Camping Near the Cistercian Route

The three monasteries of the Ruta del Cister were founded in the 12th century by the Cistercian order, which sought remote, fertile valleys for their self-sufficient communities. Each monastery has a distinct character: Poblet is the grandest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an active monastic community and royal tombs; Santes Creus is the most atmospheric, with an ornate Gothic cloister that can be explored at leisure; and Vallbona de les Monges is the smallest and most intimate, still home to a community of Cistercian nuns. The route connecting the three monasteries covers roughly 100 kilometres in a triangular loop through gently rolling countryside of vineyards, olive groves, wheat fields and almond orchards. The landscape is quintessentially Catalan interior — unhurried, agricultural, dotted with small stone villages and old farmhouses. It is a world apart from the coastal tourism strip. You can follow the Cistercian Route by car in a comfortable day, visiting all three monasteries with time for lunch in one of the route towns. Montblanc, the medieval walled town near Poblet, is a particularly atmospheric lunch stop, with restaurants serving local cuisine and an annual medieval festival (Setmana Medieval) in April that is one of Catalonia's most elaborate historical re-enactments. For the more adventurous, the route is also a designated long-distance cycling path (Ruta del Cister GR175), well-signposted and covering a mix of quiet roads and farm tracks. Fit cyclists can complete the full circuit in a day, though splitting it over two days allows more time at each monastery. The terrain is gently undulating rather than mountainous. From Camping La Noria, the nearest point on the route is Santes Creus (35 km, 30 minutes). From there, follow the route south-west to Poblet (30 km) and north to Vallbona de les Monges (35 km). The full loop brings you back via the AP-2 motorway.