Snow getaway close to Barcelona

Winter sports enthusiasts will find that Barcelona also accommodates their particular brand of tourism. Moving just a few kilometers away from the city you will find yourself in some of Spain’s best skiing areas, all thanks to the more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) of ski trails along the Catalonian Pyrenees.

The best regarded ski resorts found at the Pyrenees include Port del Compte, La Molina and Baqueira Beret. They all have high-quality snow and light weather conditions allowing for perfect, sunny days to enjoy skiing and snowboarding.

Baqueira Beret Resort

Located inside the Lleida province, Baqueira Beret has the second largest skiing area in Spain thanks to its 120 km (74 miles) of trails, 14 km (8.7 miles) of trial runs and 7 km (4.3 miles) devoted to cross-country skiing. The entire resort has open and wide trails with high-quality and thick snow. In addition, it offers a great variety of services and numerous upwards and downwards slopes that turn Baqueira Beret into Spain’s best skiing resort.

estaciones-esqui-barcelonaHere, you will also be able to enjoy other fun activities like riding in a dog sled, ski for people with disabilities, snowshoe hiking, snow bike routes and even visits to caviar production factories. In addition, the resort also offers first-rate lodging with hotels such as Hotel Himàlaia Baqueira, Tuc Blanc or AC Baqueira Ski&Resort.

It takes around 4 hours to reach the resort from downtown Barcelona, and the best way to do that is to take the A-2 highway and then continue along the C-13 road to the resort itself.

Port del Comte Resort

The Port del Comte ski station is also located in the Lleida province and is the best option for those wanting to run away from the more crowded resorts.

It has 37 trails and 16 slopes allowing anyone to fully enjoy its more than 42 kilometers (26 miles) of skiing trails. This resort has several ski schools and clubs, equipment rentals, a snowpark area with different modules and jumps, and several snowshoe trails.

barcelona-nieveWithout any doubts, this is one of the best options if you are travelling with kids, as it features not just several trails and easy routes to ski in family, but also a family area where to enjoy different activities like giant playground slides (or “tubbies”), “snake gliss” (collective sled), wide climbing walls and large slopes for sleds. Furthermore, Port del Comte also features “Snow Kindergaten,” an area for toddlers and kids to have their first meeting with the snow and learn to put their skis on and how to use the poles.

Reaching Port del Comte from Barcelona is very easy if you take C-16 road and then continue down C-55 road until you hit the resort. It generally should be a 2-hour trip from downtown Barcelona. The resort also has several lodging options close by the trails, such as Hotel Serhs Ski Port del Comte and Hotel Piteus.

La Molina Resort

La Molina features 61 kilometers (38 miles) of skiing trails and 12 slopes. It is a small and welcoming resort favored by many local enthusiasts as it seldom finds itself full of people. It has differential circuits for sleds, snowshoes, quads and snow bikes, allowing for a varied experience. For the little ones it also features a “tubbies” area and a snow garden.

This is a modern and innovative resort that has a large offer in sport and leisure activities. In 2011 it served as the official venue for the Snowboard World Championship and you will find people practicing anything from traditional skiing to snowboarding, telemark skiing or freestyle.

La Molina is located in Girona, less than two hours away from Barcelona if you take the C-16 road. In the surrounding area you will find good lodging facilities, such as Hotel Berga Resort or Hotel Supermolina.