| However, anywhere with a city like Barcelona nearby is bound to be exciting, intriguing, beautiful and relaxing in any combination you choose! Back to the main map The rugged, twisted coastline emerging from the sea where the mountain ranges of the Sierra de Catalunya fall into the Mediterranean, was named Costa Brava, the Wild Coast, by the Catalan journalist Ferran Agullo, as far back as 1905. Portbou, Blanes, Empuriabrava, Tossa de Mar and more
In those days, only a handful of writers and artists knew this almost primeval landscape of sheer cliffs opening into inlets and coves, unfolding from Portbou to Blanes. The picturesque harbours and fishing villages of the coast emerged from their relative obscurity only later, when easier access and the fame of celebrated residents began to attract visitors from other parts of Spain and Europe. Today, the names of Portligat and Cadaques are forever linked to the presiding genius of the Costa Brava, Salvador Dali. Roses, nestling in its splendid harbour or Empuriabrava, criss-crossed by canals like a new Venice, is well known to yachtsmen all over the Mediterranean. Calella de Palafrugell attracts visitors every year, enticed by the Afro-Cuban songs and dances of its Festival de las Habaneras. The elegant promenades and pavement cafes of Playa d'Aro, S'Agaró and Sant Feliu de Guixols are epitomes of stylish continental lifestyle. There can be no more delightful setting than Tossa de Mar, spilling over the battlements of the Villa Vella, old and new houses following the gentle curve of its sandy beach. Finally, Blanes stands at the terminus of the Costa Brava, overlooked by the imposing remains of the Castillo de San Juan and renowned for the fine quality of its golden sand as well as for the luxuriant gardens of Marimurtra nearby. People come here attracted more by the quality of life and striking beauty of the surroundings than by the promise of constant hot weather and those seeking all-year round sun and sangria should perhaps look further south. While summers here are as warm as anywhere in Spain, winter days can be bracing and nights decidedly cold. It is a climate, however, ideal for the practice of any kind of sport, for which the area is well endowed with facilities ranging from sailing to golf.
Both mountain-walking and skiing are easy options, as Andorra and the Pyrenees are within easy driving distance from the coast (two and half hours). Those seeking food for their souls, will find that the tiniest fishing hamlet may house a surprisingly well stocked gallery or museum, while there is no end to the number of music festivals taking place in summer. A more prosaic kind of hunger is catered for in the countless good restaurants, offering a taste of the delights of Catalan cuisine. If all that is not enough, Barcelona and its enticing promises are only a short distance away. Fast and easy communication routes link the region to the rest of Spain and Europe, by air through the two international airports at Barcelona and Girona, by road or high-speed rail connection through France. Catalunya
It is impossible to enumerate all the arguments in favour of choosing residence on the Costa Brava and this part of Catalunya hardly needs an apologist. One will find enough reasons in the aesthetic pleasure offered by its rugged landscape of tree-lined cliffs and sandy coves, the small bays where clusters of fishermen's houses bask in the golden sunlight. The intrinsic charm of this region is subtler and works in ways deeper than the more flamboyant attractions of other, more popular coasts, but, in the end, never fails to captivate even the most demanding visitor. Back to the top | | |
