The beautiful surroundings of the Valle de Arán satisfy even the most particular travellers with its combination of nature, heritage and culture.

Baqueira Beret is considered to be one of the best and most complete ski resorts in Spain. It is a point of reference in the Catalan Pyrenees and is set in the most beautiful surroundings. 

Apart from the technical side of its facilities, this resort is very glamorous owing to the rich and famous who regularly ski here. The beautiful surroundings of the Valle de Arán satisfy even the most particular travellers with its combination of nature, heritage and culture.

The ski resort of Baqueira Beret is, for many ski enthusiasts, the gateway to the Valle de Arán, one of the most charming corners of Catalonia. This is the only Pyrenean region on Spanish soil facing France. In fact, it even has its own language, aranés which is a dialect of the old occitan language.

In one of the small municipalities of the Valle de Arán, just after entering through the Port de la Bonaigua, lies the resort which has recently improved many of its facilities with a view to the new skiing season. One of these is the La Choza chairlift, or the new Horat deth Bò ski lift. An extension has been made to the arrivals part of the Pla de Baqueira chairlift, doubling the surface of skiable snow.

This classic ski resort must not only be judged for its technical facilities (71 runs, snowpark, 32 lifts, 400 ski instructors, etc.), but also for the service it offers the client, from à la carte bookings to flexible package deals. Moreover, families have, at their disposal four childrens' playgrounds. The most daring of clients can enjoy the more extreme experience of the heliski. Here, the skier is taken by helicopter to an inaccessible part of the mountain from where he or she can ski down very steep slopes on powder.

Visits to thermal baths and to Vielha 

For years, Baqueira was known as the resort for the rich and famous, with members of the royal family and several former presidents enjoying its ski runs. Now that this has passed, what is left is a resort on a par with the best resorts of the Alps.

The ambience and the après ski services on offer are first class. And, for the moments of leisure between ski sessions, there are magnificent alternatives, such as the thermal baths of Tredós or Baronia de Les.

Another option is a visit to the municipality of Vielha, the capital of the region and where you can visit the Musèu dera Val d’Aran. When you leave, you will have a better idea of the history and heritage of the area.

The Valle de Arán is surrounded by peaks of 3,000 metres and has almost two hundred lakes, some of which are very large, like for example the Mar and the Tort de Riu. It is also known as the source of the rivers Garona (the only river of the Catalan Pyrenees which flows into the Atlantic) and Noguera Pallaresa.

Its gastronomy, however, deserves greater recognition than it receives. In the village of Baqueira, very close to the resort, top restaurants offer meals based on mountain products, where you can try, for example, the hearty olla aranesa  stew. This is a very nutritious dish prepared with veal, pork and chicken, chickpeas, broad beans and rice... It is a real source of energy, essential when living at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

After leaving your skis at the resort, you can book a table at La Bòrda Lobató. Here they serve the suprema de esturión del valle (supreme fillets of sturgeon). Ticolet (a restaurant recommended in the Repsol Guide), offers dishes such as the carpaccio de ciervo (venison carpaccio). Esquirò (tel.: 973 645 430) boasts an excellent selection of typical cured meats and sausages from the area, such as bolh (tongue sausage), anditos (white sausage) or cassis (redcurrent liqueur).