Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. Vila Vella and Castillo de Tossa de Mar
Listed as a national artistic-historic monument in 1931, Tossa de Mar's Vila Vella (Old Town) is the only remaining example of a fortified medieval coastal town in Catalonia. Set high above the town on a promontory, the Old Town is presided over by the ramparts and towers of the 13th-century Castillo de Tossa de Mar, and is a steep yet worthy climb up from the main town, accessed from the western side of Platja Gran (Playa Grande). The cliff-top views, particularly at sunset, are remarkable, and the labyrinth of narrow, cobblestone lanes lined with ancient houses (some dating back to the 14th century) is a delight to explore at a leisurely pace. Bar el Far de Tossa, near the lighthouse, has some of the best views in town, plus drinks, snacks, and light meals.
Tossa de Mar, Catalonia, 17320, Spain -
22. Amphitheater
Tarragona, the Emperor Augustus's favorite winter resort, had arguably the finest amphitheater in Roman Iberia, built in the 2nd century AD for gladiatorial and other contests. The remains have a spectacular view of the sea. You're free to wander through the access tunnels and along the tiers of seats. In the center of the theater are the remains of two superimposed churches, the earlier of which was a Visigothic basilica built to mark the bloody martyrdom of St. Fructuós and his deacons in AD 259.
Parc de l'Amphiteatre Roma s/n, Tarragona, Catalonia, 43003, Spain977-242579Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5 (joint entry with 6 monuments €15), Closed Mon. -
23. Ayuntamiento
Constructed between 1696 and 1780, the town hall is a beautiful example of baroque civic architecture. Inside, a gold sculpture by Salvador Dalí of San Juan Bautista holding the famous cross and shell rises to the second floor in the stairwell. Ask gate officials for permission to explore the ornate halls and rococo chapel on the first floor. Look for the plaque on the first step of the staircase that indicates the exact sea level, used to define the rest of Spain's altitudes "above sea level."
Pl. de Ayuntamiento, Alicante, Valencia, 03002, Spain966-900886Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends, Free -
24. Banys Arabs
The Banys Arabs were actually built by Morisco craftsmen (workers of Moorish descent) in the late 12th century, long after Girona's Islamic occupation (714–797) had ended. Following the old Roman model that had disappeared in the West, the custom of bathing publicly may have been brought back from the Holy Land with the Crusaders. These baths are sectioned off into three rooms in descending order: a frigidarium, or cold bath, a square room with a central octagonal pool and a skylight with cupola held up by two stories of eight fine columns; a tepidarium, or warm bath; and a caldarium, or steam room, beneath which is a chamber where a fire was kept burning. Here the inhabitants of old Girona came to relax, exchange gossip, or do business.
Carrer Ferran el Catòlic s/n, Girona, Catalonia, 17004, Spain972-190969Sight Details
Rate Includes: €3 -
25. Basílica de Sant Feliu
One of Girona's most beloved churches and its first cathedral until the 10th century, Sant Feliu was repeatedly rebuilt and altered over four centuries and stands today as an amalgam of Romanesque columns, a Gothic nave, and a baroque facade. The vast bulk of this structure is landmarked by one of Girona's most distinctive belfries, topped by eight pinnacles. The basilica was founded over the tomb of St. Felix of Africa, a martyr under the Roman emperor Diocletian.
Pujada de Sant Feliu 29, Girona, Catalonia, 17004, Spain972-201407Sight Details
Rate Includes: €7.50 (includes Girona Cathedral) -
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26. Basílica de Santa María
Constructed in a Gothic style over the city's main mosque between the 14th and 16th century, this is Alicante's oldest house of worship. The main door is flanked by beautiful baroque stonework by Juan Bautista Borja, and the interior highlights are the golden rococo high altar, a Gothic image in stone of St. Mary, and a sculpture of Sts. Juanes by Rodrigo de Osona.
Pl. de Santa María 1, Alicante, Valencia, 03002, Spain681-140483Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closing times can vary due to religious services, €6 -
27. Beaches
Sitges’s coastline counts around 18 beaches, with many being easily accessible by foot from the old town. The most central, and hence the busiest, are Ribera and Fragata. Neighboring Bassa Rodona is a popular gay beach. Quieter, more family-friendly beaches are Sant Sebastià, to the east, which also has a large playground, and at the far western edge, Terramar, with a swimming cove that allows for calm, protected swimming.
Sitges, Catalonia, Spain -
28. Casa Museo Castellarnau
This Gothic palauet (town house) built by Tarragona nobility in the 15th century includes stunning furnishings from the 18th and 19th centuries. The last member of the Castellarnau family vacated the house in 1954. The museum's highlight is the ballroom, whose ceiling is decorated with mythological motifs by the 18th-century Provençal painter Josep Bernat Flaugier.
Carrer dels Cavallers 14, Tarragona, Catalonia, 43003, Spain977-242220Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5 (joint entry with 6 monuments €15), Closed Mon. -
29. Casa Museo José Benlliure
The modern Valencian painter and sculptor José Benlliure (1858–1937) is known for his intimate portraits and massive historical and religious paintings, many of which hang in Valencia's Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts). Here in his elegant house and studio are 50 of his works, including paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and drawings. Also on display are works by his son, Pepino, who painted in the small, flower-filled garden in the back of the house, and iconographic sculptures by Benlliure's brother, the well-known sculptor Mariano Benlliure.
Calle Blanquerías 23, Valencia, Valencia, 46003, Spain963-911662Sight Details
Rate Includes: €2; free Sun., Closed Mon. -
30. Castell de Sant Ferran
Just a minute's drive northwest of Figueres is this imposing 18th-century fortified castle, one of the largest in Europe—only when you start exploring can you appreciate how immense it is. The parade grounds extend for acres, and the arcaded stables can hold more than 500 horses; the perimeter is roughly 4 km (2½ miles around). This castle was the site of the last official meeting of the Republican parliament (on February 1, 1939) before it surrendered to Franco's forces. Ironically, it was here that Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero was imprisoned after his failed 1981 coup d'état in Madrid. Call ahead and arrange for the two-hour Catedral de l'Aiguas guided tour in English (€15), which includes a trip through the castle's subterranean water system by Zodiac pontoon boat.
View Tours and ActivitiesPujada del Castell s/n, Figueres, Catalonia, 17600, Spain972-506094Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Closed Mon. -
31. Castell Gala Dalí de Púbol
The third point of the Dalí triangle (along with the Teatre-Museu Dalí and Casa Salvador Dalí–Portlligat, his summer house) is the medieval castle of Púbol, where the artist's wife and perennial model, Gala, is buried in the crypt. During the 1970s this was Gala's residence, though Dalí also lived here in the early 1980s. It contains paintings and drawings, Gala's haute-couture dresses, and other objects chosen by the couple. It's also a chance to wander through another Daliesque landscape, with lush gardens, fountains decorated with masks of Richard Wagner (the couple's favorite composer), and distinctive elephants with giraffe's legs and claw feet. Púbol, a small village roughly between Girona and Figueres, is near the C66. If you are traveling by train, get off at the Flaçà station on the Barcelona–Portbou line; take a taxi 4 km (2½ miles) to Púbol.
Púbol-la Pera, Púbol, Catalonia, 17120, Spain972-488655Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9 (€10 July and Aug.), Hours and opening days vary month to month, Booking tickets in advance (online) is essential. -
32. Castillo de Dénia
The most interesting architectural attraction here is the castle overlooking the town, and the Palau del Governador (Governor's Palace) inside. On the site of an 11th-century Moorish fortress, the Renaissance-era palace was built in the 17th century and was later demolished. The fortress has an interesting archaeological museum as well as the remains of a Renaissance bastion and a Moorish portal with a lovely horseshoe arch.
Av. del Cid–Calle San Francisco s/n, Dénia, Valencia, 03700, Spain966-422367Sight Details
Rate Includes: €3 (includes entrance to archaeological museum) -
33. Catedral
Built between the 12th and 14th centuries on the site of a Roman temple and a mosque, this cathedral shows the transition from Romanesque to Gothic style. The initial rounded placidity of the Romanesque apse gave way to the spiky restlessness of the Gothic—the result is somewhat confusing. The main attraction here is the 15th-century Gothic alabaster altarpiece of Sant Tecla by Pere Joan, a richly detailed depiction of the life of Tarragona's patron saint. Converted by Sant Paul and subsequently persecuted by local pagans, Sant Tecla was repeatedly saved from demise through divine intervention.
Pl. de la Seu s/n, Tarragona, Catalonia, 43003, Spain977-226935Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5 (cathedral and museum), Closed Sun. mid-Sept.–mid-Jun. -
34. Concatedral de San Nicolás de Bari
Built between 1616 and 1662 on the site of a former mosque, this church (called a concatedral because it shares the seat of the bishopric with the Concatedral de Orihuela) has an austere facade designed by Agustín Bernardino, a disciple of the great Spanish architect Juan de Herrera. Inside, it's dominated by a dome nearly 150 feet high, a pretty cloister, and a lavish baroque side chapel, the Santísima Sacramento, with an elaborate sculptured stone dome of its own. Its name comes from the day that Alicante was reconquered (December 6, 1248) from the Moors, the feast day of San Nicolás.
Pl. Abad Penalva 2, Alicante, Valencia, 03002, Spain965-212662Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
35. Cueva de las Calaveras
About 15 km (9 miles) inland from Dénia, this 400-yard-long cave was named for the 12 Moorish skulls found here when it was discovered in 1768. The cave of stalactites and stalagmites has a dome rising to more than 60 feet and leads to an underground lake.
Ctra. Benidoleig–Pedreguera, Km 1.5, Benidoleig, Valencia, 03759, Spain966-404235Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4.90 -
36. El Palmar
This is the major village in the area, with streets lined with restaurants specializing in various types of paella. The most traditional kind is made with rabbit or game birds, though seafood is also popular.
El Palmar, Valencia, Spain -
37. El Serrallo
The always-entertaining fishing quarter and harbor are below the city near the bus station and the mouth of the Francolí River. Restaurants in the port, such as the popular El Pòsit del Serrallo (Moll des Pescadors 25), offer fresh fish in a rollicking environment.
Tarragona, Catalonia, 43004, Spain -
38. Empúries
The Greco-Roman ruins here are Catalonia's most important archaeological site, and this port is one of the most monumental ancient engineering feats on the Iberian Peninsula. As the Greeks' original point of arrival in Spain, Empúries was also where the Olympic Flame entered Spain for Barcelona's 1992 Olympic Games.
Puig i Cadafalch s/n, Catalonia, 17130, Spain972-770208Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6 -
39. Església de Sant Pere
This 12th-century Romanesque church is part of a 10th-century monastery, still in an excellent state of preservation. It's set on the town's main plaza, Sant Pere, with many cafés and terraces.
Pl. de Sant Pere s/n, Besalú, Catalonia, 17850, Spain -
40. Església de Sant Vicenç
Founded in 977, this pre-Romanesque gem contains the relics of St. Vincent as well as the tomb of its benefactor, Pere de Rovira. La Capella de la Veracreu (Chapel of the True Cross) displays a reproduction of an alleged fragment of the True Cross brought from Rome by Bernat Tallafer in 977 and stolen in 1899.
Pl. Sant Vicenç s/n, Besalú, Catalonia, 17850, Spain
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