Costa Brava - What does the Costa Brava have to offer?
THE COSTA BRAVA has something for everyone. For beaches and water sports, it has a few lively resorts. But for the most part, modern high-rise building has somehow thankfully bypassed much of the coast, which continues to boast traditional fishing villages and unspoilt, isolated coves and beaches. Most beaches enjoy fine, clean sand, and benefit from safe swimming conditions and life guards during the summer.
The Costa Brava begins at Portbou, on the French border, and continues 220km south to Blanes, 60km north of Barcelona. There are 120 official beaches, totalling more than 50km in length - a quarter of the entire coastline. The climate is very pleasant all year round, and much more comfortable in the summer than southern Spain, particularly for northern Europeans. The average summer temperature is 26 degrees, with more than 200 days of sunshine a year. Most of the coast lies within a 30-60 minute drive from Girona, with a number of resorts also accessible by bus.
There follows a brief description of some of the best-known resorts - starting with Sant Feliu, which is quickest to get to from Girona. We then look at the resorts to the south of Sant Feliu, before heading northwards up the coast towards the French border. Sant Feliu de Guixols lies south-east of Girona, just 30 minutes away by car, or 45 minutes by bus. It enjoys a pleasant promenade over-looking a crescent-shaped beach, which is sheltered by the harbour. The restaurants which run parallel to the promenade are particularly recommended, with seasonal fish dishes dependent on last night's catch.
TO THE SOUTH OF SANT FELIU lies Tossa de Mar, known as the "flower of the sea", and believed by many to be the Costa Brava's most attractive resort. Tossa's horseshoe beach lies directly below the walled medieval village which has looked out across the bay for the past 800 years. Beneath the old town, and leading down to the beach, the so-called "Vila Nova" (New Town) features 19th century houses around the parish church, and a warren of lively back-streets of craft shops and restaurants.
Further south, and in complete contrast to Tossa, lies Lloret de Mar, one of the biggest and busiest resorts on the Costa Brava, particularly popular with the British "Club 18-30" crowd. A typical day consists of enjoying the beach during the afternoon, followed by plunging into the crowd of shoppers beseiging the narrow streets for an hour's bargain-hunting in the evening rush hour, before the serious night life begins around midnight. Lloret is about 45 minutes by car from Girona, or an hour by bus.
Further south, Blanes also has a popular beach, although the resort is not quite as busy or lively as Lloret. Lying just 60 km north of Barcelona, it also attracts many day-trippers, particularly during summer weekends. It also has a bus service from Girona.
HEADING NORTH OF SANT FELIU, we come to the beach at Sant Pol, which is a small holiday resort. (It used to be possible to take an attractive coastal walk from Sant Feliu to Sant Pol, but for the past few months (late 2004) the path has been blocked by a landslide).
There is however an attractive, tarmac walk along the coast from Sant Pol via S'Agaro to the pretty beach of Sa Conga, and then via the marina of Port D'Aro on to the resort of Playa D'Aro, whose town planners clearly put a lot of thought into its design and layout. Although the town's shopping district suffers from constant traffic throughout the summer months, the beach itself is separated from this hub-bub by a residential area of surprisingly peaceful back streets. The result is to create a long, wide beach which benefits from a typically relaxed, Mediterranean atmosphere, as well as some excellent tapa bars overlooking the sea front. There are also pleasant views across the bay to Palamos. There is an attractive walk up the coast from Playa d'Aro, which takes in some pretty coves and inlets. (However, just south of Palamos, the path was also blocked towards the end of last year (2004) by a landslide. It will be interesting to see if/when these paths are re-opened. Any news would be appreciated).
Palamos itself is a busy commercial town with high rise hotels overlooking a long promenade and beach.
Beyond Palamos, we come to the pretty resorts of Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc, which are linked by an attractive coastal footpath. The beachfront restaurant at Calella provides idyllic views across the bay, whilst Llafranc enjoys a pleasant crescent-shaped beach, which ends at a small marina.
The beach at Tamariu enjoys a particularly attractive setting. Seafood restaurants overlook the wide promenade, which forms the starting point for a short but envigorating walk around the headland.
North of Tamariu lies a number of enchanting coves and sparkling turquoise bays - Aiguablava, Fornells, Sa Riera, Aiguafreda and Sa Tuna. These are reached by long, winding roads down to the coast from the hilltop town of Begur - but the drive is well worth the effort.
L'Estartit is a busy, modern resort, which caters for a wide range of watersports. The beach enjoys a very gentle gradient, in contrast to parts of the Costa Brava, which makes for a shallow sea which is particularly well-suited for children. The boat trip from L'Estartit to the Medes Islands makes for a fascinating afternoon. The islands harbour a rich diversity of plant and animal life, and in 1985 were declared Spain's first marine nature reserve. The islands' coral reefs are popular with divers, and can be viewed from glass-bottomed boats in summer.
L'Escala is a major holiday resort, with popular beaches on either side of the town.
Empuries was once a Greek and Roman trading port, and recent excavations have revealed a fascinating insight into the commercial life of the city. The Romans arrived at Empuries in 218 BC, from which their colonisation of Spain began. The Roman city was abandoned in the third century, and was only rediscovered in 1908. The dramatic story of the Greek and Roman occupations is told through exhibits and a slide show at the on-site museum.
Once we reach the beach of Pals, we leave behind for a time the dramatic, rugged cliffs of the Costa Brava, and the coast flattens out until we reach Cadaques further north.
Before Cadaques, we reach Roses, which is the largest resort on this northern stretch of the Costa Brava, lying an hour from Girona by car (or 90 minutes by bus). For most of the year, it enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate along with the rest of the Costa Brava; but in winter, it is frequently subjected to bitter winds rushing down from the mountains.
North of Roses, we reach Cadaques, via the stunning Parc Natural del Cap de Creus, a jagged peninsula where the Pyrenees plunge into the sea. This is a place of untamed beauty and vicious winds, and was the inspiration for much of Dali's work. The pretty, whitewashed houses of Cadaques itself provide a stark contrast to the wild landscape which forms a dramatic backdrop to the resort. It's associations with Dali and avant garde heritage have made it popular with artists and tourists alike. An enjoyable day trip, though its traffic congestion is best avoided in mid-summer.
The most northerly resort on our journey is El Port de la Selva, which nestles immediately below Cap de Creus, providing an attractive sheltered bay enjoying shallow water and a long, sandy beach.
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We had a wonderful two weeks with cool but mostly clear weather. We walked along the coast north of Palamos and visited the Iberian village of Ullastret, which was lovely. Our 6 year old discovered that the John Lennon Park near the house is full of fossils. We picked up a handful. Probably the most spectacular sight was St. Pere de Rodes on the Cap de Creus - really stunning monastery perched high on the mountainside overlooking the sea. 
