Estany de Banyoles tour

Car park on the side of the Esports Camp Well Arena (stadium).

There are no signposts, but the routes around the lake always follows the left-hand lanes at junctions.

(S/E) Stadium on your left, reach the end of the parking lot and climb the small hill to reach a paved path (Brancal del Pla de l'Estany). Turn left along this path to the crossroads at the end of the stadium, in front of a building. Turn right for 100m, cross a road and continue straight ahead to reach the lakeside at the Bany bar.

(1) Turn right onto the dirt road that runs alongside a cycle path (watch out for the many bikes!). Once you've reached the Club Natació, it's not possible to stay on the lakeside, so turn right around the building, then left on the sidewalk along Passeig Anthoni Gaudi. At the end of the sports complex, turn left to get back to the lake. Turn right down the landscaped path that runs alongside the lake, with its fishermen's shelters, until you reach the reconstruction of a Neolithic village (Palat Neolític de la Draga).

(2) Continue as close as possible to the lake, following a sign for Zona de Bany - Caseta de Fusta. The path enters a more wooded area, passes the swimming area and reaches the Mirador de la Torre del Rem, a tiered platform offering an elevated view of the lake. The path continues along the lakeshore, then veers off for a moment, before turning south to find a signposted crossroads.

(3) Turn left towards the Llacuna dels Amaradors (an area set aside for fishermen with a small pond).

(4) Turn around and return to the crossroads on the main path.

(3) Continue to the left, finding a lakeside access point signposted Refugi de Fauna Salvatge and further on Refugi de Pesca. Make a round trip each time and return to the main path to go back to the left. Pass the Font del Camp de Baix and the path joins the roadside. Be careful as this part of the path is shared with the cycle path.

(5) Follow the path on the left-hand side of the road, which is marked by a small parapet.
When you reach a house, turn left towards Punta Cuaranya and its viewpoint.

(6) Return to the main path and keep left at the roadside. Pass several fishing pontoons and follow the left-hand path to Punta Freixenet and its two observation points.

(7) Return to the roadside path and continue left. Pass a Refugi de Pesca on your left and reach a fork in the road at a sharp bend.
Follow the path to the left, which veers away from the road and bends to the right after 50m.
After about 100 m, reach a crossroads behind a church. Turn right and follow the 6 steps to the left, which lead to the road. Follow this road to the left and you'll come to the church of Santa Maria de Porqueres.

(8) After visiting the building, with your back to the church, cross the car park and look opposite for a path which descends to the left of the road, cutting the bend and rejoining the cycle path. Continue, as before, along the road on the upgraded section. Pass the Riera dels Tenyers and arrive opposite a holiday camp. Turn left towards Mirador del Vilar.

(9) Return to the main road. Turn left again, passing between the lake and a pond on the right, to reach the entrance to Banyolès. Continue along the path and, at the start of the avenue of plane trees, turn left to see the Font del Ferro.
Continue along the lake, passing several fishermen's sheds, the Tourist Office and the Bar Bany.

(1) Turn right and follow the same path back to the car park (S/E).

Possibility of parking north of Banyolès on the C-150a road and joining the lakeside at Palat Neolític de la Draga (Neolithic village) (2). to start the counter-clockwise tour of the lake.

There is a buoyed rowing area on the lake from South to North-East, spliting the lake into 2 parts :
The entire eastern part of the lake is reserved for boating and, in some places, swimming.
The entire western section is reserved either for swimming or for protected wildlife areas.

Lake Banyolès

Houses built on the shores of the lake in the late 17th century to serve as fishing platforms and canoe moorings. Later, they became holiday homes in their own right. All have a different architecture. Their uniqueness has earned them the protection of the Generalitat.

L'Eglise Santa-Maria de Porquerès is a 10th-century Romanesque church.