Catalonia and the Pyrenees by Rail

Catalonia and the Pyrenees by Rail Travel Passports You may need to renew your British Passport if you food or drink on board, although there is a buffet are travelling to an EU country. Please ensure your car serving drinks and snacks. passport is less than 10 years old (even if it has 6 TGV tickets do not include any food or drink on months or more left on it) and has at least 6 board, although a buffet car is available. months validity remaining from the date of travel. EU, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino Train Seats and Swiss valid national identification cards are also On all legs of the journey you have reserved seat acceptable for travel. and carriage numbers which are shown clearly on For more information, please visit: passport your ticket. checker Visas Baggage As a tourist visiting from the UK, you do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, As with most trains, passengers are responsible for Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage able to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. can be stored on overhead shelves or at the For all other passport holders please check the visa entrance to the carriages. Trollies are available at St requirements with the appropriate embassy. Pancras and Lille, but bags do need to be carried on For further information, please check here: travel to the platform. Porters are sometimes but not to the EU always available at St Pancras. For all other passport holders please check the visa Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery requirements with the appropriate embassy. service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure Spanish consulate: 20 Draycott Pl, Chelsea, London and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore SW3 2RZ; Tel (020) 7589 8989. Information Service: removing the worry about carrying your cases onto Tel (0891) 887 733, Fax: (020) 7581 7888. Opening and off the trains. hours: 0930-1300 Mon-Fri (except British and For further information: Spanish national holidays). http://www.thebaggageman.com Labels Tickets Please use the luggage labels provided. It is useful You will be issued with a return Eurostar ticket. The to have your home address located inside your tour manager has a group TGV ticket. suitcase should the label go astray. Please take care not to lose your tickets and please check that the details on your tickets are accurate. Transfers Your ticket is non-transferable and non-refundable. On arrival in Figueres, transfer by coach to Hotel No refund can be given for non-used portions. Pirineos (approx. 10 minutes). Standard Premier on Eurostar tickets is indicated by Special Requests two asterisks in the class type section in the top If you haven’t already done so, please notify Travel right-hand corner. A light meal will be served to Editions of any special requests as soon as possible passengers travelling Standard Premier on Eurostar. to allow sufficient time to make the necessary Standard class Eurostar tickets do not include any arrangements. Accommodation Hotel Pirineos The four-star family run hotel in Figueres, situated Some restaurants will offer a set meal at a fixed – in the heart of Alt Emporda andis just a few minutes menú del día – at lunchtime, generally good value from the Dali Theater Museum, was fully renovated for money. Usually, a discretionary service charge is in 2016. Its 54 modern rooms, some with balconies, added to your bill in restaurants and bars, but it is include private facilities with either a bath or customary to leave small change if good service is shower, AC, free safe, Wifi, flat screen TV, provided. telephone and a minibar with complimentary water. Generally speaking, mealtimes in Spain are much later than in the UK. Lunch is normally taken For more information, please visit the hotel’s website: between 1400 and 1600; dinner is very often eaten https://www.hotelpirineospelegri.com/en any time after 2100 or even 2200. Food Drink Catalonia is known for its proud artisan food With its generous year-round sunshine and production, as well as its interesting and modern excellent mountain soils, Midi-Pyrénées is blessed interpretations of traditional dishes. Meals in the with some truly magnificent wines. The region Catalan Pyrenees often include fresh vegetables, boasts 5 AOC (Appellation d'origine controlee) legumes, pasta, pork sausages, lamb, chicken, fish, wines, with the most well-known producers being and game. Another favourite ingredient of the Saint-Mont, Pacherenc, Madiran, Gaillac, Fronton entire Province of Catalonia, and especially the and Cahors wines. forests of Lleida, are the wide range of wild mushrooms. The most popular types of mushrooms Midi-Pyrénées is also famous for its Armagnac found here are: boletus, wild mushrooms, meadow brandies, which are distilled in the region between mushrooms, chanterelles, elms and gomphidus. Auch and Condom. Local specialities include: Escudella, Putxero or Catalan sparkling wine, Cava, is produced rosé and Ollada - A thick soup, often made with vegetables, white, and comes, as champagne, from the dry brut chickpeas, pasta and meat, Confitat de porc -Pork to the sweet dulce. preserve, Trinxat - A traditional dish made from cabbage, potatoes and bacon, Coca or Coques - In elegant restaurants the wine list will be separate Savoury pastries with a pizza-like base, Cargols amb from the main menu, but in less opulent salsa,or Cargols a la llauna - Snails cooked in a sauce establishments will be printed on the back or along and spices, Esqueixada or "esgarrat" - Salted cod the side of the carte. The waiter will usually be glad salad mixed with tomato and onion, Mongetes amb to advise an appropriate choice. If in doubt, try the botifarra - Beans served with pork sausage, Pa amb house wine; this will usually be less expensive and tomàquet - Bread smeared with an olive oil, garlic will always be the owner’s pride. and tomato sauce. Meals included in the price of your holiday are: The region’s most famous sweet is the Crème Catalane (egg yolk, milk and sugar custard), enjoyed Breakfast – daily plain, with a thin layer of caramelised sugar and Dinner – on day 1 at the hotel sometimes served with biscuits. Taking food into EU countries Coffee is served after the meal and will be black, in Please note, you are not able to take meat, milk or small cups, unless a café au lait (or crème) is any products containing them into EU countries. requested. Destination With its own language and unique local customs, thought to derive from the Latin bisuldunum, Catalonia feels distinct from the rest of Spain, and, meaning ‘fort on a mountain between two rivers’ beyond Barcelona, its four provinces unveil an and refers to the ancient castle which is believed to astounding wealth of natural splendour. Pyrenean have stood on the site in the 10th century. peaks loom above meadows and glittering lakes, plains are pock-marked with volcanic cones, rocky For more information about Besalu, please visit: coves border sandy beaches and wind-blown capes https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/discov give way to serene seaside paths and fertile er-the-medieval-town-of-besalu-in-catalonia/ vineyards. The Costa Brava’s shores are its biggest lure, though travellers will also uncover medieval Banyoles architecture, Jewish history and culinary wizardry in Home to Catalonia’s largest natural lake, Banyoles Girona, and Dalí's gloriously surreal 'theatre- has plenty to offer to visitors. Located around half museum' in Figueres. an hour’s drive from both Girona and Dalí’s Places of interest included in the tour: hometown of Figueres, although it’s best known for its wonderful lake, Banyoles is also an interesting Figueres historic and cultural town. The historic centre is Fourteen kilometres inland from Catalonia's built around the Saint Stephen (Sant Esteve) glistening Golf de Roses lies Figueres. Birthplace of monastery, and you can enjoy wandering around Surrealist Salvador Dalí, Figueres is an attractive cobbled streets and squares, while you see the town with a wide, leafy boulevard lined with various buildings and the magical flow of water, outdoor cafés as its main thoroughfare. The that comes in the canals that originate in the principal attraction is Dali’s striking homage to famous lake. There’s also an archaeological Surrealism, the Teatre-Museu Gala (entrance museum in Banyoles, as well as the Darder included), which is suitably bizarre and houses an Museum. impressive collection of his work. Beyond its star attraction, busy Figueres is a lively place with a For more information about Banyoles, please visit: http://www.catalonia-valencia.com/banyoles-travel- couple of interesting museums, some good guide.html restaurants, pleasant shopping streets around Carrer de Peralada, and a grand 18th-century fortress. Girona Elegant and handsome Girona is a lively city with a For more information about Figueres, please visit: walled medieval quarter, which sits on a hill http://en.visitfigueres.cat/ overlooking the city, elegant river banks lined with brightly painted houses and plenty of excellent Besalu museums. Sights here include the Archaeological Walk that explores the city's Roman roots, the Located in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the distinctively-named Church of St Peter of the cock Garrotxa region, the small town of Besalú is one of Crows, the wonderfully preserved medieval Jewish Catalonia’s most stunning medieval sites. Famous quarter of El Call, the imposing Cathedral and 12th for its impressive Romanesque bridge and the century Arab Baths. vestiges of its Jewish past. Like many places in Catalonia, the Jewish community lived in a relatively For more information about Girona, please visit: peaceful coexistence with the local Christian http://www.girona.cat/turisme/eng/index.php community.

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