With a new stage start, Mataró and its Camí de la Geganta area consolidates itself as a regular venue in the modern era of the Volta, having hosted seven stage starts and one finish in the last decade. The finish was in the historic 100th edition in 2021, with a victory to remember for triple world champion Peter Sagan. For the first time on the Volta route in 1943 (with the stage win for the champion of that edition, Julián Berrendero), this will be the fourteenth edition in which the capital of Maresme will be the protagonist, having hosted a total of five stage finishes and eleven starts.
- 128.956 residents (2022, Idescat)
- El Maresme
Mataró, capital of the Maresme region, enjoys a privileged location: situated between the sea and the coastal mountain range, it is only 30 minutes to the north of Barcelona and is very close to the most popular tourist towns in the region. The city has been able to gather and preserve traditions, history, heritage, culture and natural environment to offer it to its visitors today.
A stroll through the town centre reveals a wide range of quality shops and restaurants, including the traditional markets of El Rengle and Plaça de Cuba, with the best "Collits a Casa" ("home-grown") products from the farmers of the Cinc Sènies, the agricultural area.
This offer combines with an attractive and pleasant environment where you can be surprised by samples of the rich heritage: the Roman legacy of the ancient city of Iluro, the beauty of the Baroque complex of the Capella dels Dolors in the basilica of Santa Maria or the Nau Gaudí, the first work of the modernist architect Antonio Gaudí and currently home to the Museum of Contemporary Art where the Bassat Collection is exhibited, are just a few examples. This first-rate heritage can be discovered on guided tours or with the free audio guide service, available in five languages (Catalan, Spanish, English, French and Russian).
If you go to the seafront, you'll find beaches with "Q" tourist quality certifications and all the services you need for a good swim. The gastronomic and leisure offer in the maritime area is complemented by the Port of Mataró, a marina with more than a thousand moorings that offers nautical and underwater activities all year round.
If you love the mountains, you can go walking and hiking or cycling in the Parc del Montnegre i Corredor and, if you are an adventure lover, enjoy the Vertical Forest in the Parc Forestal.
Mataró is a city to discover all year round, but in summer the activity intensifies: at the end of July, the city explodes with the Festa Major de Les Santes, declared a Heritage Festival of National Interest. Giants, fireworks, concerts, the Nit Boja ("Crazy Night") and ‘castellers’ (human towers) performances are some of the main activities that take place there.
