Périgord black truffle in Spain: season and picking rules

If you want to pick the Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporum, trufa negra in Spanish) this winter, it is best to start preparing now. This is not a woodland mushroom you can simply go out and look for at the weekend. You will need a trained dog and a special knife, and in some regions also paperwork that has to be sorted out in advance. Below you will find the season dates and the main rules for Aragón, Castilla y León, Cataluña and Comunitat Valenciana. This text covers picking only; the species page tells you about the truffle itself.

Can you pick truffles yourself?

Yes, but you don't go after them with a basket and hope for the best. The truffle grows underground, and regional rules spell out exactly how to find it and how to dig it up. You search with a trained dog, dig it out with a truffle knife (machete trufero, a short knife with a straight blade), and then fill the hole back in with the same soil ¹²⁴.

You may also pick only in season, and in Cataluña and Comunitat Valenciana you also need paperwork. In both of these regions you will need the landowner's consent ³⁴. Let's start with the dates.

When does the season open?

Nowhere before mid-November, and it closes in mid- or late March. Dates by region:

Note Castilla y León: in woodland the season starts there later than anywhere else, and the early start applies only on plantations. These dates are set out in the decree's transitional provision and apply until the separate order mentioned in the decree is adopted ². In Comunitat Valenciana the dates can also change: the territorial forestry directorate may open the season up to 15 days earlier, and close it 15 days earlier or later ⁴. Check whether such a decision has been made before you travel.

What can you use to find and dig up truffles, and how?

Only a dog and a truffle knife. Even within the permitted dates, this is where it is easiest to go wrong. The rules in Aragón, Castilla y León and Comunitat Valenciana are almost the same here.

Starting with the search: the dog must be trained specifically for this. In Aragón ‘another method of surface detection’ is also allowed ¹, while in Castilla y León, outside plantations, the only animals permitted are trained dogs ². In Comunitat Valenciana you dig one hole per truffle, exactly where the dog has indicated ⁴.

Next, you take the truffle out with a truffle knife. In Comunitat Valenciana the size of the knife is set precisely: a blade with a pointed tip, no longer than 35 cm including the handle and no wider than 12 cm ⁴. In Castilla y León an equivalent tool with a straight blade may be used instead of a knife ². But sickles, rakes, hoes, pickaxes, spades and anything else that turns over the soil are banned in Aragón and Comunitat Valenciana ¹⁴.

Once the truffle is out, the spot must look as it did before: fill the hole with the same soil that was dug out of it ¹²⁴.

Unripe truffles are left alone. In Aragón they are left in place ¹, and in Comunitat Valenciana picking, transporting and selling unripe truffles is prohibited at any time of year ⁴.

And one last thing: in Castilla y León and Comunitat Valenciana you may not pick at night, from sunset to sunrise ²⁴.

What paperwork do you need in Cataluña and Comunitat Valenciana?

In these two regions there is no point going out without the paperwork, and it has to be arranged before the season.

In Cataluña you will need a truffle-picking licence. Any adult can get one, and the fee is €41.80. Licences are issued from 1 September to 15 November, so there is still time. But the licence alone is not enough: you also need written permission from the owner of the plot. It names the owner, the picker and the plot itself, and states how long the permission is valid ³.

In Comunitat Valenciana, any picking, regardless of quantity or purpose, requires permission from the territorial forestry directorate. Applications are accepted all year round, but yours must be registered at least 3 months before picking begins. If you receive no reply in that time, the application is deemed refused. You also need the explicit consent of the landowner, whether public or private ⁴. So if you haven't applied yet, you won't make it in time for the season opening on 16 November.

What about Aragón and Castilla y León?

Here the main thing is to understand which land the rules apply to and what to carry with you.

The rules on the Government of Aragón's page apply to forests owned by the government itself and to forests declared to be of public utility. The general decree on mushroom picking does not regulate truffles; they have a separate order from 1998 ¹. The strictness is understandable: Aragón describes itself as the world's leading producer of this truffle, accounting for about three quarters of Spain's 10,000 ha of truffle grounds ¹.

In Castilla y León you must carry ID, and on fenced plots also the permits the decree requires. The one-off use regime (aprovechamiento episódico) does not apply to truffles ².

Will the MicoRadar map tell you where to look for truffles?

No. The MicoRadar model calculates how favourable conditions are in an area, but that is a calculation, not an observation: it does not know where truffles actually are, or how many. You can see the calculation on the forecast map or by region, for example Aragón on the map, and the coming days are shown in the weekend forecast. The map does not replace the rules and dates.

Before you set out

• Check the season dates for your region against the table and the official source.
• In Cataluña, get your licence before 15 November and obtain written permission from the plot owner.
• In Comunitat Valenciana, submit your application to the territorial forestry directorate at least 3 months before picking begins.
• Agree things with the landowner and take ID with you.
• Get your kit ready: a trained dog and a truffle knife, with no hoes, rakes or spades.
• Look at the calculation of conditions on the forecast map.

Checked against the sources on 14/10/2026.