The Costa Brava may be most famous for its beaches, but you could easily spend a week or more in these parts without dipping a toe in the water. There’s something here for pretty much everyone from turreted castles and grandiose Gothic cathedrals to water parks, wineries and spectacular coastal walking paths. This neck of the woods is also liberally peppered with some of the prettiest Medieval hilltop villages in Spain, complete with cobbled streets and plazas lined with cafés, independent boutiques and restaurants. The Costa Brava is likewise Dalí country and home to four museums dedicated to the Surrealist maestro.
For more Costa Brava inspiration, see our guide tohotels,restaurants,nightlife,beachesandscenic drives.
Find things to do by area
- Begur and the surrounding areas
- Cadaqués
- Girona
- Elsewhere on the Costa Brava
Begur and the surrounding area
Discover one of the prettiest towns on this stretch of coast
For one of the prettiest medieval towns on the Costa Brava,Beguris mercifully untouristy. The small, fortified, hilltop town, a few miles inland from the coves of Aiguablava, Aiguafreda and Tamariu, is entirely pedestrianised and makes for a lovely, leisurely day out. Amid the winding, cobbled streets, with their elegant colonial townhouses, are classy boutiques, bars and some excellent restaurants.
Insider tip: It’s a steep old climb to the castle ruins above the town, but it’s well worth it as the views are spectacular. Don’t however mistake the more complete single look-out tower on the way up for the castle.
Contact: visitbegur.cat
Price: Free
Cadaqués
Immerse yourself in Dalí’s world
Just outside Cadaqués, this whitewashed complex of converted fishermen’s cottages with beautiful sea views was Dali’s home (now the Salvador Dalí House Portlligat Museum) for some 50 years. As bonkers as you’d expect from anything to do with the artist, there’s a seven-foot-tall stuffed bear with a hand-held photo flash in its paw at the entrance. The rest of the house and garden is equally wacky, with a model of Michelangelo’s David sporting a fencing mask, and a Morrocan-tent-style den.
Insider tip: Do make sure you book ahead however as entrance is only via timed, pre-booked tickets.
Contact: salvadordali.org
Price: £
Climb high up into the clouds
Just 15 miles south of the French border, this extraordinarily craggy, wild, mountain-top promontory at Cap de Creus National Park takes you high up into the clouds on the eastern tip of the Spanish peninsula. It’s a fair old drive – not to mention a walk – up to the top from the Dalí House at Port Lligat but the views are more than worth the trek. You’ll feel like you’ve reached the top-of-the world, with little for miles except the squawks of seagulls circling above.
Insider tip:If you time your trip right, the bar and restaurant by the lighthouse at the top (Restaurant Cap de Creus) is perfect for watching the spectacular sunsets.
Contact: barcelonaturisme.com
Price: Free
Girona
Wander around an atmospheric Old Town
You could easily spend a weekend in the small inland city of Girona but the atmospheric medieval Old Town orbarri vell– home to the Girona Cathedral and Jewish Quarter – also makes for a great day trip. Stretching up from the eastern banks of the River Onyar, with its pastel coloured higgledy piggledy houses, this rambling warren of cobbled streets winds uphill and centres around theCall– one of the best preserved Jewish Quarters in Western Europe.
Insider tip: The vast Gothic Cathedral is impressive from the outside but it’s worth seeing the interior and adjoining museum. Also don’t miss the Jewish Museum (Centre Bonastruc ça Porta) and Arabic baths.
Contact: girona.cat
Price: Free
Elsewhere on the Costa Brava
Admire Greco-Roman ruins at an ancient city
Even if you’re not a particular fan of ancient ruins, the setting of Empúries, a mini-Pompeii alongside the Mediterranean is so spectacular that the views alone make it worthwhile. Just outside the seaside town of L’Escala, the vast remains of what was once a thriving Greek (and later Roman) town also happens to be one of the most important archaeological sites in Spain.
Insider tip: It’s lovely just to wander around with the pines and sea in the background but do look out for the amazingly intact floor mosaics and explanations in the mini-museum building alongside the ruins.
Contact: macempuries.cat
Price: £
Take in magnificent views of the coast at a botanical garden
The Cap Roig Botanical Gardens, just above the bay of Calella de Palafrugell, are laden with 1,000 species of exotic plants and flowers from around the world. Originally created as a private garden in the 1920s by English aristocrat Dorothy Webster and her Russian colonel husband, terraces cascade down to the beach and elegant steps are lined with tall cypresses. In summer, there’s a gorgeous scent of oleander and yellow sage.
Insider tip: For the best views of the coast, head for the Mirador de la Lady (Lady’s Viewing point) or The Cactus Garden. There’s also a major music festival here every summer.
Contact:fundacionlacaixa.org
Price: £
Pose in a stone archway
TheEmpordà, the countryside inland from the Costa Brava’s coastline, is peppered with walled medieval villages but Peratallada is one of the prettiest. Between La Bisbal to the west and Begur to the east, the stone archways are a photographer’s dream and there’s no shortage of cafés, restaurants, art galleries and shops, particularly on the Plaça de les Voltes, with its cloistered arcades and pretty plazas.
Insider tip:Leave your car and the 21st century behind as you cross the moat and wander into the winding cobbled streets. The narrow back streets beyond the main plaza also have some very good restaurants. L’Arc Vell (Plaça del Castell) is great for barbecued meats or Restaurant Bonayis similarly good for traditional local Catalan fare.
Contact:visitperatallada.cat
Price: Free
Make a splash at a water park
If you want a fun, action-packed, family day out but don’t fancy the beach, Aqua Brava Water Park, just south of Cadaqués, is perfect. There’s a choice of swimming pools for older children and adults as well as rides such as the Anaconda – a 250-yard rafting ride through tunnels as well as gardens, mazes and towers. For younger children, there’s a pirate ship on the 'Kids’ Lagoon'.
Insider tip: If you think you might go more than once it’s definitely worth getting a two-day or four-day ticket as they work out cheaper.
Contact: aquabrava.com
Price: ££
Surround yourself with Surrealist art
From its gold and pink façade, dotted with golden eggs and turd-like brown bread motifs to the equally fantastical interiors, the Dalí Theatre Museumis as surreal and theatrical as you would hope from the maestro of the bizarre. Inside you’ll find the Mae West room, complete with the 'lips' sofa, as well as a version of Michelangelo’s David, created from car tyres.
Insider tip: Unless however you want to spend ages in a queue, book tickets online in advance, as the museum is one of the most popular tourist draws on the Costa Brava.
Contact: salvador-dali.org
Price: ££
Visit an imposing 18th-century fortress
A short walk uphill from the Dalí Museum, Sant Ferran Castle is one of the largest in the world and has breathtaking views over the surrounding Empordá countryside and out to the coast. Built under the orders of renowned military engineer Juan Martin Cemeño, the castle took nearly forty years to build and was finally finished in 1792. The garrisons originally housed some 4000 soldiers and 500 horses.
Insider tip: Don’t miss the huge network of underground cistern canals, which you can see by dinghy if you book in advance.
Contact: castillosanfernando.org
Price: Free
Follow a coastal footpath
The Costa Brava was famously named after its wild and rugged coast, sinewing around pine-topped cliffs and rocks, and the Cami de Ronda path is the best way to see it. Miles of old coastal footpaths used for centuries by fishermen and coastal look-out patrols stretch from Portbou nearCadaqués at the upper northern tip of the region to Blanes in the south.
Insider tip: The walk between Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell is especially lovely and takes in secretive smugglers’ coves and wonderful flora and fauna, while north of S’Agaró you’ll pass cranes, spectacular viewing points and porticoed 1930s millionaire’s mansions.
Contact: visitpalafrugell.cat
Price: Free
Taste some of the region's best wines
TheEmpordá has been a major wine producing area since Roman times and is still home to nearly thirty wineries. One of the largest and most significant estates is Castillo Perelada Winery, in the small village of Perelada.The new winery, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects RCR, hosts cellar tours with tastings. They can also arrange visits to their vineyards.
Insider tip: Finca Garbet on the coast is especially striking but if you’re going in summer, be sure to book a couple of months ahead.
Contact: perelada.com
Price: ££
Revisit the toys of yesteryear
Just off the leafy Rambla boulevard in the heart of the small town of Figueres, the wonderful Toy Museum of Catalonia is considered one of the world’s top toy museums. Featuring everything from analogue train sets, 19th century toy theatres, puppets, porcelain dolls and mechanical toys, as well as zoetropes, magic lanterns, tin toys and robots, the displays are a delight for adults and children alike. Don’t miss Salvador Dalí’s teddy bear and the 1920s string-activated model car inspired by the legendary Bugatti T35.
Insider tip: If you’re travelling with children, look out for the free activity sheets.
Contact: mjc.cat
Price:Free admission
Explore Dalí’s life in the house where he was born
The latest addition to the Dalí Museums around the Costa Brava, the Casa Natal Dalí takes you on a lavish, audio-visual immersive tour of the maverick surrealist’s life in the house where he was born. Starting on the ground floor of the grand, 19th century building, the one hour-long, narrated tour starts off with early Dalí artworks and the remarkably unchanged, first floor apartment where Dalí’s family lived. Elsewhere expect floor to ceiling images and a hologram of an actor playing Dalí’s notary father, as well as films, photographs and mirrored, kaleidoscopic panels.
Insider tip: The museum can get busy, so if you want to avoid hanging around for a time slot, book your tickets ahead via the museum’s website.
Contact: casanataldali.cat
Price:££
See the sea from a different view point
One of the Costa Brava’s main attractions is the gloriously, teal-toned, crystal clear water around its coastline and there are few better ways to see it up close than from a glass-bottomed boat. Starting out from the coastal resort of L’Estartit, just off the coast from the Medes Islands– a cluster of giant limestone rocks jutting out like craggy pyramids from the Mediterranean– there are various routes on offer. Sit out on deck as you gently zig zag around smugglers’ coves and through the islands before the big reveal downstairs where you’ll see fish creatures big and small in what feels like a moving aquarium.
Insider tip: Be sure to arrive early for your trip so you can bag the best view waterside seats on deck.
Contact: nautilus.es
Opening times: Mar-Nov
Price:££
How we choose
Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.
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