Mare de Déu de Lurdes

The Ermita Mare de Déu de Lurdes is a small rural chapel in the municipality of Llinars del Vallès, in the Vallès Oriental region of Catalonia. Tucked away among the woods of the Montnegre i Corredor natural park, it is a familiar waypoint on the hiking routes that crisscross the area around the town.

How do you get there?

An asphalt track leads to the chapel starting near the Llinars del Vallès train station, heading toward the Colònies Maristes house before continuing on to the hermitage itself. The walk is suitable for both hikers and cyclists and involves no technical climbing — a gentle stroll through fields and woodland on the edge of the natural park. The chapel also appears as a stop on longer routes linking Sant Andreu del Far, Pla de la Serra, Collsabadell and Puig Aguilar, making it either a convenient rest point or a short excursion goal on its own from the town centre.

What will you see?

The building is a textbook example of simple rural religious architecture: a single-nave structure topped with a roof whose wide eaves are held up at each end by wooden posts. A pointed-arch doorway opens onto the façade, with a small oculus set above it to let light into the interior. The corners and door framing combine stone and brick, a construction style typical of the modest chapels found throughout the Vallès region. There is nothing monumental about it — it reads instead as an intimate spot for prayer and rest, used by locals and hikers passing through on the surrounding trails.

The clearing and trees around the chapel make it a natural stopping point on a walk, especially during the local "caminades populars" — popular hiking marches — that pass this way each year.

When should you visit?

Given the wooded setting and the lack of sheltered attractions nearby, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, when temperatures in Vallès Oriental are mild and the trails aren't baking under the summer sun. In summer, an early-morning start is worthwhile to avoid the heat on the unshaded stretch near the station. The chapel itself keeps no fixed opening hours — as an outdoor shrine it can be visited year-round, though it's worth checking the town's event calendar, since it often serves as the destination for the municipality's annual organised walks.

Frequently asked questions

Is the hermitage open to visitors all year round? Yes. As an outdoor structure it has no set opening hours, so the exterior can be viewed at any time, although the interior is usually closed except during occasional services.

How long does it take to walk from the train station? The asphalt track from Llinars del Vallès station toward the Colònies Maristes house and on to the hermitage is a gentle, few-kilometre walk — enough for a one- to two-hour round trip depending on pace.

Is the route suitable for families with children? Yes, the initial stretch on the asphalt track poses no technical difficulty. Further sections connecting the chapel to other points, such as Puig Aguilar, can be more demanding, so it's worth choosing the route variant that suits the group.

What else is worth seeing near the hermitage? Trails nearby lead to Sant Andreu del Far, Pla de la Serra and Collsabadell — points that can easily be combined into a longer hike through the Montnegre i Corredor natural park.