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9 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting the Costa Brava

Costa Brava, Spain
Costa Brava, Spain | Photo by Ferran Feixas on Unsplash

The Costa Brava is the coastal area which runs all the way from just above the city of Barcelona to the French border. It’s characterised by cute little towns and villages, rugged rocky coastlines, mountainous peaks and stunning beaches, bays and inlets. Here are the things you need to know before you visit Costa Brava.

It's a large area

Natural Feature

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Photo by Michael Cadieux on Unsplash

The Costa Brava makes up a large part of the Spanish region of Catalonia. It runs all the way from the French border down to the province of Barcelona. It also extends west from the coastline, encompassing some of the interior villages and towns along the way.

To make the most of your trip in Costa Brava and explore the beautiful coastline via kayak during a full day tour with snorkelling, cliff jumping and lunch included.

You really need a car to explore it properly

Natural Feature

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Photo by Oriol Pascual on Unsplash

You can get to some places in the Costa Brava by bus, but the routes are not very extensive and journeys are long – stopping in all the small towns along the way. Many of the tiny villages and hidden coves cannot even be reached by public transport at all, so if you really want to see the best of the Costa Brava, it’s best to hire a car.

Dalí country

Museum

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Photo by Sergey Mind on Unsplash

One of the Costa Brava’s most famous former residents is the eccentric artist Salvador Dalí. Dalí was born in the town of Figueres, around 43km north of Girona. Today, this is also where you’ll find one of his most celebrated and arguably his best museums – The Dalí Theatre Museum. At the same time, this museum is a great part of the Costa Brava culture history. Converted from a former theatre by Dali himself, it’s home to some of his most famous works. Other Dalí spots you can find in the Costa Brava include his quirky summer home in Portlligat, close to the town of Cadaqués, and his castle in the town of Púbol.

Full of quaint historic villages

Architectural Landmark

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Photo by Manuel Torres Garcia on Unsplash

The area in and around the Costa Brava is dotted with many charming towns and villages. Some of the best you need to visit include the medieval town of Besalú, the beautiful hilltop town of Begur with its castle, the artsy white-washed town of Cadaqués and the coastal villages of Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc. These attractions give a glimpse into the history of Costa Brava.

Girona is the gateway to the Costa Brava

Architectural Landmark, Historical Landmark

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Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash
Girona is like the capital and the gateway of the Costa Brava region. If you don’t want to take the two or three hour bus journey up from Barcelona, you can always fly straight into Girona Airport. Girona also makes for a great base to spend a few days before or after your Costa Brava holiday. It has many interesting historic sights, from a large cathedral and monasteries to a city wall, ancient Arabic Baths and a maze-like Jewish Quarter.

It's home to an array of interesting museums

Cinema, Museum

The area has an interesting collection of museums where you can discover all manner of weird and wonderful things and be able to look into Costa Brava culture history. Visit the Cinema Museum (Museu del Cinema) in Girona to find out all about the moving image, or the fascinating Cork Museum in Palafrugell (Museu del Suro). Or how about a visit to the Museum of Dolls (Museo de la Muñeca) in Castell d’Aro with the kids? There’s even a Museum of Jam (Museu de la Confitura) in the village of Torrent.

They speak Catalan here

Natural Feature

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Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash
The Costa Brava is part of Catalonia, so you’ll find of course that Catalan is spoken among the locals, rather than Spanish. It’s also a great place to learn more about Catalan culture, heritage and architecture. Almost everyone will understand Spanish though, so if you do speak some, you’ll still be able to use it. Learning a few words in Catalan will go a long way though.

The interior is filled with mountains and natural parks

Natural Feature, Park

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Photo by Laia Núñez on Unsplash

West of the coastal area of the Costa Brava, the area is filled with soaring mountains, valleys and stunning natural parks. It’s a great area for hiking and mountain biking especially. Some of the best areas include the Montseny Mountain Range, the Cap de Creus National Park and La Garrotxa Natural Park – filled with ancient volcanoes.

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