Hello All - Myself, wife, and two children aged 1.5 and 4.5 will be traveling to Spain in September. Our trip will be 9 days. We are in the very infancy of our plan but we will likely be flying in and out of Barcelona. We spent a considerable time in Barcelona two years ago without children so will mostly want to just revisit some of our favorite places and anything big we missed previously We would then rent a car and drive to Costa Brava. My wife has her heart set on Roses but I wanted to see what the experts thought of spending 6-7 days in Roses or possibly somewhere else. Our children are generally very well behaved and we usually take them along with us for most activities as long as it is safe. I guess my questions are:

1. What are your thoughts on Costa Brava in September?
2. Is Roses an ideal location as a base or should we look elsewhere?
3. Are there any "must dos" in this area that we won't read about in our travel book (which was ordered today)?
4. Is there anything we should know?

Thank you,
Jeremy

I'm assuming that you are aware that September is still high season on the Costa Brava. If not, then you need to find our what's available for your dates. I would check to see if the Parador de Aiguablava is open (https://www.parador.es/en/paradores/...-de-aiguablava). It's been closed for renovation, but is supposed to be open in time for the summer season

In addition to your travel book, a good source of infomation about the area would be Maribl's Guides and Costa Brava Tourisme (https://visitemporda.com/ca/).



Parador de Aiquablava

We will likely rent something through VRBO or AIRBNB, but I assumed it would be less crowded towards the end of September? My initial readings suggested that fall is relatively calm tourism-wise.

It is a little less hectic toward the end of the month. Just check to see what's available.

I have not been to Roses, but I can briefly describe our trip to Costa Brava. We spent one night in Cadaques and 2 nights in Girona, so we had a shorter visit than you. We loved both places but we were traveling with our adult children at the time, no young children. We stopped in Tossa de Mar along the way to Cadaques, which is beautiful. Tossa has a gorgeous walled medieval town with lovely landscaping and is situated on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. Then we stopped for lunch in S'Agaro; ate at a restaurant directly across the street from the Mediterranean. Stopped at Callela Palagrugell, a quiet fishing village with a beach. While in Cadaques, we visited Dali's house in Port Lligat. It's quirky and fun and was a highlight of our trip. You need to make reservations in advance because they only allow about 8 people at a time. Drove to Cap de Creus, a natural park with rosemary, olives trees, a lighthouse, and views of the sea. Cadaques has a nice beach for the children. We were there in mid-October, and it was quiet. There is a monastery near Cadaques, but we didn't have time to go there. IIRC, Roses is not too far from Cadaques.

In Girona, we walked the walls, visited an old church, and an art museum. You can also drive to Besalu from Girona. Besalu is known for its Jewish Baths and stunning medieval fortified bridge. Hope this helps.

Thank you! We actually spent some time in Besalu last time we were in Barcelona and found it wonderful. I will check out Cadaques! Thank you.

We were in the Costa Brava for a day trip tour in mid September a couple of years ago. During the day, people were on the beaches, weather was warm but not hot. Very nice area and we saw lots of families with young children. It is still fairly crowded.

I think September is the best time for Costa Brava. Still summer-ish feeling and much fewer people (although still partially high-season). Roses is a bit too north to make it the only location from where you'd make trips. I'd prefer the region around Pals, Begur, and Palafrugell. But you should visit Roses for sure. If you need help with family-friendly hotels - here is a good guide. I've stayed in several hotels myself that are listed there.

Tossa de Mar would be a nice place to stay with small kids. We also stayed in Calella de Palafrugell - which had nice coves that would be safe for little ones. Both were quite quiet in September. I'm not sure if you're susceptible to mosquitoes but I always, always get badly bitten on the Costa Brava (they leave my husband alone!) so bring the repellent. Barcelona has a spectacular festival at the end of September - La Mercé - which is loads of fun but something to bear in mind if you were thinking of visiting there. The city fills up very quickly.

Thanks for reporting back!

So glad you enjoyed Begur, our favorite spot on the northern Costa Brava!