Although the route can be done on foot or mountain bike, we recommend taking the car so that all the monasteries can be visited in one Sunday-morning outing. Whichever option you choose, let yourself be seduced by the cultural and culinary delights in each of the three spots through which the route passes.

The Monasterio de Santa Maria de Poblet, listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, is the biggest monastery of the three. Set at the foot of the Montañas de Prades, it stands out for its stark beauty, true to the Rule of St. Benedict, which the Cistercian monks followed to the letter. This Rule eschewed all superfluity, and this tenet is perfectly reflected at this site. Visits can be made to its stunning rooms: the Palacio del Abad, the chapter house, the cloister, the Palacio Real or the gardens, without forgetting the church, which contains the royal tombs of the Crown of Aragon.

The Monasterio de Santes Creus is the monastery that most faithfully follows St. Bernard’s construction plan, while the Monasterio de Vallbona boasts one of the best collections of shields of the Catalan nobility, carved in the tombs of the chapter house.

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