Things to do in Costa Brava and must see places

If you are craving to get the taste of summer holiday in a Spanish coast, then head to Costa Brava. This beautiful place will surely leave you spellbound with its mind-blowing architectural, cultural and gastronomic treasures. It has been told that the natural beauty of Costa Brava has given inspiration to several famous personalities and artists like Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso etc. Costa Brava is very conveniently situated from Barcelona and would take you approximately 2 hours by road (150 kilometres). If you are not a city person and would like to explore a little more than just Barcelona, then Costa Brava is for you. It will surely not disappoint you with its cute villages, pretty medieval towns ,turquoise waters, virgin beaches and delish cuisines. This post talks about the top things to do in Costa Brava.

There are several ways to get to Costa Brava from Barcelona but we highly recommend you do it by car so that you have the flexibility to stop over during the scenic drive and appreciate the real beauty of the winding roads and the powder blue waterbodies.

Best time to go – The peak season are the Summer months (April to late August). Its advisable to book your accommodation well in advance.

Accomodation options– Since Costa Brava is very popular with the tourists, you will find several stay options ranging from beachfront hotels to bed and breakfast options.

Where we stayed:We chose to base ourselves in Palafrugell, which is a popular town and which lies in crose proximity to a cluster of attractive beach spots. We rented a beautiful home owned by a wonderful couple through AirBnB and stayed there for 2 nights.

Accomodation Details- 76 Carrer de la Garriga, Palafrugell, Host- Marc

 Costa Brava attractions /Things to do in Costa Brava.

• Cap de Creus

  – Rugged beauty with  excellent walking trails that are a must visit  at dawn or sunset. The landscape, odd shaped rocks, the turquoise water and clear blue skies – all at the same time creates some sort of magic which is hard to believe. Since we started our hike at mid afternoon, we couldnt survive the whole trail as the Sun God were quite harsh and merciless on us.

• Explore Palafrugell

  – During the day time, we headed to La playa de Tamariu -a ten minute drive from Palafrugell, which is a great beach for sunbathing, and water sports. We enjoyed kayaking for close to 2 hours . Since we were halting at Palafrugell, we explored the town after sun down. A quick visit to a beautiful church dedicated to Saint Marti before we headed to the popular square and walked along the Carrer de Sant Sebastia where we witnessed  Sardana- a traditional Catalan dance which is a strong  symbol of unity for the Spanish people.

• Cadaques – Missed taking pictures at the popular whitewashed villages in Greece? Worry not! Spain is home to many such beautiful villages and Cadaques is one of them. The village comes alive at night when the views are to die for . That being said, cannot deny that it is highly touristic too.

• Begur

  – Narrow streets with authentic spanish architecture, this stunning town is rich in history and culture. We did a short walk upto the Begur Castle which sits on top of a hill to  get an incredible view of the whole town. We also visited the much raved about Aguablava beach which in my opinion is a Perfect spot to swim, scuba dive and snorkel as there are no waves.  The blue waters glisten like a gem and is home to some incredible reefs and colorful sea life. There is a fabulous walking trail adjoining the small cove. Definitely one of the best beaches we saw in our whole trip- the colours of the water were so fresh and refreshing for the eyes. Undoubtedly a visual treat. Also, have to tell you how beautiful the Begur Touristic Office Center is. The staff was very polite and friendly too. If you plan to visit Begur, Spain  in the month of September do check out the Oficis Indians festival which is scheduled to happen on 8th,9th and 10th of September 2017. More information can be found here at http://www.firaindians.com . From the tourist office we also got ourselves a map with which we found our way to the Cuban houses. Well , just in case your wondering whats with the Cuban influence in Begur, The story dates back to several centuries where a quarter of the population from Begur left to Cuba to make their fortune. The migrated workers slowly grew wealthy and returned as rich entrepreneurs to bulit grand mansions to flaunt their newfound wealth. The cuban architecture is quite a delight to see.

• Pals –

  -Once in a very poor condition, but later on transformed or rather restored to what it is today – a beautiful medevial town that bursts with historical and heritage value. Every nook and corner of this town looks very vintage like , perhaps it is the brighly coloured Bougainvillea flowers that gives us those vibes. The presence of these ornamental vines makes the whole place look perfect and for sure compel every visitor fall in love with the place. Devote sometime  and enjoy a stroll in the gothic quarter which has won several notable Arts and Tourism awards . For those who want to experience Pals, check out these several points of interest – Cultural Museum ” Ca La Pruna” ,Main Square and Town gate, Medevial tombs, Homage tower, the Castle, Church of Saint Peter, Hospital, Josep Pla point, The wall, Church of Sant Fructuos and Pals Beach . Honestly there are so many things to do in Costa Brava!

What We Ate

Since the Spanish coast is known for its rich Mediterranean cuisine, we tried a lot of assorted seafood platters and some authentic Paella.

Our Recommendations

• Try Restaurant Leon Llafranc – Great seafood at decent prices
• Visit Tossa de Mar if you have the time, the town is supposed to be a wonderland with cobbled streets and an ancient castle.