Costa Brava Holidays

The Costa Brava was one of the first areas of Spain to be opened up as a holiday destination and it remains popular to this day. Literally meaning Brave Coast, the area is the coastal area to the north of Barcelona.

The coast line is a mixture of rugged cliffs, winding hill roads and of course sandy beaches. There are a large number of attractions in the region with water parks, go karts and the ever popular boat cruises.

The most lively resort is Lloret de Mar . It has a good sandy beach with a good sea front lined with shops, bars and restaurants. In the evening Llloret comes into its own and there are a number of late bars and clubs that attract the 18-30 crowd. Lloret also has water parks, go carts and other attractions. In terms of accommodation, there are a large number of hotels to suit all budgets and the Camping Tucan holiday park. There area also a large number of villas and apartments to let.

Other resorts include Blanes which again has a good beach and sea front. Overall it is a quieter resort than Lloret de Mar, but certainly has a good selection of hotels and facilities to keep you entertained.

North of Lloret is Tossa de Mar which is a lot more relaxed in character. Tossa is known for its Castle on the beach and it has retained more of its original character with some winding narrow streets, with small souvenir shops and alfresco restaurants .

Roses is the resort to the far North of the Costa Brava near the French border. Like other resorts, Roses is built around a working fishing port and has a good beach and a relatively new water based marina / housing development.

There are a number of historical sites of interest in the Costa Brava area. The town of Empuries was founded by the Greeks and was later used by the Romans. It is a large site that is still being researched and when you walk around it, it is easy to picture how it must have been thousands of years ago.See the picture below

Other authentic 'Spanish' towns include Pals. It is a small medieval hillside town wrapped around a modest church with remnants of its city walls. It is well preserved and maintained and has a very special atmosphere.

Also of special interest is the town of Figueres which houses the former home and now museum of the late Salvador Dali. Although some might question some modern art. Dali is a cut above and this can be seen in the skill of his traditional techniques. He is best known for his surrealism and this is a must see exhibition for anyone with a vague interest in modern art.