With the Family

Long before Disney popularised Jack Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, the inhabitants of the Catalan coastline were all too familiar with the attacks launched by sea bandits. Films, series and novels have presented pirates as romantic characters, but they could be the most cruel of criminals. Their role in local history is certainly worth discovering and it’s been kept alive in many towns in regions such as Garraf or Maresme as a way to explore their historical heritage.

The area around the Ignatian Way in the counties of Anoia and Bages offers a wide range of activities for families. As well as the option of walking along the route of the Way itself and enjoying the beautiful nature and landscapes with every step, there are particular highlights recommended for children along the way.

It is easy to talk about sustainability, but it is sometimes harder to put it into practice. When making plans for the weekend or a longer getaway, you might not know where to start looking. With this in mind, today, we would like to tell you about some of the best options for responsible tourism in the county of Vallès Oriental.

The abundance of water is one of the defining features of Capellades, a town nestling on the right bank of the Anoia River. Water carved escarpments where Neanderthals lived in prehistoric times. Much later, from the 17^th century onwards, several paper mills were built along the river to take advantage of the plentiful flow of water. Still today, the same water attracts many visitors, keen to discover the wells, springs, lavoirs and reservoirs spread throughout this medium-sized town. Do you know the main attractions of one of the unmissable tourist destinations in Barcelona’s counties?

The Cardener Ecorail is a seven-kilometre route along old railways that have been adapted to modern times without losing their essence. Throughout the week, these tracks are used to transport the salt extracted from the mines in Súria and, on Sundays, they take families keen to discover the Bages Plain aboard a highly original means of locomotion: the Ciclorail.

Set between the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range and the Mediterranean coast, the DO (Designation of Origin) Penedès is an outstanding winegrowing area with the largest production yield in Catalonia. The quality of the soil, the sun exposure and the sea breeze go a long way to explaining the success of wines and cavas capable of surprising even the most demanding of palates. The region also has the largest number of wineries, along with a wide-ranging wine tourism offering that you can also enjoy with the family.