Hi,

Am planning a trip to the Costa Brava in 2009, probably spring or Sept. Will be renting a home for about 10, and would like it to be in an area far from the madding crowd. Any suggestions?

Here is my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35086408

jherbert123,
If it were my trip, I would look at rentals in the Baix Empordá, either in the Begur-Aiguablava area if you want to be near the water, or the Monells-Ullastret-Peratallada-Pals medieval villages area of the Baix Empordá, if you want a kind of Tuscan landscape. This northern section of the coast is the area that most captivates us, that offers the easiest and most interesting touring routes and the prettiest scenery, for our money, at least.

Maribel's advice is spot on. Lot's of very nice daytrips are possible too - Girona, Empuries, Figueres, Brisbal de Empordá & Roses etc.

Ian

I now live in Italy and I love the Costa Brava, and I hope to return again soon. But there is only a minimal resemblance between the small towns of the Baix Empordá and the small towns of Tuscany. I often see this comparison made, not just by Maribel, and I think it's not really apt, and potentially misleading.

I found it very enjoyable to visit the many interesting small towns in Catalonia. But they are not Italian in feeling, art, architecture, vista, agriculture, or social organization, nor are they densely clustered, nor are all that many on hills!

The classic Tuscan landscape and experience is just not to be had in Spain, although the rugged foothills of the Pyrenees do offer very pretty scenery.

Most of all, if by Costa Brava you mean the coast, then getting to the water from many of these places does resemble being in Tuscany in this way: getting to the water is not easy. If you want a beach vacation, you should rent in a seaside town.

On the sea itself, Cadaques and Calella da Palafrugell are tourist/artist towns but both are favored by being tucked away on somewhat inconvenient roads. Because they retain the whitewashed charm of the historic Costa Brava, with little modern development, they are popular with people who appreciate them, but their limited road and public transport access deters most of the worst of the mass tourism.

You might check them out.

I think Roses and Figueras are probably just what you want to avoid.

I found the small Rough Guide to the Costa Brava to contain the most accurate and exhaustive descriptions of the individual towns of entire area, inland and on the coast, and I highly recommend it.

"On the sea itself, Cadaques and Calella da Palafrugell are tourist/artist towns but both are favored by being tucked away on somewhat inconvenient roads. Because they retain the whitewashed charm of the historic Costa Brava, with little modern development, they are popular with people who appreciate them, but their limited road and public transport access deters most of the worst of the mass tourism".


It must have been a long time since you last were in Calella and Cadaques. The coast is literally swarming with people in July and August and winding roads do not deter anyone from going.

The OP says she will be there in spring or September so it should not be so bad.

I don't think Maribel was refering to architecture, art, agriculture and social organization. She only mentioned the landscape of Baix Emporda which definitely has a kind of Tuscan air and I agree with her.

Yes, jherbert,
I was only referring to the landscape, nothing more.

We had been to Cadaques in April last year, and it was not crowded at all.

Thanks to Salvador Dali who had the power to convince the city fathers not to erect high-rise buildings in his beloved home-town, Cadaques has very limited hotel capacities, in fact not much more than two moderately sized 3-star-hotels at both edges of town.

We found it very convenient to stay in Cadaques, because you leave the town in the morning for daytrips (when the tourist buses are coming from the opposite direction) and you return in the afternoon (after the tourist buses have left). We enjoyed strolling along the beach and through tiny lanes in the evenings.

Of course, things are different in July and August. But in spring or September, Cadaques will be nice. (In September, the sea is still warm enough for swimming.)

Just 2 hotels in Cadaquès ?

http://www.locations-vacances-costab...ues/hotels.php

I think if you are renting a home for ten days in September (I was there in May three years ago) and are not planning a lot of day trips using the roads in and out, Cadaques and Calella da Palafrugell are still better choices than many other town right on the beach in the Costa Brava for being away from the worst development and the "madding crowds." But they are towns that attract crowds who want to use the beaches in hot weather.

As for the Monells-Ullastret-Peratallada-Pals medieval villages area of the Baix Empordá resembling a Tuscan landscape, I'm curious as to what part of Tuscany is the basis for the comparison.

Zeppole

Let’s compare:

Quaint medieval villages – Tuscany: yes; Baix Emporadà: yes
Hill towns - Tuscany: many; Baix Emporadà: some
Local wine - Tuscany: yes & delicious too; Baix Emporadà: not really, stick to Rioja
Beautiful sweeping vistas - Tuscany: yes; Baix Emporadà: you bet
The sea - Tuscany: a bit of a drive from everything else; Baix Emporadà: never far
Great local food - Tuscany: yes; Baix Emporadà: ah . . . yeah
Roman/Greek ruins - Tuscany: of course; Baix Emporadà: Empuries – say no more
Mobbed during summer – Tuscany: pretty much; Baix Emporadà: certainly is

So they are not ‘identical’ but of very similar flavor. Both deserve savoring.

Ian

Ian,

As I said right off the bat, I am a huge fan of Baix Emporda. So "savoring" is not the issue.

Those medieval villages just sort of jump right out at you, wouldn't you say, as the reason people might be inclined to liken Tuscany to Baix Empordaa?

And yet, read the above posts. I was told, when I questioned it, that the basis for the comparison was the landscape, which I find even more puzzling. Baix Emporada is not the rolling hills of Tuscan legend, and it has dense green, wild vegetation and expansive natural parks -- both of which you have to really hunt for in the famed parts of long-settled, long-cultivated Tuscany where the tourists want to go.

I was thinking as I was walking home today that if somebody said to me: "You know, I went to Baix Emporda and it reminded me of Lazio" -- I'd reply, "Yeah, I can see that."

Surely it's true that if somebody put up a post on Fodor's saying: "Everybody goes to Tuscany but I don't want the crowds, so I'm going to Lazio" -- there would be a stampede of people rushing in to warn that Lazio is NOT the same in feeling as Tuscany -- despite checking all your boxes of Tuscany/Baix Emporda basics.

When most people hear about a Tuscan landscape, they're conjuring an image of rolling hills covered with vinyards. When they hear about Tuscan towns, they are thinking not merely of medieval stone villages, they are thinking of an incredible density of church and Reniassance architecture in a small cities and towns, whose interiors are rich with high art, an extravaganza of decoration. They are also talking about an Italian lifestyle of informality and family-welcoming and acceptance of all which is quite different from the more formal and reserved culture of Spain.

I avoid Tuscany because it is so overtouristed, and the landscape is so overcultivated with vinyards, I don't think it has the satisfactions of discovery and adventure that Baix Emporada.

But if someone said to me "I'd like the feeling of Tuscany without all the tourists," I'd never send them to Baix Emporada, despite the wine, the stone villages, the beautiful views. Never. I'd send them to several places in Italy, and guess what? Maybe even in France, with a lot of caveats -- but still, if you want to do a lot of day trips to charming tourist-friendly hilltowns and vine-related villages, there are whole swaths of France that do that well.

But Baix Emporada is really not that. Not only are the sights way too spread out, the parts you list don't make the same whole, and the attempt to encourage tourism there by likening it to a Tuscan experience is one I really question as advice to travellers who really know very little about Catalonia. I think it's setting them up with the wrong expectations.

Actually, Ian, you had me going there for a second:

The correct spelling is Baix Empordá. I followed you into multiple error!

Zeppole

Just because Baix Emporda doesn't remind you of Tuscany doesn't mean that it doesn't remind other people ! I don't see the point in argueing.
Emporda is called by the locals "la toscana empurdanesa". Maybe there is a reason for it?

We have been to both Cadaques and Calella de Palafrugell and whilst they are both beautiful we found the road to Cadaques to be extremely twisty and quite scary which put us off doing daytrips. The road to Calella is much better and we found the town to be very charming and unrelatively unspoilt, with many whitewashed buildings reminding us of a Greek village. We were there the first week of Sept. 2007 and it was certainly not crowded. There are some very nice coastal walks in the area, the easy clifftop walk between Calella and Llafranc is very picturesque. The medieval villages mentioned in the previous posts are all easy drives for daytrips. Hope this helps.

Fair enough, zeppole. All said, Costa Brava is a great destination.

Ian

Hi Forumites,

I never got to thank you all for your great advice. This trip, because of illness, had to be postponed. Now we are going to visit Costa Brava in September-October, and stay in mostly paradors. I have inquired about these in the area in another post, and again, got some great responses. There are some very knowledgeable and articulate travelers on this site. Thanks again.

Jim