Banyoles is located in the extreme north-east of Catalonia and is the capital of the Pla de l’Estany region. It is halfway between the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees, forming a triangle of towns and locations of great historic and scenic interest. It is 120 km from Barcelona and 49 km from the French border.

Banyoles and its region have important tourist, natural and cultural attractions. The main tourist resource of the region is the Lake of Banyoles, although its natural surroundings enable active tourism to be practised (mountainbiking, hiking, horseriding, adventure sports, orienteering, etc.).

In the Pla de l’Estany region, there are 11 municipalities with Banyoles being the hub, where many of the activities, infrastructures and amenities of the town are concentrated. Pla de l’Estany is an area rich in archaeological and paleontological finds. The museums of the region house remains of the Iberian, Roman, Visigoth, mediaeval and modern cultures. It is also possible to visit the monuments which are still preserved today throughout the Pla de l’Estany region. In addition to the museums dedicated to the archaeological finds in the region, Pla de l’Estany also has many more locations to visit.

There are almost 60 Romanesque churches, 4 interesting museums and the Serinyà Prehistoric Caves Park (the most important in Catalonia).