Polinyà

A small town with modest ambitions

Tourism in Polinyà is not a long affair. The town has around 8,500 residents and covers just over 9 square kilometres. There is no old quarter to shape a classic sightseeing route and no major monument that draws visitors from afar. What you find instead is a municipality in the Vallès Occidental, surrounded by industrial estates with a few surviving market gardens on the edges. A morning is enough.

That may sound blunt, but it sets expectations clearly. Polinyà is part of the everyday fabric of the Barcelona metropolitan area. It sits between larger urban centres and productive farmland, with roads and warehouses sharing space with fields that have not quite disappeared. The visit is straightforward and brief, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Getting there and parking

The C‑58 places Polinyà within easy reach of Barcelona and Sabadell. Access by road is quick and uncomplicated, which explains why so much industry has settled in the area.

Parking is usually simple around the Plaça Major and nearby streets. If your visit coincides with the weekly market, there will be more vans and fewer spaces. In that case, it is a matter of circling once or twice or leaving the car a little further out and walking in. The town is small, so distances are short.

Santa Eulàlia and the old station

The parish church of Santa Eulàlia dominates the centre. It feels large for a municipality of this size. The current building dates from the eighteenth century, although worship on this site is older. Inside, there is a Gothic carving of the Virgin known locally as “la Moreneta de Polinyà”. The nickname echoes the affection given in Catalonia to dark‑toned images of the Virgin Mary, most famously at Montserrat, though here it belongs to this local figure.

About ten minutes away on foot stands the hermitage of Sant Jaume. It is much simpler than the parish church: stone walls, a pitched roof and little else in terms of decoration. The visit is brief and uncomplicated.

Less well known is the former Serra‑Maurina station. It was once a stop on the railway line between Barcelona and Sabadell and ceased operating in the 1980s. The building is small and built of red brick. Today it hosts local activities rather than trains. An exterior panel recalls the discovery in the 1960s of mastodon remains in the area, a reminder that the surroundings have a much longer history than the industrial estates suggest.

These three points, the church, the hermitage and the old station, form the core of what there is to see in the town itself. They can be linked easily on foot.

Judías del ganxet and local fairs

If Polinyà appears in gastronomic conversations from time to time, it is because of the judía del ganxet. This white bean, small and with a notably fine skin, is still cultivated in the surrounding fields. It is one of the traditional legumes of Catalonia and is valued for its texture.

Towards the end of March, the town usually holds a fair dedicated to this bean. It is not a large event. There are a handful of stalls, local producers and cooking demonstrations focused on the legume. Production is limited, and the price of judía del ganxet is typically high for that reason.

On the first Sunday of May, a separate gathering brings together local associations in the town centre. This is more of a neighbourhood meeting point than a major festival, with stalls and performances organised by community groups. It gives a sense of everyday life in a place that is more residential and industrial than touristic.

Walking towards Gallecs

From the urban centre, tracks head out towards the rural area of Gallecs. One of the better‑known routes links several hermitages in the surrounding countryside. These are wide paths, with little shade and only gentle changes in elevation.

The landscape mixes fields that remain under cultivation with logistics warehouses and nearby roads. It reflects the present‑day Vallès: residual agriculture alongside significant industrial development. The walk is not dramatic or especially scenic, but it works well for stretching your legs for a couple of hours.

Longer routes connect Polinyà with neighbouring municipalities such as Mollet. In certain stretches, it is necessary to cross large pieces of infrastructure, so some care is needed. The setting is practical rather than pastoral, and the experience mirrors the character of the area itself.

A straightforward visit

Polinyà suits a short stop. Arrive in the morning, stroll around the centre, step into Santa Eulàlia and walk over to the former Serra‑Maurina station. If you feel like moving a bit more, head out towards Gallecs for a while before turning back.

That is essentially Polinyà covered. After that, it makes sense to continue on to Sabadell or another nearby town. Here, the visit is brief, and there is no need to pretend otherwise.