Sierra de Albarracín and Bronchales: the mushroom permit

If you are going mushroom picking in the Sierra de Albarracín (province of Teruel) or in the village of Bronchales, the most popular mushroom spot in these mountains, you cannot do without a permit: in the public forests here, picking is allowed only with one. Below we explain which permit to get, what it costs, where to buy it and what mushroom pickers most often get caught out by in the forest. We have covered the general rules of the region in the guide to Aragón and do not repeat them here.

Do you need a permit, and how many?

Yes, you need one, and a single permit is enough for all of these mountains. The public forests of the Sierra de Albarracín are combined into a mushroom park (Parque Micológico Comunidad de Albarracín, hereafter simply “the park”), and picking inside it is allowed only with a permit ¹.

People often think Bronchales has its own permit. It does not: the village territory is part of the same park, and the same permit applies there ⁶. With it you can pick in Bronchales and in the other forests of the park.

Is the permit valid across the whole comarca?

No, only in the forests of the park. The park is not the whole comarca (a district-type administrative area), but only those public forests that belong to it. The list of forests can change, so check the signs on site and consult the park’s website before you go ¹. You can see where these mountains lie on the map.

How much does a permit cost for a visitor?

A visitor, that is, a tourist, can choose from three permits. The prices are taken from the park’s online shop as of 10/10/2026 ²³⁴:

The limit is the same for all three; only the validity period differs, and it is easy to make a mistake here in two ways. The daily permit is not a full day from the moment of purchase: it ends at 23:59 on the same day. The annual permit is not twelve months: it expires on 31 December, whenever you buy it ²⁴. An annual permit bought in October will be valid for less than three months. With the weekly permit, you choose the start day in the calendar when buying online ³.

Who pays less?

Those with a connection to the comarca. There are discounts for two categories, and both are issued their permit at the town hall, not online ¹.

A “neighbour” (vecino) is someone who has been registered as resident for at least 6 months in any municipality of the Sierra de Albarracín comarca. They pay €5 a year and may pick 6 kg per day. An owner or tenant of property in the comarca who is not registered as resident there pays €15 a year, with a limit of 5 kg per day ⁵.

From what age is a permit needed, and what should you carry?

A permit is required from the age of 14 ⁵. Younger children may pick without one, but only alongside an adult who holds a permit, and that adult is responsible for them ⁷.

The permit is personal: it cannot be passed to anyone else. It is also recreational, which means mushrooms picked under it must not be sold. Carry an identity document (DNI or equivalent) together with the permit, and show both on request to the guards or the authorities. Without them, you are considered to have no right to pick ².

Where to buy a permit

Tourist permits are sold online at micologiaalbarracin.es, at town halls and at partner businesses ¹.

In Bronchales, a visitor can buy a daily permit or a weekly pass at the tourist office at the entrance to the village, at the same partner businesses, or on the park’s website. Registered residents and property owners need to go to the town hall during opening hours ⁶.

One thing to bear in mind in peak season: in exceptional cases, when there are too many pickers, the sale of ordinary daily permits may be stopped ⁵. So it is safer to buy your permit online in advance than to count on a counter on site.

Which rules are broken most often in the forest?

The permit gives you the right to pick, but the picking rules still apply. Here is what gets checked and what people trip over most often ²⁷:

• Minimum size. For porcini of the edulis group, the cap must be at least 4 cm. For the saffron milk cap (rebollón), the cardoon mushroom (seta de cardo) and the St George’s mushroom (sanjuanera), it is 3 cm. For the morel, 5 cm in length. For all others, 2 cm.
• Knife. Saffron milk caps, cardoon mushrooms, St George’s mushrooms, waxcaps (babosas, llanegas) and tricholomas (negrillas) must be cut with a knife.
• Container. Only a basket or a container that “breathes”. Bags and buckets are forbidden.
• Soil. Do not disturb the ground or the layer of pine needles. Rakes, sickles, hoes and any tool that disturbs the top layer of soil are forbidden.
• Time. No picking at night.
• Hunting. Do not pick where and when a permitted and marked drive hunt is under way. Its date and hours are posted at the forest entrances. Wearing bright clothing is advised.
• Vehicle. The permit does not give you the right to drive or park on forest tracks where traffic is restricted.
• What not to take. Closed “eggs” of Caesar’s mushroom (Amanita caesarea) and old porcini with green pores. The parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) is taken only with the cap fully open. Do not break or damage mushrooms you do not recognise.

Can you rely on the MicoRadar forecast?

As a hint, but not as permission. On the forecast map and in the weekend forecast you see a model’s calculation: what conditions for mushrooms are forming according to weather data. It is not an observation from the forest. The forecast does not permit picking and does not override the park’s rules.

We do not say which mushrooms are edible and we do not give identification features. What it is worth knowing in advance is collected in the section on poisonous mushrooms.

If you feel unwell after eating wild mushrooms, call 112.

Before you set out

• Buy your permit online in advance, especially for weekends in season.
• Check its validity: the daily permit runs until 23:59, the annual one until 31 December.
• Put your permit and an identity document in your rucksack.
• Take a basket and a knife; leave bags and buckets at home.
• Check the park’s website, and on site the signs at the entrance, including those about hunting.

The text was checked against the sources on 10/10/2026.