Things to Do in Costa Brava: Castles, Museums and Beaches

If you only have time for a handful of Costa Brava attractions, I would pick one from each end of the coast. In the south, the Vila Vella at Tossa de Mar and the Castell de Sant Joan above Blanes give you medieval walls and sea views without straying far from the resorts most British travellers book. In the north, the Salvador Dalí House Museum in Cadaqués is the single most requested visit, and Roses packs in more history than its size suggests, from the Dolmen de la Creu d'en Cobertella to the Castell de la Trinitat and the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Roses.

In between, Montgrí Castle crowns the hill above Torroella de Montgrí, where the Museum of the Mediterranean explains the coast's relationship with the sea. For anyone asking what to see on a first visit, that trio of Tossa, Cadaqués and Montgrí covers the range of the region well.

Around Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar and Blanes, the southern resorts closest to Girona airport, things to see are easy to string together. Tossa's Vila Vella is the headline, and Blanes has the Castell de Sant Joan on its hill. Sant Feliu de Guíxols sits just up the coast, 23 minutes from Girona airport.

Further north, Palamós is a good base for a mix of beach and culture: La Fosca is among the best-known Costa Brava beaches, the Castell de la Fosca is an Iron Age settlement right beside it, and the Museu de la Pesca tells the story of the town's fishing fleet. The Castell de Sant Esteve de Mar adds another stop. Inland and a little north, Pals has the Jam Museum, while Calella de Palafrugell and Begur round off this middle stretch of coast.

The Bay of Roses and Cap de Creus area is where Costa Brava what to do lists get long. Roses alone has the Dolmen de la Creu d'en Cobertella, the Poblat visigòtic del Puig Rom, the Castell de Bufalaranya, the Castell de la Trinitat and Santa Maria de Roses. Cadaqués adds the Dalí House Museum and the Castell de Sant Jaume, and Empuriabrava lies close by.

For families, the shortest transfers matter as much as the sights. Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar and Blanes are all around 21 to 23 minutes from Girona airport, which keeps the first and last days of a holiday gentle on younger children.

Castles tend to go down well with children who like a climb and a view, and the Costa Brava has plenty: Tossa's Vila Vella, Blanes' Castell de Sant Joan and Montgrí Castle are the obvious ones. The Jam Museum in Pals and the fishing museum in Palamós make good shorter outings, and La Fosca beach sits right next to the Castell de la Fosca, so you can combine a swim with a look at the Iron Age remains. July is the driest of the summer months, with just three rainy days on average at Lloret de Mar.

You can see tours and tickets for twelve towns along the coast on this page, from Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar to Cadaqués and Empuriabrava, and compare car hire alongside them. A car makes sense if you want to reach Roses or Cadaqués from a southern resort, since the coast stretches a fair way north.

Most British travellers book the Costa Brava as a package, with flights, hotel and transfers together; you can compare package deals from several providers here. Girona is the closer airport for the southern resorts, while Barcelona is about an hour or more away, with Blanes 64 minutes and Tossa de Mar 75 minutes from the terminal. July and August are the peak months, so book tours and school-holiday trips early. The shoulder months, from spring through to early autumn, are cooler, with September and October the wettest.