Puigcerdà, ideal for vacation house between mountains

Puigcerdà, a municipality between mountains with much to offer

Puigcerdà town is the capital of Baja Cerdanya and, to a limited extent, of the region that brought together both entities before its official division. It is a cross point between different territorial and geographical entities, such as France and Spain, Lleida and Girona or the Pyrenees and the Pre-Pyrenees. Such a strategic situation is combined with the many possibilities in the field of mountain tourism and rural or alpine sports, setting up a presentation card difficult to match.

History and nature at every step

Puigcerdà as a regional capital has its roots in the XII Century, when the few population in the area was given legal consistency. In the following centuries, the locality would be somewhat out of the way - fortunately - of the great warlike conflicts that occurred on both sides of the Pyrenees. This feeling of "refuge city" has reached our days and is one of its main attractions for Real Estate activity, such as the one that Engel & Völkers Cerdanya leads.

The current urban nucleus of Puigcerdà preserves some of the most significant monuments constructed in the last eight centuries. Undoubtedly, the most symbolic vestige, due to its age and showiness, is the bell tower, which is 35 meters high. Also, a must visit is the church of Sant Tomàs in Ventajola, which, as most of the historical-artistic heritage of northern Catalonia, was built following the canons of the Romanesque style. To highlight the private villas, notably preserved, that stand out in many areas of Puigcerdà.

To learn more about Puigcerdà’s history, the visitor or temporary resident can approach the Cerdà Museum. Its facilities recreate with great detail a rural farmhouse or “masia” in the purest ceretan style. Besides the tour of the typical rooms of a “masia” so characteristic of the region, other exhibitions are usually on show. The historic itinerary through the town could finish with a visit to the Ice Well, former rainwater chamber.

If its history is exciting, nature is almost omnipresent. Puigcerdà’s landscapes seem to have been designed to fill postcards, given its location in a valley surrounded by snowy mountains. Depending on the time of the year, green and white are the predominant colors in any panorama of the villa.

In recent years, Puigcerdà has seen a growing investment interest in Real Estate motivated by the wide range of leisure and sports options in permanent contact with nature. The Tourist office has created different thematic routes for families and groups, some of which focus on the patrimonial aspects of town and others are immersed in natural landscapes. The Camino de San Marcos or the Camino de los Enamorados are some interesting examples of routes for family walks.

Another essential activity is a boat ride on the lake, a possibility that is offered during the summer months and allows you to enjoy a peaceful journey. Next to the lake find the Schierbeck Park, which owes its name to the Danish consul in Barcelona who chose this point of the Pre-Pyrenees to install his holiday residence in the middle of the 19th century. It should be noted that the benefits of this land seduced other men of this time, who also built vacation homes in Puigcerdà (the famoussummer villas already mentioned).

Activities, holidays and fairs in Puigcerdà

We have already made reference to the existence of different alternatives to practice mountain sports in the surroundings of Puigcerdà. Hiking trails are the most popular option and adapt to the different visitor profiles, but the most important attractions are the nearby ski resorts, namely La Molina and Masella. Buying an apartment or holiday home in the locality thus opens the doors to exploit the ski season to the fullest, without giving up a well-deserved rest in a calm environment.​​The available options do not end here. The Sant Marc Puigcerdà Golf Club offers an eighteen holes’ course for the practice of this sport, as well as a small golf school for the little ones to learn the ins and outs of golf on their vacations. It is also worth mentioning the proximity to the Real Club de Golf Cerdanya and the Fontanals Golf Club. Of course, Puigcerdà’s great pride, in the opinion of many, is the Club Gel Puigcerdà, one of the best teams in the Spanish ice hockey Super League (it is the fourth club in the historical ranking of this competition). So, in Puigcerdà’s sports center you can also watch an ice hockey tournament or practice ice skating, enjoy the pool, gym or tennis.

Talking about local events in Puigcerdà we can distinguish six major ones throughout the year. The Fiesta Mayor del Roser is one of the most traditional, held in late July, with sardanas (local dance), parades, children's activities and festivals. In August, the baton is taken by the Lake festivity, Fiesta del Lago, which includes an amusing parade of carnival floats and a pyrotechnic show. The Sagristia Festivity on September 8, in honor of the local patron saint, marks the end of summer. Gastronomic events are held throughout the year, to highlight the Trinxat of Cerdanya celebration.

During the rest of the year, Puigcerdà and its surroundings once again offer their most festive aspect during the Christmas and Old Wise Men celebrations and also in the festivities of some of its aggregate nuclei. It would be the case of Age and Vilallobent, two small enclaves that are a few kilometers from the center of the regional capital and celebrate their festivities between June and August. Also, the parish of Rigolisa, whose existence dates back to the S. X century.

Complementing the different festivities, the municipality of Puigcerdà organizes two major fairs throughout the year. At the Spring Fair, to be held in April, horses are the main protagonists, with a morphological contest and different exhibitions. The second Puigcerdà's Fair, which takes place in November, combines horse competitions with a large shopping area throughout the center of Puigcerdà.

Engel & Völkers Cerdanya your Real Estate Agency in Puigcerdà

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to choose this beautiful and discreet town at the foot of the Catalan Pyrenees to buy a vacation residence. The Real Estate offer in Cerdanya allows buyers to choose from a wide variety of references, whether they are looking for a high-performance apartment or if they prefer a house perfectly integrated into the urban physiognomy. The same is true if a plot of land is required to construct a newly built home.

Engel & Völkers has a portfolio of most interesting properties in Puigcerdà and offers you its extensive experience in the Premium sector of the Real Estate market in the Cerdanya region. In this sense, Engel & Völkers’ services deal with both the sale of second-hand properties and new construction developments. In parallel, the best advice is offered to owners who want to sell any type of Real Estate asset: house, villa, apartment or land in Puigcerdà, Cerdanya.