Logbook · 5 places

What to see and do in Hostalric

What to see and do in Hostalric (Selva, Girona): 5 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Activities · 2 Historical milestones

When to go to Hostalric: festival calendar

July: Hostalric Main Festival (July 2-6)

Towns near Hostalric

What to see in Massanes 2.6 km · 2 places
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What to see in Breda 6.5 km · 6 places
What to see in Riells i Viabrea 7 km · 2 places
What to see in Maçanet de la Selva 8.5 km · 5 places
What to see in Tordera 8.7 km · 2 places
What to see in Riudarenes 11 km · 3 places
What to see in Gualba 11 km · 1 place

Spain › Catalonia › Girona › Selva › Hostalric

What to see and do in Hostalric

Hostalric
Village
Hostalric is a walled town in the interior of the Selva, on the banks of the Tordera, with 4,493 inhabitants (INE 2025), at a historic crossroads between Girona and Barcelona: in Antiquity it was the only natural passage between the two cities. Its population originated in an inn documented since the 11th century beside the old road to France. The viscounts of Cabrera made the town the administrative capital of their viscounty, until the lordship was extinguished in 1836. During the Peninsular War it suffered a famous siege: burned by the French in 1809, its castle withstood four months of bombardment before the garrison, decimated by hunger, tried to flee in 1810; the French occupied the fortress until 1814. It has been a Bien de Interés Nacional (a heritage protection designation in Spain) since 1963.
Wall and Castle of Hostalric
Monument
Fortified medieval complex of Hostalric, one of the best preserved in Catalonia, with the castle set upon a volcanic hill overlooking the town; its control lay in the hands of the Cabrera family during the Middle Ages. It gained prominence in the Peninsular War: the French sacked and burned the town on 7 November 1809 and, in January 1810, subjected the castle to a long siege with more than 4,000 bombs, until the garrison evacuated it on 12 May 1810; the French occupied the town until 3 June 1814. The walled precinct has eight cylindrical towers and the Barcelona gate, as well as underground tunnels beneath the old town. Castle and walls were declared a Bien de Interés Nacional (a Spanish heritage-protection designation) in 1963.
Hostalric Main Festival
Activity
The Festa Major of the walled town of Hostalric, with popular events over several days in July.
The settlement charter of Hostalric
Historical milestone
Viscount Guerau V de Cabrera granted in 1243 a settlement charter to the inhabitants at the foot of the castle; the previous year James I had granted him the privilege of a weekly market on Tuesdays, which is still held.
The siege of Hostalric of 1810
Historical milestone
After four months of siege and more than four thousand shells, the fortress garrison managed to break the French encirclement and escape on the night of 12 May 1810; the empty castle fell the following day.