Val d'Aran

Catalonia's valley on the Atlantic side

The only part of Catalonia on the northern side of the Pyrenees, where the Garonne rises on the Pla de Beret and flows towards the Atlantic. People here speak Aranese, a Gascon form of Occitan that has been an official language since 1990, and the valley has its own council, the Conselh Generau d'Aran. The main town, Vielha (980 m), is reached from the south through the Vielha tunnel and from the east over the Port de la Bonaigua (2,072 m). All 33 villages in the valley have a church – the Romanesque churches in Arties, Salardú and Bossòst are the finest. Baqueira-Beret is one of Spain's largest ski resorts.

42.7042° N, 0.7961° E