Lleida will be the starting point to incredible landscapes where you can enjoy Catalonia's best starry night sky. This route will also take you to the heart of the Pyrenees to discover its nature, its cultural heritage and its gastronomy. STAGE 1: From Lleida's Templars to the best sky in Catalonia The 60-metre-high tower bell in La Seu Vella shows the stage's starting point, Lleida. Walk around the cathedral and visit the King's Castle and la Suda, three buildings that belong to the most important heritage site of the city. The route continues to the Montsec mountain range. You will arrive at Àger, whose striking sky is considered a Starlight reserve. The best place to observe it is at the Montsec Astronomical Park. Close by, you will a great nature wonders, the Mont-Rebei Gorge, which you can cross on foot or by kayak. The gorge is a vertical narrow pass of 500 meters high walls created by the erosion of the Noguera Ribagorçana River. STAGE 2: Vall de Boí’s National Park and Romanesque The second day of the stage will open the gates of the Catalan Pyrenees. The road winds through the mountains until you reach the villages on the Vall de Boí, home to eight Romanesque churches and a hermitage from the 11th and 12th centuries, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. At the Vall de Boí Romanesque Center, you can take a guided tour to immerse yourself in its history. The Vall de Boí is ideal for practising winter and adventure sports and tasting cured meat sausages such as xolís. It is also one of the gates to the Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, the only national park in Catalonia. STAGE 3: Unique features of the Val d'Aran From the Vall de Boí travel to the Val d'Aran. The Atlantic orientation and its particular geographical location, with a third of the territory above the 2,000-meter mark, define its landscape and topography. In Vielha, the region's capital, you can visit the church of Sant Miquèu, built during different periods, in which the Romanesque and Gothic styles mix. From there, you can visit the Aran Park, in Bossòst, where you can observe its native fauna, such as the wolf or the otter, in a semi-freedom environment. STAGE 4: Hiking through glacial lakes and a relaxing thermal resort The next day, you will continue to explore the Val d'Aran. Start by strolling around the valley's stone houses and slate roofs villages. You will find little treasures such as the highest cheese factory in the Pyrenees, in Bagergue, at 1,419 meters, or the Romanesque church like Santa Maria in Arties, which dates back to the 12th century. Another option to explore the Val d'Aran further is cycling and taking an electric mountain bike. The path between Arties and Salardú offers spectacular views of Montardo Peak. You can finish by taking a well-deserved relaxing bath in sulphurous waters at the Banhs de Tredòs, the highest thermal establishment in Europe. STAGE 5: Rafting, shepherds, and rural life in the Pyrenees After two days in Val d'Aran, the road map indicates that the next stop is Pallars Sobirà. You will combine nature with the High Pyrenees Natural Park landscapes and adventure. The municipalities of Sort, Llavorsí, Rialp, Esterri d'Àneu and Ribera de Cardós are the rafting Catalan capitals on the Noguera Pallaresa, one of the best white-water rivers in Europe. If you prefer a more relaxed proposal to do with the family, at the Valls d'Àneu Ecomuseum, you can discover how families lived and what the houses in the Pyrenees looked like during the first half of the 20th century. Your final destination is La Seu d'Urgell, which offers endless greenways and attractive monuments such as the Santa Maria cathedral, the only fully Romanesque cathedral in Catalonia. Likewise, you can add a gastronomic touch to your stay in La Seu d'Urgell by eating some of the cheeses made in the area, some of which have DOP Alt Urgell and Cerdanya certification. If you go there in October, you will find the Pyrenean Artisan Cheese Fair.