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. There were a number of pogroms carried out against the Jews during the late 14th and early 15th centuries, however, unlike in many Ripoll other Catalan towns, in Besalú there was relatively Ripoll can claim, with some justice, to be the little bloodshed and it is believed that the local birthplace of Catalonia. In the 9th century it was the Jewish families were allowed to leave the city and power base from which local strongman Guifré el flee elsewhere.Located on the shores of the river Pilós (Wilfred the Hairy) succeeded in uniting Fluviá, there are traces of settlements in the area several counties of the Frankish March along the since the Roman era. The name Besalú itself is southern side of the Pyrenees. Guifré went on to become the first in a line of hereditary counts of For more information about Collioure, please visit: Barcelona. To encourage repopulation of the https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/collioure- Pyrenean valleys, he founded (and now lies buried 2035.htm in) the Monestir de Santa Maria, medieval Catalonia's most powerful monastery. Reading Suggestions Michael Eaude, Catalonia: A Cultural History Nuria Rack Railway A vivid introduction to the fascinating history of this The only means of transport that allows you to region, lodged between France and Spain. reach the Nuria Valley. The rack railway climbs a vertical distance of 1,000 metres along a 12.5- John Payne, Catalonia: History and Culture kilometre track. The history of the Núria rack Payne provides an engaging, lively history of this border area, highly informative and enjoyable to read. railway dates back to a hundred years ago, when for the first time there was a need to develop a means Catherine Plant, Dali (Taschen Basic Art Series). of transport to link the valley to the town of Ribes An excellent, concise introduction to Dali and his de Freser. It was not until 1928 that work started Surrealist art, accompanied by wonderful photographs of and finally in 1931 the rack railway was his work. inaugurated. The Ribes-Enllaç and Vall de Núria stations, the start and end of the route, were built Tour manager during the Civil War and the post-war period, from Your tour manager will be on hand throughout the 1933 to 1953. tour to ensure that everything operated according
to plan. If you have any problems or questions For more information about the Nuria Rack Railway, please see him or her immediately – it is often please visit: http://turistren.cat/index.php/fitxa/vall-de-nuria-rack- possible to resolve complaints or problems very railway/?lang=en quickly on the spot, and do everything to help you enjoy your holiday. Perpignan A thoroughly Southern city, Perpignan is the multicultural capital of the French Catalan region. The city’s small old town is a little rough-around- the-edges, but the vibrantly painted facades and palm tree lined boulevards make it feel wonderfully Mediterranean. Sights here include an Arab quarter, the 13th century Palais des Rois de Majorque, the Loge de Mer Maritime Exchange, the 14th century Hotel de Ville, the Gothic Cathédrale St Jean Baptiste, and the Musée Catalan of North Catalonian history.
For more information about Perpignan, please visit: http://www.perpignantourisme.com/gb
Collioure A picturesque seaside town in the foothills of the Pyrenees, backed by a series of ancient terraced vines, the colourful harbour town of Collioure is delightful. In the early 20th century the town became the meeting place of Fauve artists, including Matisse, Derain and Picasso, and their artistic influence survives. Highlights here include the Château Royal, built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century, the 17th century Église de Notre- Dame-des-Anges and its famous bell tower, and the delightful narrow alley ways and colourful houses.
mornings, in which case they will probably close Monday. Many shops close all day or half-day The Basics Monday. Please note that most museums close on Mondays. Climate – The weather in Catalonia at this time of year is likely to be pleasant, but there is the chance Clothes & Shoes – You may like to bring a warm of the odd shower. Our best advice is to come sweater for cool evenings. Light rain wear for the prepared. occasional storm and good grip/flat walking shoes
are recommended. Time – GMT +2 hours (Summer time Apr-Oct); GMT
+ 1 (Standard time Nov-Mar). Camera – bring plenty of memory cards/film and Language – Spanish and Catalan. any spare camera batteries as these are not always Religion – Roman Catholic. available. Please check with your guide before
photographing people. National holidays – New Year’s day (01 Jan); Easter
Monday; Labour day (01 May); Victory in Europe Bath plugs – The hotel has plugs for basins, but it is day (08 May); Ascension day; Whit Sunday; Whit useful to carry a ‘universal’ one with you. Monday; National day (14 Jul); Assumption of Mary
(15 Aug); All Saints’ day (01 Nov); Armistice day (11 Telephones/mobiles – The guarantee of free mobile Nov); Christmas day (25 Dec). phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway has ended. Check with Currency – Euro. €1 = 100 cents. Notes are in your phone operator to find out about any roaming denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. charges that might be applied after 1st January Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 2021. A new law means that you are protected from 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. getting mobile data charges above £45 without you
knowing. Once you reach £45, you need to opt in to Banks – Cashpoints compatible with international spend more so that you can continue using the banking networks are located in all towns and cities, internet while you are abroad. Your phone operator as well as airports, major train stations and other will tell how you can do this. spots. They usually offer an attractive exchange rate. Those banks that still exchange foreign Tipping –To keep our tours affordable, we do not currencies into local money will always charge a increase the tour price by adding in tips. However, transaction fee, so withdrawing money from an in the tourism industry, there is a certain level of ATM usually represents the most logical means of expectation that when receiving a good service, one obtaining euros. does award with a tip. Tour Managers,
Representatives, Guides and Drivers appreciate a Credit cards – American Express, Diners Club, tip at the end of their involvement with the tour, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted across the but this is entirely at your discretion. We believe in country. If you’re eating at a restaurant, check prior allowing you to tip according to your level of to the meal that your card will be an acceptable satisfaction with their services, but for your form of payment. Even in cities, it’s advisable to guidance about £2-3 per person per day for the tour carry a supply of cash with you at all times. Varying manager is the norm. We would like to reiterate amounts of commission can be charged. that tipping is an entirely optional payment and this
information is given purely to answer any questions Electricity – 220 volt, two-pin continental plug. you may have about it.
Drinking water – Tap water is safe to drink.
(Although you’ll find a huge amount of bottled water for sale too)
Shops and museums – Smaller towns have quaint boutiques and beautiful markets. Department stores are open 0900-1830 Monday to Saturday.
Most shops are closed between 1200-1430. Some food shops (particularly bakers) are open Sunday
Health Insurance
Doctor/Dentist/Chemist Insurance Please talk to your tour manager if you are feeling To be covered under your Travel Insurance Policy, unwell and they will organise for you to see a if you become ill, it is essential that you contact a doctor. local doctor and also telephone the emergency Keep receipts for insurance claims. number of your insurance company. You will NOT be covered for any claim unless this procedure is carried out. Your insurance company will then decide on the best course of medical attention. HospitalInsurance Your tour manager/hotel reception will arrange hospital transport. European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) Keep receipts for insurance claims. Before you travel, make sure you’ve got a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or travel General Health Advice insurance with health cover. We suggest you take a good supply of your own individual medicines with you and always keep You may not have access to free emergency some in your hand luggage in case you get delayed medical treatment and could be charged for your or your luggage goes astray. General-purpose healthcare if you do not have an EHIC or GHIC supplies for bites, stings, or scratches, and your when visiting an EU country, or travel insurance usual medication for headaches, or stomach with full healthcare cover when visiting upsets are always recommended. Oral re- Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. If hydration sachets are excellent for topping up salt you have an EHIC it will still be valid while it and glucose levels. remains in date. Your European Health Insurance
Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) Visit the NHS Fit For Travel website for more will be valid if you’re travelling to an EU country. generally information specific to the country you are visiting – www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk For further information about the GHIC please visit:
Sun Protection https://www.ehic.org.uk Always ensure you take sufficient sun protection We strongly recommend that you take out an and moisturiser. A sun hat and sunglasses are also appropriate travel insurance policy when you advisable. travel abroad.
Inoculations Border Control At border control, you may need to: You should check with your own doctor and take • show a return or onward ticket. their advice as to which inoculations are required • show you have enough money for your for the country you are visiting, as only they know stay. your medical history and recommendations are • use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss liable to change at short notice. citizens when queueing.
Emergencies Should an emergency arise, please call our offices on: 00 44 20 7251 0045
Outside office hours (Mon-Fri 0900-1700), telephone our emergency staff on: 00 44 7841 023807
PLEASE USE THESE NUMBERS ONLY IN THE EVENT OF A GENUINE EMERGENCY.
If you find that you are in need of consular assistance during your holiday:
British Consulate Barcelona Avda Diagonal 477 – 13ª, 08036 Barcelona, Spain Tel: +34 933 66 62 00 [email protected] Mon to Fri: 0830 to 1330.
Travel Editions 3 Youngs Buildings, London, EC1V 9DB Tel: 020 7251 0045 Email: [email protected] www.traveleditions.co.uk
PLEASE NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINTING. IT IS MEANT AS A GUIDE ONLY AND WE CANNOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR SUBSEQUENT CHANGES.