Puigcerdá (pooh-chair-DAH; pop. 7000) lies in a broad valley surrounded by flourishing wheat fields and mountains decorated in snow. By bus or by train, the ride to Puigcerdà boasts some of the most awe-inspiring views in the Pyrenees. Puigcerdà’s location along both the French and Andorran borders also makes it a cheap base for hiking, biking, or skiing in three different countries.
Puigcerdà’s center is at the top of the hill. The train station is at the foot of the western slope. Buses stop at the train station and then Pl. Barcelona; get off at the second stop if you wish to arrive within the town itself. To reach Plaça Ajuntament from the train station, walk past the stairs in the station’s plaça until you reach the first flight of stairs between two buildings. To save your legs, take the free cable car, which leaves from a station about 50m straight in front of the train station (runs 5:30 am-12am, July and Aug. 5:30am-1am). At the top, take the elevator (in front of the station and to the left), up to level 2, the Pl. Ajuntament. From the plaça, walk one block on C. Alfons I to Carrer Major. Turn left on C. Major to Pl. Santa María. Reach Pl. Barcelona through the Pl. dels Herois, the end of Pl. Santa María farthest from the bell tower. If you are traveling outside of the month of August, note that most services and stores shut down on M (and Su, as in much of Spain).
Many pensiones can be found around Pl. Santa María in the old town.
Buy cheap produce at the weekly farmer’s market at Pl. 10 d’Ábril. (Open Su 6am-2pm.) Or grab groceries at Bonpreu, Av. Coronel Molera, 12, diagonally across from the post office. (Open M-Sa 9am-9pm, Su 10am-2:30pm. MC/V.)
Just above the Pl. Barcelona (follow the C. Pons Gash) the lake and the Parc Schierbeck offer a bit of calm respite, as swans glide over reflections of the snow-covered mountains. Cercle Aventura offers a formidable list of outdoor activities in the summer and winter. (☎902 17 05 93; www.cercleaventure.com. Open daily 9am-2pm and 4-8pm. Canyoneering €45-55. Rock climbing €65. Paintball €30. Canoe Rental €30. Snowshoe rental €10. Bike rental €10 half-day, €16 full day.) Ski in your country of choice (Spain, France, or Andorra) at one of 19 ski areas within a 50km radius. The closest on the Spanish side is Alp 2500, a conglomerate of La Molina (☎972 89 20 31, ski school 978 89 21 57; www.lamolina.cat) and nearby Masella (☎972 14 40 00; www.masella.com), which offers the longest run in the eastern Pyrenees. For cross-country skiing, a close site is Guils-Fontanera (☎972 19 70 47; www.guils.com/esqui). Also try Lles (☎973 29 30 49) or Aránsa (☎973 29 30 51). In the spring and summer, the Puigcerdà area is also popular for biking; the tourist office has a map detailing several routes. The town of Llívia, a Spanish enclave surrounded by France, can make for a pleasant pastoral afternoon excursion. Some travelers also stop by Rìgolisa on the way back for a view of the wheat fields at sunset. Sports Iris, Av. de França, 16, rents bikes and skis. (☎972 88 23 98. Open 9:30am-2pm, 4pm-8pm daily. Bike rental €15 half day, €20 full day.) For horseback riding, call Hípica Sant Marc (C. de Sant Marc; ☎972 88 00 07). Try piloting or ballooning at Globus de Pirineu (☎972 14 08 52; www.globospi.com) or Cerdanya Globus (☎609 83 29 74; www.osonaglobus.com). Other adventure sports such as 4X4 and motorbike rental can be arranged with La Molina or Alp 2500 Viatges (☎972 89 20 29) and at Turing Cerdanya, Escoles Pies 19 (☎972 88 06 02; www.turingcerdanya.com).
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