edit source]- Castellar de n'Hug — the sources of the Llobregat and the Cement Museum, at the top of the valley.
- Berga — the county town, 30 km south, known for its Patum festival.
- Ripoll — the Romanesque monastery of Santa Maria, 30 km east.