Probably most of you will agree with us if we say that Costa Brava is one of the most beautiful areas in the country (as beautiful as our beloved Pyrenees :P). This coastline in the North of Catalonia offers more than the beautiful beaches by which the area is well-known: it has these genuine towns with beautiful stories which are worth discovering. So since there are many of these beautiful towns in the area, we decided to make a Top 5 of the most beautiful towns in Costa Brava. And here is the result…
Cadaqués
We feel like no description of ours would ever describe faithfully how beautiful this place is. Well, that might have sounded a bit too poetic… But Cadaqués is actually our favorite town in the world. A genuine and magic town where time might seem to stop: narrow streets, white houses, small bays hidden, Dalí’s presence… It all makes it a unique town that most people instantly fall in love with (us included). So no need to say that, if you drive to Costa Brava, make sure Cadaqués is included on the list of wonderful towns to visit up there.
Begur
If you love paradisiacal coves with that turquoise waters, you definitely have to explore Begur. Aiguablava or Platja Fonda are some of our favorite coves in this town, which are a mix of sea and wild nature (you are swimming surrounded by pine trees and little hills in the background). But also, Begur has a charming old town, with beautiful small bays like Sa Tuna cove. And you can easily feel the fishermen-town atmosphere (as long as you don’t visit Begur in “tourist season” though ;-)). For these reasons and many more, Begur is definitely one of the most beautiful towns in Costa Brava.
Calella de Palafrugell
Calella has really beautiful small bays and coves. And what if you can enjoy that sea scenario while eating a delicious paella? This town has really nice restaurants which offer delicious food right in front of the sea. And after having lunch, here is another great plan: get homemade ice-cream and eat it while enjoying a walk by the sea (this is our top plan when visiting this beautiful town in Costa Brava). Calella de Palafrugell is also known for its “havaneres”, a traditional music show called “Cantada d’Havaneres de Calella de Palafrugell”. It takes place once a year during the month of June in the small bay of Portbo. And did we mention the beautiful beaches in this town? ;-)
Pals
Pals is really close to Begur, and it offers a pretty different scenario: a medieval town with its streets and houses made out of stone. Pals has its old town located in a little hill surrounded by plains. From the Josep Pla viewpoint you will have beautiful views of the fields of Empordà and the Medes islands. Definitely a beautiful medieval town in Costa Brava which probably teleports yourself to old times.
Tossa de Mar
Out of all the beautiful towns in Costa Brava, Tossa de Mar is one of the closest from Barcelona. And if you are traveling by public transport it is one of the most accessible (visiting Costa Brava by public transport is in general not recommended, it takes too long to get to the diverse destinations). So Tossa de Mar is a great option if you are looking to disconnect from the city crowd and spend a couple of days in a charming town by the sea. Besides beautiful small bays, Tossa de Mar also has a famous castle which you can visit and get beautiful views from up there.
This is our top 5 of the most beautiful towns in Costa Brava, as we pointed out in the first lines of the article. But there are many other beautiful towns that didn’t make it to the list but we highly recommend as well. For instance: Tamariu, Peralada, Empuriabrava, S’Agaró, Llafranc… Which one is your favorite? Would you have included other towns in this Top 5? Let us know :-)