Girona · Cataluña
Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- Province
- Girona
- Status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 3434
- Elevation
- 773 m
Sant Joan de les Abadesses is a heritage town in the province of Girona, Cataluña, Spain. Population 3434 (2013), elevation 773m.
Home to a monastery founded in the ninth century above the River Ter, Sant Joan de les Abadesses stands on the Catalan stretch of the Camino de Santiago in the province of Girona.
Key facts
- Province
- Girona
- Heritage status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 3434 (2013)
- Elevation
- 773 m
Heritage & Monuments
The town's centrepiece is its monastery, founded in 887 by Count Wilfred the Hairy and his wife Guinedilda as a gift to their daughter Emma of Barcelona, who became its first abbess. Two historic bridges cross the River Ter here: the Pont Vell, a medieval stone bridge, and the later concrete Pont Nou.
Practical Travel Info
The nearest airports are Girona and Barcelona. The closest train station is in Ripoll; from there, take a Teisa bus to Sant Joan de les Abadesses. From Barcelona, travel via Vic toward Ribes de Freser, or approach along the Eix Pirinenc route connecting Berga and Figueres.
From France, enter via Figueres and follow the Eix Pirinenc. From Girona, connect to the same Eix Pirinenc route.
Where to eat in Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Ratings & restaurant data from Google.
Traditional food & drink in Cataluña
- Pa amb tomàquet
- — Bread rubbed with ripe tomato, olive oil and salt — the foundation of Catalan eating.
- Escalivada
- — Smoky char-roasted aubergine and peppers dressed in olive oil.
- Calçots
- — Sweet grilled spring onions dipped in romesco sauce, the centre of winter calçotada feasts.
- Botifarra
- — A Catalan pork sausage, typically grilled and served with white beans.
- Crema catalana
- — A citrus-and-cinnamon custard under a brittle caramelised sugar crust.
- Cava
- — Spain's traditional-method sparkling wine, centred on the Penedès.
Watch: Cava
Gallery
Location
Quick answers
Is Sant Joan de les Abadesses worth visiting?▾
Home to a monastery founded in the ninth century above the River Ter, Sant Joan de les Abadesses stands on the Catalan stretch of the Camino de Santiago in the province of Girona.
Why is Sant Joan de les Abadesses a heritage town?▾
Sant Joan de les Abadesses is officially designated a Conjunto Histórico — Spain's national protection for historic town ensembles (Conjuntos Históricos).
What is the traditional food in Cataluña?▾
Cataluña is known for Pa amb tomàquet, Escalivada, Calçots and Botifarra. You'll find these regional specialities in and around Sant Joan de les Abadesses.
What is there to see in Sant Joan de les Abadesses?▾
The town's centrepiece is its monastery, founded in 887 by Count Wilfred the Hairy and his wife Guinedilda as a gift to their daughter Emma of Barcelona, who became its first abbess. Two historic bridges cross the River Ter here: the Pont Vell, a medieval stone bridge, and the later concrete Pont Nou.
Which heritage towns are near Sant Joan de les Abadesses?▾
Nearby heritage towns include Ripoll, Castellfollit de la Roca, Santa Pau and Rupit.
Where is Sant Joan de les Abadesses?▾
Sant Joan de les Abadesses lies in the Ripollés comarca, in the province of Girona, Cataluña, Spain.
Nearby heritage towns
Known as "the cradle of Catalonia," Ripoll grew around a great Romanesque monastery founded by Count Wilfred the Hairy, and its heritage of medieval manuscripts, iron forges, and mountain railways makes it one of the most historically layered towns in the Catalan Pyrenees.
Perched on a basalt cliff above two rivers in Girona province, Castellfollit de la Roca is a medieval village whose volcanic rock streets and Renaissance church tower over one of Cataluña's most dramatic natural platforms.
A well-preserved medieval village in Girona's volcanic landscape, its porticoed square and castle at the heart of a town declared a Historic Artistic Monument.
A medieval stone village in Barcelona's inland hills, its Romanesque churches, cobbled streets, and houses of noble origin rooted in nearly eleven centuries of continuous settlement.
Visiting from a nearby city?
Sant Joan de les Abadesses makes a great day trip from:
Last updated 14 July 2026.