Vic offers several distinct starting points for a cultural trip: the Museu Episcopal de Vic showcases Catalan Romanesque and Gothic art, while the cathedral, La Pietat and the Casino each bring different architectural features to the fore. There is also a market on set days of the week, a guided experience and signposted routes. For your planning, it helps to choose a focus: would you like to make collections, architectural history, a market day or a particular activity the centrepiece of your visit?
Art and architecture in Vic
The Museu Episcopal de Vic opened in 1891 and is considered an international reference for Catalan Romanesque and Gothic art. It displays masterpieces of Romanesque and Gothic painting and sculpture, as well as collections of goldsmithing, textiles, ironwork, glass and ceramics. This takes the experience beyond painting and sculpture to several other art forms. Those wishing to explore Vic through the history of art will find a thread connecting two periods here; the collections’ varied materials add another dimension to this approach.
The cathedral preserves a Romanesque crypt and also has a 14th-century Gothic cloister. Both features bring distinct architectural elements to the same building and make the comparison between Romanesque and Gothic architecture tangible. La Pietat adds a Baroque church to the picture. Its architectural ensemble includes significant archaeological finds and restored sections of historic walls. The Casino in Vic offers another contrast: a modernist ballroom is housed in a 19th-century mansion. Together, these examples range from sacred architecture to a mansion with a modernist interior.
Market, guided tour and routes
The Mercat de Vic takes place every Tuesday and Saturday in El Mercadal, also known as Plaça Major. This makes it easy to include a market visit on either of those days in your travel plans. If you are planning your visit around the market, check the latest information about opening times and stalls in advance.
The guided Vicpuntzero experience includes the Capella Fonda archaeological site and an immersive audiovisual experience about the history and art of Vic. It thus combines an archaeological site with a multimedia perspective on the city. Programme details may change; check them in advance if you are planning this experience as a fixed part of your trip.
The signposted Ruta TurĂstica connects 30 stops and takes approximately one hour. Another activity on offer is the Centre BTT Plana de Vic, with more than 200 kilometres of signposted mountain-biking routes. These figures answer different planning questions: the Ruta TurĂstica gives an approximate time frame for a route, while the kilometre figure describes the length of a mountain-bike route network. This lets you distinguish between a tourist route in Vic with an approximate duration and a cycling offering with an extensive network of routes.
An event can also shape the focus of a trip: the Procession of the Armats takes place in Vic every Palm Sunday and starts at a church. If you are planning your trip specifically around it, check the dates for the event in question in advance.
Discover more destinations: Calella, Viladellops, El Masnou, Cabrera De Mar, Igualada, Sant Cugat Sesgarrigues, PremiĂ De Mar, Vallromanes.
For the broader travel overview: Barcelona.
