Costa Brava

Breaking the waves near Barcelona

Costa Brava tickets - Discover the Costa Brava!

Only 84 € per person
Book now 

If you're going to stay in Barcelona for a while, you should know that there is a wild paradise nearby. You can relax in the sandy beaches of Barcelona, or you can decide to go a bit up north, towards Girona, and start enjoying a very different landscape.

Do you know what Costa Brava means? It literally means "wild coast" in Catalan, which gives you a clue on what's the nature of the landscape in the area. Wide beaches full of sand are part of the south of Catalonia: in the north, be ready for beautiful cliffs and wild waves, to rocky and reddish beaches... and hidden bays and paradises that you can be lucky enough to discover. The name Costa Brava is quite new, though, since it was first used by Catalan journalist Ferran Agulló in 1908, who coined it to describe the sharp landscape of the area. However, even if it started being used to name that area, that term had been widely used among seamen and fishermen much before that.

Keep reading to find out which are the best spots in the Costa Brava, and to find out how to get Costa Brava online tickets with GowithOh!

An impressive landscape with uncanny winds

The Costa Brava is the northern part of the Mediterranean coast in Catalonia ?exactly it goes from a town called Blanes to another one called Portbou, which is actually in the border of Catalonia and France, which means that it isn't in the province of Barcelona. It's the shore of the province of Girona and it's about 214 km long. More than 200 km full of cliffs and rocky beaches, wild waves and a beautiful contrast between the green of the mountains and the trees and the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea. There are sand beaches as well, but the sand is different from the yellow-brownish ones of Barcelona or the golden one of Tarragona's Costa Daurada. The sand of the Costa Brava is reddish and thick, like tiny pebbles.

The Costa Brava has several natural parks, like the beautiful Cap de Creus, a cape so pronounced that could even be considered a small peninsula, where you will find towns as beautiful as Roses or Cadaqués. Nearby you will find a very different landscape too, the Natural Park of the Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, a beautiful protected swampland where you will be able to see all sorts of birds. A bit more towards the south, next to L'Estartit, you will find the Medes Islands, a cluster of tiny, rocky islands that are also protected.

But, when talking about the geography of the area, there is something else that must be mentioned, as it is a very important part of the imaginary of Catalonia, and has inspired artists and writers and enriched Catalan culture as well. We're referring to the tramuntana (tramontane in English), a strong and cold wind of polar origin that blows from the north, usually when the sky is clear and blue. While it is not exclusive to Catalunya, it is particularly strong in the area of the Costa Brava, and a whole mythology was created around it. According to the legends, the wind was so strong that could affect the personality of the locals and even drive them insane. Much has been said about the tramuntana, in scientific papers and articles, in art and literature. Salvador Dalí himself was inspired by it. We don't know how much truth there is in the myth, but the tramuntana is definitely poetic, an an important part in the culture of the Costa Brava.

  • 12 hours
  • 5.094.073