Must-see attractions in Costa Brava

  • Salvador Dali museum

    Teatre-Museu Dalí

    Figueres

    The first name that pops into your head when you lay eyes on this red castle-like building, topped with giant eggs and stylised Oscar-like statues and…

  • Casa Museu Dalí

    Cadaqués

    Overlooking a peaceful cove in Port Lligat, a tiny fishing settlement 1km northeast of Cadaqués, this magnificent seaside complex was the residence and…

  • Greco-Roman archaeological sites of Ampurias (Empuries) in the Gulf of Roses, Catalonia, Spain.

    Empúries

    Costa Brava

    The evocative seaside archaeological site of Empúries, 1.5km northwest of central L'Escala, immerses you in a strategic Greek, and later Roman, trading…

  • Castell de Pubol.

    Castell de Púbol

    Palafrugell & Around

    If you’re intrigued by artist Salvador Dalí, the Castell de Púbol is an essential piece of the puzzle. Between Girona and Palafrugell (22km northwest of…

  • Girona cathedral facade with statues in a beautiful summer day, Catalonia, Spain.

    Catedral de Girona

    Girona

    Towering over a flight of 86 steps rising from Plaça de la Catedral, Girona's imposing cathedral is far more ancient than its billowing baroque facade…

  • Natural Reserve of Illes Medes near L'Estartit, Spain.

    Illes Medes

    Costa Brava

    The allure of the Illes Medes, seven islets off L'Estartit beach, lies in their range of depths (down to 50m), kaleidoscopic marine life, and underwater…

  • The Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes.

    Monestir de Sant Pere de Rodes

    Costa Brava

    Views of distant Pyrenean peaks and the deep-blue Mediterranean combine with a spectacular piece of Romanesque architecture at this hillside monastery,…

  • Museu d’Història dels Jueus

    Girona

    Until 1492, Girona was home to Catalonia’s second-most important medieval Jewish community, after Barcelona, and one of the country's finest Jewish…

  • Cap de Sant Sebastià

    Palafrugell & Around

    The magical promontory framing the eastern end of Llafranc offers fabulous views in both directions and out to sea. It hosts an 1857 lighthouse, home to…

  • Pont Fortificat

    Costa Brava

    Besalú’s fortified stone bridge is so old, it strains memory. The first records of the bridge date to 1075, though periodic modifications have bolstered…

  • Torre Gironella

    Girona

    Climb to the top of this old stone tower for a staggering view over Girona.

  • Monastery, romanesque style, Monestir Sant Pere de Galligants, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.

    Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants

    Girona

    This beautiful 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque Benedectine monastery has a sublime bell tower and a splendid cloister featuring otherworldly animals and…

  • Museu Memorial de l'Exili

    Costa Brava

    Anyone familiar with Picasso’s Guernica has an insight into the horror of civilian suffering during the Spanish Civil War. This thought-provoking museum…

  • Museu d’Art de Girona

    Girona

    Next to the cathedral, in the 12th- to 16th-century Palau Episcopal, this art gallery impresses with the scale and variety of its collection. Around 8500…

  • Museu de l’Empordà

    Figueres

    Extending over four floors, the local museum time travels from ancient amphorae to 7th-century sculptures to rotating installations of contemporary art…

  • Muralles de Girona

    Girona

    A walk along Girona’s majestic medieval walls is a wonderful way to soak up the city landscape. There are several access points, including a lane east of…

  • Basílica de Sant Feliu

    Girona

    Just downhill from the cathedral stands Girona’s second great church, with its landmark truncated bell tower. The nave is majestic with Gothic ribbed…

  • Castell de Sant Ferran

    Figueres

    Figueres' sturdy 18th-century fortress commands the surrounding plains from a low hill 1km northwest of the centre. The complex is a wonder of military…

  • Museu d’Història de Girona

    Girona

    Eighteenth-century cloisters lend an appropriately antique feel to this journey from Roman Girona to medieval times to the present day. The museum's…

  • Basílica de Santa María

    Costa Brava

    This broad church seizes attention with its Romanesque tower, intricately carved portal, and a delicate sculpture on its tympanum (above the main entrance…

  • Cementiri Modernista

    Costa Brava

    Even if you aren't usually lured by the dark side, Lloret de Mar's extraordinary 1901 cemetery feels more like a Modernista sculpture gallery than a…

  • Museu del Joguet

    Figueres

    This museum has more than 5000 toys from throughout the ages – from the earliest board games involving coloured stones, to intricate dolls’ houses, to…

  • Museu del Cinema

    Girona

    There's much more to this entrancing museum than the silver screen. Displays examine why humanity longs to indulge its imagination, probing the origins of…

  • Banys Àrabs

    Girona

    Although modelled on earlier Islamic and Roman bathhouses, the Banys Àrabs are a finely preserved, 12th-century Christian affair in Romanesque style …

  • Jardins de Cap Roig

    Calella de Palafrugell

    Atop Cap Roig, 2km southwest of Calella, these beautiful botanical gardens contain approximately 1000 floral species, set around the early-20th-century…

  • Castell de Begur

    Palafrugell & Around

    There is little to explore aside from the ragged ruins of this medieval castle, still in much the same state as when it was wrecked by Spanish troops to…

  • Platja Fonda

    Palafrugell & Around

    From just northeast of Fornells' car park (4km south of Begur), stone stairs lead down to signposted Platja Fonda, a slate-grey pebbly beach that lures…

  • Cala de Sa Tuna

    Palafrugell & Around

    The finely pebbled beach of Sa Tuna sits in a small cove 3km east of Begur, fringed by now-remodelled fishers' houses. There are restaurants and parking,…

  • Cala d'Aiguafreda

    Palafrugell & Around

    Around 4.5km northeast of Begur you'll find this tiny, divine rocky cove, where trails fringed by pine trees stretch around a headland. It’s more a…

  • Platja de Sa Riera

    Palafrugell & Around

    The fine beach fronting Sa Riera, 3km northeast of Begur, has russet sands and a couple of cafes. A 40-minute, 2.5km walking path leads here from Begur.

  • Jardins dels Alemanys

    Girona

    Rustic gardens with the ruins of some old walls that were once used as barracks by German soldiers during the Peninsular War in the 19th century.

  • Jewish Square

    Costa Brava

    Besalú’s thriving Jewish community fled the town in 1436 after relentless Christian persecution. It left behind a 12th-century riverside miqvé (ritual…

  • Museu del Suro

    Palafrugell & Around

    This surprisingly large, modern museum within a 20th-century factory has audiovisual displays detailing Catalonia's cork industry. Cutting and branding…

  • Micromundi

    Costa Brava

    Prepare to squint with increasing intensity as you enter this peculiar 2000-item museum. Peer through a magnifying glass at jewellery, figurines and tiny…

  • Monestir de Sant Feliu de Guíxols

    Costa Brava

    Sant Feliu de Guíxols' Benedictine monastery dates to the 10th century, though later periods endowed it with a baroque building that now houses the local…

  • Castell de Montgrí

    Costa Brava

    The Castell de Montgrí was built between 1294 and 1301 for King Jaume II, during his efforts to bring to heel the disobedient counts of Empúries, to the…

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