Costa Brava road trip from Barcelona

When we think of summer in Spain, our minds immediately transport us to Costa Brava. A coastal getaway only an hour away to the north of Barcelona, which is the perfect destination for a weekend road trip.

There’s a reason why it is called the Costa Brava, or the brave coast. This part of Northeastern Spain is nothing like its neighbors to the south. Instead of wide beaches, there are charming coves and scenic fishing villages.

When it comes to what to visit in Costa Brava, there are many seaside towns and countryside villages to consider. You will find fascinating Greek and Roman history and the cutest white fisherman houses.

For our weekend exploring Costa Brava, we decided once again to rent a car with Europcar due to their great service. A White Audi A3 was our choice which it filled our needs. Europcar has several pick up points all around the city, not only at the airport of Barcelona and Girona but also near our home in the city center – which was very convenient. Click here to rent a car with Europcar.

Our favorite part of our road trip through the south of Spain was finding small beaches with turquoise waters where we could fly our drone for the best shots.

If you’re visiting Barcelona and looking to get out of the city, then here are our tips for a trip to this beautiful region.

Costa Brava road trip itinerary:

1. Tossa de Mar

The town of Tossa de Mar is one of the most well-preserved old cities in the area, but the real star of the show is the town’s main beach, Platja Gran. It is framed on one side by La Vila Vella, and on the other by rough pine-fringed hills.

The clear, calm waters are perfect for swimming and snorkeling, and the beach itself is big enough for everyone to spread their towel without feeling cramped like you do on many other Mediterranean coastlines.
The Tossa de Mar castle – Vila Vella fortress is worth the walk to the top for amazing views over Platja Gran, Platja d’es Codolar, and the Tossa de Mar town.

2. Platja de Llafranc

It is the main beach in Llafranc, located in front of the center of the village. In the nearest part of the port, you will find a lot of boats beaching on the sand. The other part is where the bathers put the towels. It is formed by fine sand and thanks to the geographical situation it has easy access on foot, by car or by boat.

3. Tamariu

Tamariu is one of the most adorable places we visit during our road trip to Costa Brava. There are a few restaurants and cafes, and that’s pretty much it.
We took some of our prettiest shots in this cute spot. The water looks so inviting and there is even a ramp to practice some water jumps from the rocks.

4. Begur

One of the more central towns in Costa Brava, Begur is a village with a deep historical character reflected in every street, in every home and every corner of the town. The old city is wonderful to explore, with small boutiques and restaurants.

5. Sa Tuna

Sa Tuna is a small fishing village right on the water’s edge and is the closest beach to Begur, one of the prettiest beaches we’ve visited.

6. Sa Riera

Sa Riera is the second beach, worth visiting in Begur area. This is the largest cove in the district. The cove also has two smaller neighbors: Port des Pi to the right, and Cala del Rei to the left.

7. Illa Roja

Illa Roja is an internationally famed nudist beach in one of the largest coves after Sa Riera. It stands out for the rocky, reddish islet that gives it its name. Quiet, uncrowded, fine sand and clear water.

8. Cadaques

Cadaques is a beautiful seashore town with a fascinating history and home to the famous Casa-Museo de Salvador Dali (House-Museum). The Old Town of Cadaques is a labyrinth of cobbled streets, bright white buildings and blue details, full of shops, restaurants and craft workshops. There are many beaches and coves to explore, which you can find by driving along the coastline. Keep in mind that some of them are nudist beaches.

Where to stay in Costa Brava?

There are various options along Costa Brava like Airbnb’s, B&B, Boutique Hotels, Boats or 5 Stars Hotels. However, the idea of our road trip was to be closer to nature, something we miss a lot by living in a big city as a Barcelona. That’s why we decided to go camping.
After exploring our options, we have chosen Kampaoh, where we stayed for 2 nights and would have probably stayed a little longer, as this was by far the best camping we have stayed in. Is located 5 km to the east from Tossa de Mar in a beautiful valley in between of rocky hills overgrown with pine trees. It has its private beach called Cala Pola, restaurant, supermarket and swimming pool.

From various options that the camping offers, we decided for glamping in the 12 m2 tent called Lotus. It was our first time staying in a luxury tent and we really enjoyed it!

Click here to book your stay at Kampaoh.

#camping vs #glamping?

For those that wonder what’s the difference between camping and glamping is the comfort of your stay.

We were amazed by the amount of little necessary things included in our tent. Other than the food, we didn’t had the need to buy much for our trip. The tent had:

– Bed with large mattresses, bedcovers, pillows

– Bath towels, mirror

– Cutlery, glasses, plates

– Interior and exterior table and chairs

– Exterior and interior lamp

– Beach fridge

– Electricity and several plugs

Three days was only the amount of time we had to drive through Costa Brava but, even though we felt like we visited many places. There is so much more to see and that’s a great reason for planning our next road trip! 🙂

Here is a list of worth visiting places in Costa Brava if you have more time than us:

• Platja d’aro
• Pals
• Roses
• L’Escala
• Empuriabrava
• Sant Pere Pescador
• El port de la Selva.

If road trips are definitely your thing, read more about our experience in Fuerteventura and Portugal!

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