Vies Braves was a one-of-a-kind network of sea swimming lanes and open water trails organized in the Costa Brava by Miquel Sunyer. Miquel Sunyer is the Catalan star of long-distance swimming. Having made sea swimming his life, he’s no stranger to the struggles of confident swimmers having limited ways to spread their wings in the […]

The abundance of excellently maintained hiking trails and routes in Spain is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. It’s unclear whether Spaniards cheerfully go hiking because the existing trail network is great or whether the infrastructure is maintained so well because numerous hikers would prefer not to go missing on said trails. Either way, currently, […]

The stone oak tree Alzina de la Font de Can Massanet in the pueblo of Vilafant outside of Figueres is one of the 250 so-called monumental trees (árboles monumentales) of the Costa Brava protected by the Generalitat of Catalunya. The tree protection by-laws that cover trees of exceptional age, size, beauty and/or historical value were […]

Biblical performances and mystery-plays are commonplace across Spain during the Holy Week (La Semana Santa). The tradition dates back centuries: the language of Mass had been Latin while not many people knew how to read, so the reenactments of popular Biblical themes were an effective way for the Church to promote the Christian doctrine among […]

Corpus Christi (from Latin, Body of Christ) is a significant event in the Western religious calendar, but even for non-religious persons visiting Catalonia in June, it may be an interesting one to consider. It is during the celebration of Corpus Christi that you may see enormous flower carpets rolled out on the streets of many […]

January 22: Tossa de Mar – Dia de Sant Vicenç January 22: Llançà – Dia de Sant Vicenç June 23-24: Palamós – Dia de Sant Joan June 29: Tossa de Mar – Dia de Sant Pere June 29: Begur – Dia de Sant Pere June 29: Calella de Palafrugell – Dia de Sant Pere July […]

Many a Hollywood star from the golden age of film have visited the Costa Brava resorts in the last century. Yet, few have left behind a legacy that goes beyond a commemorative plaque in a restaurant or a vintage photo at a local museum. The incomparable Ava Gardner is one exception. In 1950, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer sent […]

If Gustave Eiffel had any idea with what piety Catalans would treat his creations, a certain 324-meters tall iron tower may have appeared in Barcelona instead of Paris. Even the Universal Exposition itself took place in the Catalan capital one year before the Paris Exposition Universelle. In the 1870s, about 12 years before the construction […]

The legendary artist Salvador Dalí and his muse Elena Diakonova, known to the world as Gala, got married twice. The first time took place in 1934 in Paris, a civil ceremony at a town hall of the 14th district. Since the Catholic Church does not allow second marriages until death do the separated spouses part, […]

A good quarter of the government-protected heritage sites in the Costa Brava are observation towers built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Late Medieval times were the times of the real and tangible piracy threat. The Costa Brava locals had become acutely aware of the pirate-bearing ships from the Ottoman Empire who were often after […]

The map of megaliths in Fitor The megaliths route – Fitor The dolmens route (Itinerànnia, route #3 in Alt Empordà) The megaliths route – Capmany (Itinerànnia, route #13 in Alt Empordà) The route of dolmens and lakes (Itinerànnia, route #15 in Alt Empordà) The megaliths route – Roses Dolmens and menhirs of Roses

Unlike Barcelona, where one can stumble across an Art Nouveau masterpiece at practically every intersection of central Eixample, the more rural areas of Catalonia (the Costa Brava towns included) have only a select few hidden gems. The rule of thumb to find them may sound odd, but simple enough—visit a town cemetery. Hard to say […]

The Greenways (Viás Verdes) is a network of hiking and cycling trails in Spain that run along long-abandoned railways. The ministry of transport is in charge of maintenance and upkeep of the Greenways, having been overseeing the network for the last 20 years, but the routes are open for anyone and everyone regardless of whether […]

In 1993, the government of Spain in partnership with RENFE and other transit agencies in the nation carried out the inventory of the disused railway lines across the country. The total distance of the railways still in place but with no trains running turned out to be about 8000 km. Following the example of their […]

A hiking and cycling route that runs between Palafrugell and Palamós in the Costa Brava is lovingly called the Little Train Route (Ruta del Tren Petit). At a length of just 6 kilometres, it’s one of the shortest Greenways in Catalonia, that has no viaducts crossing over deep valleys, no long dark tunnels, steep climbs […]

Various festivals and themed fairs harking back to the Medieval times deserve their own event category in Catalonia — there are so many of them it is worth examining why. First, most towns and villages in the region, be they small or big, have barely changed since the distant times, preserving their historic centres and […]

La Bisbal de l’Empordà is the administrative centre of Baix Empordá and quite possibly the least interesting place in the whole region. No offense. No mountains, no beach, no Medieval streets, no Salvador Dalí footprints. That’s right — nothing should distract from counting tourist money in the region (a hefty sum indeed). However — in […]

There is no lack of sports games that involve tossing, rolling and pushing round objects around, from seriously athleticism-heavy basketball and hockey to more democratic pétanque, darts, and bowling where grey hair or a beer belly do not pose a significant disadvantage for the player. The games mentioned above are all familiar and recognizable, even […]

Biblical performances and mystery-plays are commonplace across Spain during the Holy Week (La Semana Santa). The tradition dates back centuries: the language of Mass had been Latin while not many people knew how to read, so the reenactments of popular Biblical themes were an effective way for the Church to promote the Christian doctrine among […]

The Costa Brava music festival Sons del Món (Sounds of the World) takes place every July in the northern part of Catalonia. Its core concept is so irresistible that you won’t hesitate to show up without even bothering to check out the lineup! The idea of combining music and wine tastings was born in Roses […]

In the old days, Costa Brava fishermen leaving for the open sea were never quite sure how long they would be gone, and so they packed everything necessary for nutritious cooking in the sea. There are countless recipes for high-calorie fish entrees—thankfully, not only were some of them preserved and remembered since the working conditions […]

The long months between Christmas and Easter seem to drag on and on in Catalonia, with no official holidays to look forward to. Not wanting to spend time merely with family, at work or following other routines, Catalans have come up with a few ways to amuse themselves. First, as is the custom among Catholics, […]

Less processed meat and sausages, more fresh fish and seafood—sounds like a great lifestyle change! It is so easy to adopt at least temporarily while you’re visiting the Mediterranean coast. And if your vacation happens to take place in the Costa Brava in May, you have even more choices when it comes to fish: in […]

In the old days, Costa Brava fishermen leaving for the open sea were never quite sure how long they would be gone, and so they packed everything necessary for nutritious cooking in the sea. There are countless recipes for high-calorie fish entrees—thankfully, not only were some of them preserved and remembered since the working conditions […]

The long months between Christmas and Easter seem to drag on and on in Catalonia, with no official holidays to look forward to. Not wanting to spend time merely with family, at work or following other routines, Catalans have come up with a few ways to amuse themselves. First, as is the custom among Catholics, […]

Less processed meat and sausages, more fresh fish and seafood—sounds like a great lifestyle change! It is so easy to adopt at least temporarily while you’re visiting the Mediterranean coast. And if your vacation happens to take place in the Costa Brava in May, you have even more choices when it comes to fish: in […]

The abundance of excellently maintained hiking trails and routes in Spain is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. It’s unclear whether Spaniards cheerfully go hiking because the existing trail network is great or whether the infrastructure is maintained so well because numerous hikers would prefer not to go missing on said trails. Either way, currently, […]

The stone oak tree Alzina de la Font de Can Massanet in the pueblo of Vilafant outside of Figueres is one of the 250 so-called monumental trees (árboles monumentales) of the Costa Brava protected by the Generalitat of Catalunya. The tree protection by-laws that cover trees of exceptional age, size, beauty and/or historical value were […]

In 1993, the government of Spain in partnership with RENFE and other transit agencies in the nation carried out the inventory of the disused railway lines across the country. The total distance of the railways still in place but with no trains running turned out to be about 8000 km. Following the example of their […]

Various festivals and themed fairs harking back to the Medieval times deserve their own event category in Catalonia — there are so many of them it is worth examining why. First, most towns and villages in the region, be they small or big, have barely changed since the distant times, preserving their historic centres and […]

The Costa Brava music festival Sons del Món (Sounds of the World) takes place every July in the northern part of Catalonia. Its core concept is so irresistible that you won’t hesitate to show up without even bothering to check out the lineup! The idea of combining music and wine tastings was born in Roses […]

June—August in the Costa Brava is not only the high tourist season but also high time for music festivals: each major resort town attempts to organize something unique and get big names onto the lineup to attract both the residents and the guests of the area alike. The Cap Roig Festival is especially successful in […]

When it comes to personal bucket lists, we are all very different. You may want to travel around the world, go bungee jumping, finish reading The War and Peace. Some of us, partial to hiking and running, may cross off a big one from their lists by participating in the annual race Oxfam Trailwalker, taking […]

November is a quiet month in Barcelona, with nothing for the locals to celebrate. For those of you who are in town and longing for a party at that time, you are well advised to research the happenings in nearby towns — many municipalities surrounding Barcelona have rich event calendars even in the off-season. For […]

The linguistic mine planted by Christopher Columbus upon the discovery of America — calling the Native peoples he encountered “Indians” under the assumption that he had, indeed, found India — has implications both for the English and the Spanish languages. No one has bothered to correct Columbus’s mistake since then, adding to the linguistic confusion […]

If we talk horses, would any famous ones come to mind? History knows quite a few examples, like Bucephalus (the horse of Alexander the Great), Rocinante (the horse of Don Quixote), the winged stallion Pegasus, a rare species of the Przewalski’s horse, as well as the Russian mythology’s own Sivka-Burka. However, do you know of […]

“Who cares, I’m only going to sleep here,” — this is my usual thought upon discovering the minuscule size of my hotel room. If it happens to be a luxurious 5-star hotel or a two-bedroom apartment rental, justifications like that are rarely needed, but the sentiment is still the same. We book hotels and rent […]

Vies Braves was a one-of-a-kind network of sea swimming lanes and open water trails organized in the Costa Brava by Miquel Sunyer. Miquel Sunyer is the Catalan star of long-distance swimming. Having made sea swimming his life, he’s no stranger to the struggles of confident swimmers having limited ways to spread their wings in the […]

Portbou: Cala del Pi – Platja Gran de Portbou (0,6 km) Colera: Cala Rovellada – Platja de les Portes (1 km) Garbet: Platja de Garbet – Platja del Borró (1,2 km) Llançà: Platja de Grifeu – Moll de Sant Carles (1 km) Cadaqués: Platja des Llané Petit – Platja de Sa Conca (1 km) Pals: […]

Aquàtica Càmping Les Medes, Paratge del Camp de l’Arbre | 17258, L’Estartit, Girona 972 750 656 Calypso Carrer de Cala Pedrosa, 2 | 17258, L’Estartit, Girona 972 751 488 / 609 834 178 Costa Brava Divers Passeig Marítim, 7 | 17258, L’Estartit, Girona 972 752 034 El Rei del Mar Avinguda de Grècia, 5 | […]

There is no lack of sports games that involve tossing, rolling and pushing round objects around, from seriously athleticism-heavy basketball and hockey to more democratic pétanque, darts, and bowling where grey hair or a beer belly do not pose a significant disadvantage for the player. The games mentioned above are all familiar and recognizable, even […]

While exploring the Catalan countryside, you may encounter posters announcing local events involving bulls. Before you google whether Catalonia has reversed its ban on bullfighting, it should be noted that yes, bullfighting in Catalonia is banned1, but it’s far from the only type of bull-bullying event in the Pyrenees. Correbous2, the Catalan version of bullfighting, […]

If one day you find yourself in the midst of a traditional Catalan fiesta on a central town square somewhere, you are likely to see people in white pants and colourful shirts making elaborate human towers by climbing on each other’s shoulders. Your first thought might be that the circus is in town, but once […]

Girona, the capital of the namesake province in Catalonia, easily manages the number of tourists coming through its proverbial gates. None of the beautiful historic sites in the city suffer from the queues similar to La Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The Gothic cathedral is easy to visit and photograph; the Jewish Quarter has barely any […]

Most holidays and events in the Costa Brava can be easily categorized into the following types: political, religious, cultural, city days, music festivals, fairs. There aren’t many that are one-of-a-kind whose iterations you won’t find elsewhere, but a couple come to mind still: the books and roses of San Jordi, the calçots festival in Valls, […]

July and August are prime time for vacations, festivals and celebrations of all sorts across Spain. The International Fireworks Competition in Blanes, Focs de Blanes, is one of the most memorable, accessible, and loudest among them in the Costa Brava. The fireworks on July 26, the day of the town’s patron saint Saint Anne, are […]

The Costa Brava is the land of bays, coves, nooks and crannies. You won’t find many open sprawling beach spaces here—the longest stretch of the shoreline uninterrupted by hills and cliffs runs for 15 km between L’Escala and Roses along the Golf de Roses bay. Neither is there an unending chain of hotels between these […]

A summer vacation with children is one of the most common reasons for a Costa Brava visit. The main attraction for this type of trip is most certainly the beach, but the Costa Brava coast offers other entertainment options aplenty—there is a lot more going on beyond sandcastle building, crab catching and seashell collecting! There […]

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines rural tourism as travel that prioritizes nature and places with low population density, where most locals are engaged in agriculture and retain a mostly traditional rural way of life. The terms agritourism and eco-tourism have a similar meaning but provide more nuance: the former is a type of rural […]