There are not many beaches in the world that can compete with those of the Costa Brava. Its coves and beaches with golden sands and steep cliffs, along with pine forests give the Costa Brava a natural charm that is hard to beat, but that’s only the beginning. This land has been, for centuries, a transit area for many peoples who found their home here and left part of their culture. This is how, today, the Costa Brava is not only famous for its beaches, leisure and sports activities, but also for the traces left by these civilizations.
n this article we leave you a list of towns on the coast where you can enjoy heavenly beaches and evoke historical moments in the same place:
Roses
Surrounded by beautiful coves and extensive beaches, Roses is the typical Mediterranean town. In its surroundings are two of the most important natural parks in Catalonia: Aiguamolls del Empordà, where you can see different types of animals and birds, and the Cap de Creus park, characterized by its cliffs and beautiful coves away from noise and crowds. due to the difficult access.
As a complement to these natural wonders in Roses we can find the Ciutadella de Roses, a 11th century starry pentagonal military fortress, inside which archaeological remains of Greeks, Romans and Visigoths have been found.
In addition, we can also visit the Castillo de la Trinidad, a 16th-century Renaissance fortification, which was built on an old hermitage, and the Megalithic Complex of Roses, in the mountains of Cap de Creus.
L’Escala
L’Escala has more than 7 kilometers of coastline, with extensive beaches and small coves. This town, famous for its anchovies, and known for the statue of the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that is located at the beginning of its promenade, also has a story to tell, and that is that in L’Escala is the Archaeological Museum Catalonia where the ruins of Empúries are, remains of a Greek city and a Roman city created at the beginning of the 1st century BC, and that’s not all, in one of its coves we can bathe together with more than 2000 years of history , at Moll Greg, the entrance pier to these cities.
Castell-Platja d’Aro
Platja d’Aro is one of the most popular towns on the Costa Brava, due to its long beaches and intimate coves, as well as its varied leisure offer.
Near this town we find several vestiges of ancient times, such as the menhir of Vallbanera, from the prehistoric era and the Roman villa of Pla de Palol, founded in the 1st century BC, which is located in front of Cala Rovira. In the 11th century the Benedormiens Castle was built, around which the medieval streets and the church of Santa María extend, which together make up Castell d‘Aro. An ideal place to take a walk and enjoy the traditional Catalan architecture.
Tossa de Mar
Despite its beautiful and extensive beach with golden sands, and its coves, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this small fishing town is the imposing castle that rises from the waters to protect the city from pirates. And, it is that, the main attraction of Tossa de Mar is a medieval wall built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, of which almost the entire perimeter has been preserved and three large cylindrical towers. Behind these stone walls is the Vila Vella, a medieval town of stone mansions and pebble paths where you can find some renowned restaurants and a small decoration or clothing store. The highest point of the wall is the Far de Tossa, or Faro de Tossa.
Lloret de Mar
The town stands out, not only for its beaches, but also for the wide range of nightlife. But this is not all that Lloret de Mar has to offer, the historical heritage of the city is something worth taking into account.
We can start by talking about the Iberian settlement of “Puig de Castellet”, which dates from the 3rd century BC. In it we can see the remains of a walled enclosure with about 6 houses and common areas for the inhabitants of the town. At the top of the mountain that separates the beaches of Fenals and Lloret de Mar is the Castle of Sant Joan, even though there is very little left of the original fortress of the early eleventh century, today we can enjoy impressive views from the keep, rebuilt in 1992.
Already approaching in time we find the church of Sant Romà. Initially built in the 16th century, new chapels and offices were built in later years, converting it to the modernist style in the early 20th century. Currently we can see it with colored mosaics on its roofs and turrets.