Costa Brava full day tour
On this tour we are going to visit the Girona coast, christened 100 years ago as the Costa Brava. The name is due to its unique rocky, rugged and cut shape coastline, composed of small coves surrounded by pine forests and lapped by crystal water.
Its natural wealth and beauty is apparent in several territories and protected areas, such us Cap de Creus, the Emporda Marshes and the Marine Reserve Medes Islands.
The fame of Costa Brava is also due to its villages. Small fisherman towns, with whitewashed walls and narrow winding streets, today still retain their charm.
This area has historically been a point of entry, transit, and settlement for different cultures and civilizations. Each has left its footprints, which is evidenced by the Greek and Roman sites in Empuries.
Our intention is to show in one day the most representative and emblematic sites along the northeastern shores of Catalunya, places of unsurpassable beauty that will give you a taste of all this area has to offer. The Costa Brava is not to be missed!
ITINERARY
We will take the motorway and about 10:15am we are going to arrive in Calella de Palafrugell, a small fisherman’s village that still retains today the traditional appearance of the past.
It is a village of great beauty in both architecture and landscape. The town, splashed with small bays, becomes a fusion of land and sea that is an incomparable setting.
We will have free time to explore the village, enjoy the scenery and for sure, take great photographs.
About 11:15am, we will start walking along Camino de Ronda, which is going to lead us to the neighborhood town of Llafranc. We will hike about 30 minutes, suitable for all ages, easy terrain for everyone.
The “Camino de Ronda” borders all the Costa Brava and was used to control the maritime smuggling. Today, thanks to this, you can discover beautiful spots that wouldn’t be otherwise accessible.
Llafranc is also a small, elegant and captivating seaside town, with all the delightfulness of the towns on this coast.
About 12:00 we will travel to Pals, a town located inland and on the top of a hill. The village is built entirely in an integrated medieval site. At the top there is a cylindrical tower from the XII century, which is visible from far away. It has an excellent terrace that offers stunning views of the Costa Brava and surroundings.
Walking through the cobbled streets you will feel like you have gone back in time. Take time to appreciate the round arches, facades with pointed windows arches, stone balconies, all perfectly restored.
Our next visit is to l’Estartit, seaside village with an important port famous worldwide as being an important diving center because the Medes Islands archipelago lies only one kilometer from the coast.
Medes islands are of great interest for the wide variety of flora and fauna that inhabit in the whole marine area, with more than 1200 species classified. The ecosystem has been identified as the best marine reserve in the occidental Mediterranean. It was declared as a National Natural Park and ZEPIM. (Special protected area of importance in the Mediterranean).
You will have free time to have lunch and take a small stroll around town and at 15:00pm we will get on board Nautilus, a boat with submarine vision.
The sailing is about 1h30. First we will go ahead to the outer islands. The views are spectacular, but also, through submerged cabins with large windows, you can enjoy an exceptional view of a sea floor full of life, as if you were diving! The itinerary continues to the stunning cliffs of Sierra de Montgrí only accessible by boat and one of the most preserved, unspoiled areas of Costa Brava.
Our last stop is at the extensive Greek and Roman ruins of Empuries, in which we are going to arrive around 17:00pm. Once there, we will start a guided tour around the whole site. It is the only site in Spain where both Greek and later a Roman city existed together. Empuries is also located in a privileged surrounding, just in front of the sea.
In the Greek city we can admire the remains of city walls, the acropolis, the market square and numerous buildings. Outside the archaeological site we can see the Greek port of the I century Before Christ, where in 1992 arrived the Olympic torch for the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
In the roman city the highlights are a mosaic floor in excellent condition, the forum, remains of an amphitheater, several statues and vestiges of street frameworks.
