jessuhler

I'm joining my husband for a quick trip to Barcelona (he'll be there working and the hotel is covered, so why not?) We have the chance for an overnight trip outside of the city. We will most likely rent a car so we can spend a little time in multiple towns. This will be a weekday at the end of June.

My question is where to go and where to stay. I'm really excited to escape the crowds of Barcelona (not my favorite) and would love someplace relaxing, charming, picturesque. I envision a little beach time, maybe some nice seaside hikes or walks, definitely delicious food and wine, and some unique shopping.

My top contenders are Tossa De Mar, Begur, Sigues, and Calella de Palafrugell. Ideally I don't want to be driving too long since we don't have a lot of time, so closer to Barcelona might be better. Perhaps we train?

Would love any input on these places and best quaint hotels, other villages to stop and see. I've loved reading some of the trip reports that I can find! Researching this has only made me want to spend more time on the CB

Thank you

magsrose

Hi jessuhler , I spent five days on the Costa Brava last month. Highly recommend Maribel's Guide, which I learned of through this forum: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://www.maribelsguides.com/mg_costa_brava.pdf
My friend and I enjoyed Tossa de Mar for a few hours, but can't speak to restaurants and accommodations there. There were plenty of fun shops to pop in and out of, and the beach, fort, and old town were stunning. I recommend it as a day visit on your way to Begur or Calella de Palafrugell.
I didn't visit Sigues, so can't speak to that.
Begur would be an excellent area to spend a couple days. Sa Tuna was my favorite beach--so beautiful! If I'd had more time, I would have liked to explore some of the coastline hikes we could see from the beach. There are many highly recommended restaurants in that area. I noticed some shops in Begur, but nothing really stood out to me.
We got a taste of Palafrugell and Llfranc, and if I have a chance to go back to Barcelona and the Costa Brava, that is for sure the area I will be returning to. The highlights for us were the small section of the Cami de Ronda that led to Platja del Golfet and a visit to the Jardins de Cap Roig. I want to experience the rest of Palafrugell and Llfranc, including the beaches, food, and shopping!

jessuhler

Thank you so much! That's really helpful. Maybe Begur would be the best place for accommodations and we can make stops along the way. I've read several places that Sa Tuna ins really lovely, so I for sure want to check that out. And thanks for that trip report- will definitely check it out!

Rubicund

Tossa has a wide range of hotels to suit most budgets and a good choice of restaurants. The old town is lovely and the beaches are good too.

jpie

If I am going by car we love Roses for its long flat promenade filled with restaurants and its extensive shallow beach. And then you might have time visit the nearby Dali museum. Alternatively it is a a two and half trip on public transport. It might be too far for what you are thinking about however.

But if really all you want is just an overnight easy train trip and nice restaurants by the beach you might consider just hoping the public transport to Castelldefels which is only around 25 minutes away and a really nice little area for a day.

bchappy

Circling back to this as i found all the info really helpful in planning our trip in June 2024. Wondering if the OP has anything specific report about the decisions made of where to stay. We are debating between Begur and Llafranc and possible Parafrugell and soaking up all the insights we can get from people who have been at a similar time of year.

Maribel

bchappy,
I love Begur (and the cove beach at Aiguablava down the hill).
Begur a truly beautiful, elegant catalán town with upscale shops and very nice boutique hotels and filled lovely Indiano mansions (indianos=the locals who emigrated to Cuba and returned with their fortunes and built opulent homes to display their newly amassed wealth, with palm trees in the front garden).
For me it´s a step above in terms of overall nice atmosphere from the others.

Tossa has a lovely medieval quarter but can get very, very crowded in the summer and attracts a lot of packed tour groups precisely because of its long, expansive, sandy beaches, but maybe less crowded in early June than July/August. I recommend Tossa as a day visit from Begur and the road down from S'Agaró, the GI-682,, while consisting of countless bends, is truly a stunning drive along the Med, one of the most impressive. My friend from Long Island did remark when we reached Tossa: "now, THIS is a beach!" She didn't like the pebbles of Cadaqués.

Llafranc is also very attractive and is actually on the sea, with pleasant family-run hotels and a nice beach promenade, while the hill town of Begur sits above the Med.

bchappy

Thank you ever so much Maribel! I read your guide and it was tremendously helpful. We have found a lovely apartment just a 5 min walk from the Platja Sa Riera (guess this is the northern part of Begur) and getting excited to plan some adventures! Thanks for all your advice! I'm sure i"ll have more questions but I find everyone else's posts super helpful so I'll start there!

HappyTrvlr

We stayed in the Parador in Begur and recommend it!

TomAvella

Calella is really wortg a visit, and Tossa de Mar too

Maribel

Just so there’s no confusion, there are 2 Calellas in Catalunya, the much larger and built up Calella in the Maresme, close to Barcelona, and the picturesque Calella de Palafrugell on the northern Costa Brava in the Empordà, which is reminiscent to me of a small, whitewashed Aegean village.