els Hostalets del Davi

els Hostalets del Davi are the ruins of a former roadside inn in the municipality of Rellinars, in the Vallès Occidental comarca, Barcelona province, Catalonia. The remains sit at roughly 640 metres above sea level, on a ridge between the Coll de la Morella and Coll de Daví passes, right along the old Camí Ral, the historic route that once linked Barcelona and Manresa.

What kind of place is this?

Despite the plural name, Hostalets del Davi was a small cluster of buildings functioning as a single wayside inn. Travellers crossing on foot or on horseback between Barcelona and Manresa — a journey that took roughly thirteen hours — could stop here for the night during the 18th and the first half of the 19th century. The inn already appears on a 1780 map drawn by Pau Janer, and records show it was still inhabited as late as 1862.

Why does it have such a dark reputation?

Locals nicknamed the place Hostal de la Mort, the "Inn of Death," after reports of robberies and assaults on travellers who stopped there, some of whom were said to have vanished without explanation. That grim reputation still circulates in local stories today. There is also a documented historical event tied to the site: on 29 July 1850, three members of a republican group — Ramon Bosch from Girona, Jaume Foix from Barcelona and Miquel Jové from Reus — were executed here and later buried in Rellinars.

Why was the inn abandoned?

New roads and a rail line built between Barcelona and Manresa in the second half of the 19th century drew traffic away from the old Camí Ral, and with it went the inn's customers. The buildings were abandoned by the end of the century and have been falling into disrepair ever since.

What can you actually see on site?

The surviving structures follow a rectangular plan under single-pitched tile roofs; the oldest part of the complex originally had a ground floor and an upper storey, a two-pitched roof and wooden lintels. Walls were built from stone bonded with lime mortar, with some sections using rammed-earth (tapia) construction. A round well with a false-domed cover, once used to collect water for travellers and animals, still stands, along with the remains of an arched stone entrance portal. The overall condition is poor — the buildings are partly collapsed and heavily weathered, though some walls have been shored up in recent decades by the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac Natural Park, within whose boundaries the ruins lie. The site currently carries no formal heritage-protection status and remains privately owned.

How do you get there?

The ruins sit inside the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac Natural Park and can only be reached on foot or by mountain bike, forming a stop along hiking and biking routes out of Rellinars, Matadepera and Terrassa. The old Camí Ral itself is still walked and cycled today as a route linking several villages at the foot of the range.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside the ruins? The buildings are heavily damaged and partly collapsed, so visits are limited to viewing the outer walls and the remains of the well from outside — climbing into unstable sections isn't safe.

Is the "Inn of Death" story actually true? The Hostal de la Mort name comes from local accounts of attacks on travellers, and the site is also documented as the place where three republicans were executed in 1850 — so the dark reputation rests on both legend and recorded history.

How long does it take to reach the ruins? It depends on the trail and starting point — routes from Rellinars or Matadepera are generally multi-hour hikes through the natural park.

Is there anything else worth seeing nearby? Yes — the ruins lie within the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac Natural Park, so the visit pairs easily with other stops along the Camí Ral, such as the nearby Coll de la Morella and Coll de Daví passes.