
Pla de Beret
Spain, europe
6.5 km
923 m
hard
Year-round
# Pla de Beret
Tucked away in Spain's Val d'Aran Valley in Catalonia, Pla de Beret sits pretty at 1,881m elevation in the heart of the Pyrenees. The mountain views here? Absolutely stunning—the kind that'll have you pulling over constantly just to take it all in.
The road up is the C-142B, and thankfully it's fully paved. Starting from Baqueira on the C-28, you're looking at a 6.5km climb with 9 tight hairpin turns that'll keep you on your toes. You'll gain 397 meters of elevation over that stretch, averaging around 6.1% gradient with some steeper sections hitting 9%—nothing too extreme, but definitely noticeable.
Fair warning though: winter can mean temporary closures, so check conditions before you go. The road gets noticeably busier on weekends and holidays, and during ski season it can get pretty packed. But here's the cool part—this climb has earned its stripes as a Tour de France and Vuelta a España stage, so you're literally following in the wheel tracks of the pros.
If you're planning a mountain drive through the Pyrenees, this one delivers both the challenge and the scenery in equal measure.
Where is it?
Pla de Beret is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 41.3450, -5.0051
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 6.5 km
- Max Elevation
- 923 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 41.3450, -5.0051
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