The Costa Brava (Wild Coast) is a 160 km stretch of beautiful, rugged coastline in Catalonia region, in the north east corner of Spain. The Costa Brava stretches from Blanes, north of Barcelona, to Roses near the French border.

Costa Brava

Not only does the Costa Brava have many beautiful beaches, it also has unspoilt fishing villages, sheltered rocky coves and medieval towns complete with ancient castles, making it a favourite choice for holidays since the 1960′s.

The regional capital of Barcelona is home to the Pablo Picasso museum, Olympic village and world-famous La Rambla boulevard.
The Salvador Dali museum at Figueres is a popular tourist attraction, along with the Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat, which is located high on

Benedictine Monastery Montserrat

 some extraordinary rock formations in the mountains to the north west of Barcelona.

Popular with families is Europe’s biggest water park which is found just outside Lloret de Mar and the Marineland complex near Blanes, with its dolphin, sea lion and parrot shows, water slides, reptile house and children’s zoo.

The old fishing port of Roses is the biggest resort on the northern stretch of the Costa Brava, located 30 kms from the French border. It is situated at the north eastern end of the wide, sweeping Bay of Roses.

Cadaques street

Cadaques is just a short drive north of Roses and is one of the most unspoilt spots on the whole of this coastal stretch.

South of Roses is the resort of Estartit where you will find a traditional Spanish fishing harbour and a modern yacht marina. This is a fairly quiet resort, overlooking the archipelago of seven Medes Islands which is one of the most important nature and marine reserves in the western Mediterranean.

The next resort to the south is Tossa de Mar. The Hollywood film ‘The Flying Dutchman’, starring Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra, was shot here in the 50′s. A statue of the actress was erected in the old town in honour of her stay here.

Villa Vella

This part of the coastline has 14 kms of tourist beaches and coves and also an historic old quarter, the Villa Vella, with its ancient defence walls and towers still in tact.

The popular beach resort of Blanes is the southernmost point of the Costa Brava, although the resorts of Santa Susanna and Calella, to the south of Blanes, are often referred to as part of the Costa Brava but they are actually part of the Costa Maresme.

CLIMATE
The average temperature on the Costa Brava is around 22C, with temperatures in the summer months often reaching 30C, with up to 12 hours of sunshine a day. During the peak season (July and August) the weather is hot and humid. The best time to visit is in May or June when the temperature is around 23C and there are fewer visitors. During the winter there is still an average 6 hours sunshine a day, although the temperatures drop to 16C.