Costa Brava

View of the Costa Brava

The Costa Brava

The Costa Brava is a coastal strip of the province of Gerona that extends from Portbou, on the border with France, to Blanes, just one hour from Barcelona. In total, it covers more than two hundred kilometers that include regions such as that of Upper and Lower Ampurdán and of La Selva. It owes its name to the journalist Ferran Agulló, who named it that way at the beginning of the XNUMXth century because of its rugged coastline and full of cliffs where the sea beats.

Inhabited since the Paleolithic, the Costa Brava was home to Iberians, Greeks and Romans, of whose civilizations there have been vestiges in the area. But, if this stands out for something, it is for its wonderful landscapes, encompassed by nothing less than eight natural parks, and for the beauty of its towns and fishing villages. If you want to know the Costa Brava better, we invite you to follow us.

What to see on the Costa Brava

A tour of this coastal area must have an obligatory stop in its main towns, but also in some of the natural spaces that we have mentioned. We will begin our itinerary by the first and starting from the same Gallic border.

Portbou, the northernmost town on the Costa Brava

Located in the cove of the same name, this small town of barely a thousand inhabitants is the northernmost on the Costa Brava. Due to its geographical location, in a valley, it has not succumbed to real estate speculation and has kept all its sailor charm. In fact, it is not uncommon to see the sores, old fishing boats now dedicated to tourist routes.

In it you can enjoy magnificent beaches such as the Pi, the big one o Claper's. But you can also visit monuments such as church of Santa Maria, built in the late XNUMXth century in the neo-Gothic style with an impressive freestanding bell tower, train station, a building from 1929 that recalls, due to its construction, in a certain way, that of Canfranc.

View of Cadaqués

Cadaqués

Cadaqués, the inspiration of Dalí

This small village of Alto Empordà It has all the attractions for you to visit. Located next to Cape of Creus, which we will talk about later, subjugated Salvador Dalí, who lived in it for more than fifty years. Precisely, one of the places you must visit in Cadaqués is the painter's house museum.

But even more beautiful is his historic helmet narrow streets that lead to the beautiful church of Santa Maria, built in the XNUMXth century, which stands out for its white facade and its square tower with an octagonal top. Inside you can also see a magnificent baroque altarpiece made with gilded wood and, next to the temple you have a viewpoint that offers you spectacular views of the Costa Brava.

It is also worth visiting Cadaqués the castle of San Jaime, from the XNUMXth century and declared a Site of Cultural Interest. You will find it on the Cerro de las Tres Cruces.

Rosas and its formidable citadel

On our tour of the Costa Brava we arrive at one of the important towns in the area. With beautiful beaches and a nice promenade Full of palm trees, Rosas offers you monuments that go from the megalithic era to the present day. As for the first, you have the set of dolmens and menhirs scattered around the mountains near the town.

We also advise you to visit the church of Santa Maria, neoclassical construction of the XIX century; the castles of La Trinidad and Soplalaraña and Visigothic citadel of Puig Rom, very close to which you have a viewpoint with wonderful views of both the Gulf of Roses and the Alto Ampurdán plain.

But above all, its citadel, built in the seventeenth century as a shelter for the old town and which, therefore, includes remains of the Greek Roda, from the Roman and Middle Ages. Currently, there is a interpretation Center where you can learn more about this monument, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1961.

View of the citadel of Rosas

Roses Citadel

San Pedro Pescador, one of the best beaches on the Costa Brava

This beautiful fishing village stands out for its old town narrow streets and historic mansions, some from the XNUMXth century. And also for the remains of its impressive Wall, by the eighteenth-century church and its castle.
But, above all, you can enjoy in it a magnificent Playa seven kilometers long. A part of this is within the Marismas del Ampurdán Natural Park, of which we will speak again.

La Escala: Greek footprint on the Costa Brava

This small town also has magnificent beaches and coves with fine sand. But, above all, you must visit it because in its municipal term there are the remains of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Ampurias.

The site is one of the largest of that time in Spain and consists of three well differentiated parts. The oldest is the Palaiapolis, already cited by Strabo. More recent is the Neapolis, which was born as a result of the growth of the previous one. And finally, there is the Roman City, a huge fortified perimeter that houses several streets.
Many of the pieces found in the area are exposed in the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia-Ampurias, which you can visit in the same area of ​​the ancient Greco-Roman city.

Palafrugell, some of the best coves on the Costa Brava

Located at the foot of massif of les Gavarres, Palafrugell has some of the most beautiful coves in the area. We will talk about Cala Marquesa, Aigua Xelida, Pedrosa or El Cau and beaches such as Tamariu and Les Lliris.
In addition, you can see in the locality the Botanical Garden of Cabo de Roig; the Iberian town of San Sebastián de la Guarda, dated between the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries BC; the Interpretation Center of Sa Perola, dedicated to artisanal fishing in the area, and a curious Corcho Museum.

Palamós, delicious prawns

This town in Bajo Ampurdán is famous, above all, for its prawns, but also for its wonderful landscapes, its beaches and its port. If you like scuba diving, it is a pilgrimage area since the Boreas, an icebreaker for the German Navy that served during World War II.

Likewise, it is a must-see in Palamós the Romanesque cloister of Mas del Vent, which, according to some experts, was the original of the Old Cathedral of Salamanca. And also him Iron bridge, attributed to Gustave Eiffel; the Vilahur house and church of Santa María del Mar.

The cloister of Mas del Vent

Romanesque cloister of Mas del Vent

Sant Feliú de Guixols and its imposing monastery

Nestled in the bay of the same name, Sant Feliú de Guixols has an architectural wonder: its Benedictine monastery. It was built at the end of the XNUMXth century although it has undergone numerous reforms throughout its history. In fact, its main facade is Romanesque, while the church is Gothic and the fortification was built in the XNUMXth century. Besides it, there is also a pre-Romanesque access, the porta ferrada.

You should also see in Sant Feliú the Town hall, one of the last examples of Gothic in Catalonia; the Casino La Constancia, a modernist building with Mozarabic touches, and, on the outskirts, the so-called pedralta, which is the largest tilting stone in all of Europe.

But, above all, do not stop walking along its promenade, full of stately buildings from the XNUMXth and early XNUMXth centuries such as the Paxtot House.

Tossa de Mar, vestige of the history of the Costa Brava

Walking the streets of Tossa de Mar is taking a journey through history from Roman times, to which the Villa dels Ametllers. But the great symbol of the town is the walled enclosure of the Vila Vella, which is the only fortified medieval town that is preserved in the entire area. It was built in the XNUMXth century and in its narrow and cobbled streets there were about eighty houses. It is also worth visiting a later construction, the gothic church of San Vicente.

You should not confuse this with the modern church of the same name that is outside Vila Vella and which is also a marvel, in this case neoclassical. To the same style belongs the old San Miguel HospitalWhile Sans House It is an eclectic building from the early XNUMXth century.

Finally, we advise you to go up to the lighthouse, from which you will have wonderful views of the Costa Brava, and to take a walk through Sa Roqueta, a fishing district that retains all its charm.

The Vila Vella

Walled area of ​​Vila Vella

Lloret de Mar, the pioneer

With beaches praised by poets, this town in the region of La Selva It was one of the first tourist destinations on the Costa Brava. Its magnificent promenade. But also monuments like the precious church of San Román, which combines the late Gothic with the Renaissance style; the castle of san juan, an eleventh century fortress that only conserves its keep in good condition; the hermitages of Santa Cristina, las Alegrías and San Quirico, or the modernist cemetery.

Already in the outskirts, you have the Iberian settlements of Puig de Castellet and Montbarbat. But a must see is the Botanical Garden Santa Clotilde, considered the most important in Europe in terms of Mediterranean vegetation. It is located in the mountains and is Italian in style.

Blanes, «the Portal of the Costa Brava»

On our way we arrived at the last town in this area. Or, rather, the first if you come from the south, hence Blanes is known as "the Portal of the Costa Brava." It is also one of the largest towns in the city, with almost forty thousand inhabitants.

To start your visit to Blanes, we advise you to go up to the san juan mountain, not only because there are the remains of the castle and hermitage of the same name, but because you will get extraordinary views of the entire coastline.

Then you can continue for the call Route of the Hermitages, which runs through, among others, those of L'Esperança, Sant Francesc, Sant Joan, Mare de Deu de la Font de la Salut or the Sanctuary of Villar. Back in town, you can take the rail, an urban train that will take you through its most emblematic places.

Among these, the Marimurtra botanical gardens, the imposing gothic church of San Juan and the many beautiful houses built by the Indians, returned emigrants from America. Finally, get closer to Sa Palomera, the islet attached to land that marks the symbolic beginning of the Costa Brava.

View of Blanes

Blanes

By way of partial synthesis, these are the main towns on the Costa Brava. However, there are other beautiful villas that you could also visit. It is the case of Llansa, with its megalithic remains; from Jungle Port, with its impressive Benedictine monastery of San Pedro de Rodas; from Castellon d'Empúries, with its Gothic church of Santa María; from Pals, with its cobbled streets that seem stopped in the Middle Ages, or Castle-Playa de Aro, with the Noucentista urbanization of S'Agaró.

Natural spaces

All these towns and their monuments are reason enough for you to visit the area. But, in addition, another extraordinary quality of the Costa Brava is its exuberant nature. As we have told you before, there are eight natural parks in it. However, three stand out from the rest. Let's get to know them.

Natural Park of Cabo de Creus

It occupies the easternmost part of Spain, around the geographical accident that gives it its name. In large part, it is responsible for the area being known as the Costa Brava, due to the steep profile of its coastline. It occupies some fourteen thousand hectares, of which almost four thousand are marine.

Marismas del Ampurdán Natural Park

Qualified as Landscape of Natural Interest, is located at the mouth of the Fluvià and Muga rivers. It is smaller than the previous one, but stands out for its flora and, above all, for its ornithological wealth, especially migratory birds.

Medas Islands

Recognized as Protected National Natural Park, this small archipelago located about nine hundred meters from Estartit it corresponds to the last foothills of the Montgrí mountain range. With its rocky bottoms and sea caves, it is a perfect place for you to practice the diving. To its scenic beauty they add an interesting fauna reserve.

The Medes Islands

Medas Islands

The roads of Ronda

On the other hand, one of the best ways to get to know the Costa Brava is by hiking along its coastal paths. These are small trails that line the cliffs throughout the entire area. They were created at the end of the XNUMXth century so that, from them, the Civil Guard could monitor marine smuggling. Currently, they have a tourist purpose and offer you wonderful views of the coastline. One of the most beautiful is the one that joins Lloret de Mar with Fenals.

Beaches

Another of the strengths of the Costa Brava is its wonderful set of beaches and coves, some of which are almost virgin. It would be impossible for us to quote them all to you. But among the most beautiful and cozy stand out Tamariu's in Palafrugell, that of Lloret de Mar, that of Mar Menuda in Tosa and that of La Fosca in Palamós.

What to eat on the Costa Brava

Another of the great attractions that you will find in this area is its gastronomy. As a coastal area, the seafood They feature on many of their dishes. Among them, the big o sea ​​urchin. But there are also other indigenous products that have achieved fame. It is the case of the hazelnut of the region of La Selva, the banyan o bean of the Empordà, the black turnip, leg of Palamós, the rice of Pals or the anchovy of La Escala.

Lately, in addition, these articles from the sea and inland are being combined to prepare delicious recipes such as black rice with seafood and meat or chicken with crawfish and lobster. Other typical dishes are lobster with clams, suquet or fish soup, the carved potatoes and cabbage with bacon or the sausage with sweet apple from Gerona. Those made with rice are especially popular, which is combined with almost everything. For example, we advise you to try the rice with chestnuts, rice with black sausage and cauliflower and goat rice.

Fish suquet casserole

Fish suquet

As for sweets, the xuxos of cream, the bunyols o fritters or panellets, which are made with a mass of almonds. And, to accompany your meal, you have magnificent wines on the Costa Brava. Thus, those of Ampurdán even have denomination of origin.

How to get to the Costa Brava

To get to the Costa Brava, it is best to travel by plane to airport of Barcelona. There is also in Gerona, but it has fewer connections. Once in either of the two cities, you can reach this tourist area both in ferrocarril as in bus.

If you prefer to travel in your own car or in a rental car, the main road is the AP 7. However, then you will have to take other secondary routes that will depend on the town you are going to. But the most important are the N-II, C-31 and GI-682.

In conclusion, the Costa Brava is one of the most important tourist areas in Spain. It is not surprising, because it offers you wonderful landscapes, beautiful beaches, beautiful and cozy monumental towns and excellent gastronomy. Don't you feel like visiting it?


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