To stroll through the old town centre of Besalú is to automatically take a trip to the Middle Ages. The current layout of the town doesn’t correspond faithfully to its original state but, to a large extent, it does allow one to read the urban development of the middle ages with the important buildings present: the Church of the Monastery of Sant Pere of Besalú, the old pilgrims' hospital, the Casa Cornellà, the Church of Sant Vicenç or the Gothic Hall of la Cúria Reial palace. In the ‘Call’, the Jewish quarter, the main attraction is the Mikvah, one of the few remaining Jewish ritual baths and one of the best views of the river Fluvià.

But, without doubt, the symbol of the city is the Pont Vell the ‘Old Bridge’ of Besalú: a construction that is notable both for its dimensions and its appearance forming a right angle over the river. The oldest document in which the bridge is mentioned is from 1075, the likely date of its original construction. But the floods, the river surges and the defensive needs of the city made its reconstruction necessary in the 14th century, and it remained standing until the Civil War. The appearance of the current bridge is a reconstruction from the early 1960s.

The monumental importance of Besalú comes mainly from the great value of the whole complex, from its unity which makes it one of the most important and unique samples of medieval complexes in Catalonia.