Manresa – Apartaments IXA

Located in the heart of Catalonia, our apartments offer an ideal situation to engage in all kinds of activities. From exploring the city itself to taking excursions to unique must-visit places in Catalonia.

Manresa is the capital of the Bages, in Central Catalonia. It is not a sun-and-beach destination: people come for the Ignatian Way and the Cova de Sant Ignasi, for the medieval and industrial heritage, and because it is a convenient base for going up to Montserrat or down to Barcelona in an hour. With the car in the garage, the centre is ten minutes away on foot.

This page covers two things: what to see and do while you are here, and where to eat without having to trust the first terrace you come across. Tap any place to find out what it is and why we are telling you about it.

What to see and do

Where to eat

What to see and do

The twelve places in Manresa worth seeing, grouped into four families. None is more than a walk from the centre, and almost all of them are free.

The Ignatian Way

Ignatius of Loyola spent almost a year in Manresa, in 1522. A good share of the people who come to the city today come because of that stay.

Cova de Sant Ignasi — The Ignatian Way
The cave where Ignatius of Loyola withdrew in 1522, now inside a baroque sanctuary above the Cardener. This is where the Ignatian Way ends.
Canaan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

El Rapte — The Ignatian Way
The chapel of the eight-day ecstasy that tradition places here in 1522. A stop on the Ignatian route, a few minutes from the Cova.
Marti Mateos · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The old town

A morning's walk, uphill from the river. No tickets and no opening hours.

Basílica de Santa Maria de la Seu — The old town
The Gothic collegiate church, at the highest point of the old town. It looks over the river, and the climb up the steps from the bridge is the classic view of Manresa.
Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

El Carme — The old town
A church and former convent on the edge of the old town, on the way to the Cova. A quiet corner you cross almost by accident on the way down to the river.
Pitxiquin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Pla de l'Om — The old town
The town's own square. The elm that gave it its name is long gone, but the terraces remain, the market is two steps away and the pedestrian streets lead up to La Seu.

The river and the bridges

The afternoon plan: flat, shaded and car-free. The three bridges link up in a little over an hour.

Pont Vell — The river and the bridges
A medieval arched bridge over the Cardener. The city's postcard view: from the deck you can see La Seu, and the path to the Cova starts on the far side.
Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Pont Nou — The river and the bridges
The second medieval bridge, downstream, on a traffic-free, shaded stretch of the riverside park. The best walk at dusk.
Josep Renalias · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Pont d'Arnaules — The river and the bridges
The quietest of the three historic bridges. All three link up in a little over an hour on foot, almost all of it flat and shaded.
EliziR · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Parc de la Sèquia — The river and the bridges
La Sèquia is the canal that has carried water from Balsareny since the 14th century: twenty-six kilometres with almost no gradient. Walk it or cycle it.
Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Modernisme and industrial heritage

The Manresa built by the silk ribbon trade and the water of La Sèquia, among bay-windowed façades and wrought iron.

Museum of Technology — Modernisme and industrial heritage
The water of La Sèquia and the silk ribbon trade that made industrial Manresa rich, with period machinery still running. An hour, and it works with children.
ESM · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Casa Lluvià — Modernisme and industrial heritage
A Modernista house right in the centre, built for the industrial middle class of the early 20th century. A stop on the Modernisme route, which takes a morning.
Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Casa Torrents — Modernisme and industrial heritage
The other essential stop on Manresa's Modernisme trail, a short walk from Casa Lluvià: bay windows, ironwork and ceramics in the town's shopping streets.
Josep Renalias · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where to eat

Fifteen places in town, five for each occasion: when you want to sit down properly, when you have been here for weeks and eat out every day, and when you get in late with no intention of cooking. We have no arrangement with any of them, so if you need something else, just ask us when you arrive.