Sightseeing in Baqueira-Beret - what to see. Complete travel guide

Located in the heart of the Pyrenees, Baqueira-Beret is the largest and most visited mountain ski resort in Spain. This is the place that the Spanish royal family and the country’s president enjoy visiting every year. The beautiful area is situated in the eastern part of the Aran Valley. As the Spanish like visiting Baqueira-Beret and do this regularly, the resort is always quite crowded and has higher prices than other mountain resorts in the Pyrenees. Baqueira-Beret offers ski trails for both beginners and advanced athletes. Due to relatively close proximity of the Atlantic, snow remains in Baqueira-Beret all year round.

In the past, the valley, in which Baqueira-Beret is situated, was an isolated area that had almost no connection with the outer world. Because of this, local people could speak only one language – Aranese. In modern times, linguists agreed upon the fact that Aranese is a dialect of the Catalan language. Residents of Baqueira-Beret keep using this language in their everyday life. Children learn Aranese in schools, and local authorities use it to make important announcements. The resort was officially launched in 1964.

What interesting can tourists find in Baqueira-Beret? This ski resort offers a rich selection of ski trails for its guests. Visitors can always rent all ski gear they need at the resort. If you are a beginner and only want to try alpine skiing, there are many professional coaches who are always ready to help people of all ages to master the basics of this winter sport. Besides this, vacationers have an opportunity to try snowboarding. After extensive skiing and other winter entertainment, it is so pleasant to visit one of the local cafes or relax in a charming restaurant, enjoying fine French and Italian cuisines. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

This mountain resort is divided into three different zones, namely, Baqueira, Beret, and Bonaigua. The first zone is a perfect choice for visitors who only start alpine skiing. In Beret, there are not only ski trails but also other exciting activities such as dog sledding and parachute jumping. This zone has wide ski trails, so visitors can ski together with their friends. The last zone, Bonaigua, is perfectly suitable for freestyle. In order to move between different parts of the large resort, tourists can use comfortable ski lifts.

Besides skiing, vacationers are welcome to explore local attractions. There are many of them in Baqueira-Beret. For example, the Aranese Ethnological Museum is an interesting venue that tells its visitors about the cultural life of local people, traditions of the valley, and typical crafts in the region during different periods of time. The total number of exhibited items exceeds two thousand five hundred artifacts. A visit to this museum is like a journey five centuries back in the past.

Children are always welcome to join special ski schools. Professional coaches will teach your kid how to ski, how to control speed, and even how to fall down correctly and not to get hurt. Teachers keep an eye on every child, so parents do not need to worry about their safety. If you visit Baqueira-Beret together with a toddler who cannot walk yet and, naturally, has no interest in skiing, you will be glad to find out that there is a special kindergarten for small kids. It is suitable for children from 3 months old. Experienced babysitters take care of children while their parents can relax and enjoy skiing.

The Snow Museum in the Val d'Aran is another important attraction in Baqueira-Beret. This museum opened its doors in December 2008. In the halls of this museum, visitors can see an exhibition dedicated to snow from scientific, ethnographic, and sporting points of view. The information present in the museum doesn’t concern the Aran Valley only. The exhibition is rich and very interesting. It features numerous artifacts and documents found during different scientific and historical studies.

It is possible to reach the ski resort of Baqueira-Beret by car or bus only because there are winding mountain roads surrounded by waterfalls. Narrow canyons also do not make a ride more comfortable. Travelers from other countries can fly to Toulouse first – this city is situated 160 kilometers away from the resort. It is also possible to fly to Barcelona. In the latter case, the distance to Baqueira-Beret will be significantly bigger – roughly 350 kilometers. Barcelona has a regular bus connection with Baqueira-Beret. Buses depart three times a day. The time in transit is approximately six hours.