Costa Brava Travel Guide

The rocky coves and crescent beaches that stretch along Catalunya’s northern seaboard toward the French frontier offer some of Spain’s most beautiful and distinctive scenery. The coastline here was nearly ruined in the 1960s, when real estate speculators thought they could turn medieval fishing villages into beach resorts to rival the already overrun Costa del Sol—dubbing it the Costa Brava, or “Wild Coast.” Fortunately, geography conspired against them and although some stretches have been blighted by development, others resisted and much of the area’s wild natural beauty remains. Its inland capital is Girona, a beautiful and historic city that offers a low-key alternative to busy Barcelona and has become a key destination for lovers of fine dining.

Geographically, the Costa Brava encompasses 153km (95-mile) -- the northernmost Mediterranean seafront in Spain -- beginning north of Barcelona at Blanes and stretching toward the French border. Visit this area in May, June, September, or October, and avoid July and August, when tour groups from northern Europe book virtually all the hotel rooms.

Undiscovered little fishing villages along the coast long ago bloomed into resort towns. Tossa de Mar is the most delightful of them. Lloret de Mar is immensely popular but too commercial and overdeveloped for many tastes. The most unspoiled spot is remote Cadaqués. Some of the smaller villages make excellent stops.

If you want to visit the Costa Brava but simply can't secure a room in high season, consider taking a day trip by car from Barcelona. Allow plenty of time for the drive. In summer, traffic jams can be fierce and the roads between towns difficult and winding.

If you visit the coast in summer without a hotel reservation, you'll stand a fair chance of getting a room in Girona, the capital of the province and one of the most interesting medieval cities in Spain.