We're visiting Barcelona in April, and would love to see the coast. We've never been to Spain so would love some help please. We're thinking of going south as it will be warmer. Would love to get in some swimming in nice coves, dining with ocean views. We don't necessarily want to see the long touristy beaches. Would rather a more genuine spot. Not sure whether we should stay in one place or tour more. We really want to get the 'flavour' of coastal Spain...not necessarily see everything. We are limited to places on the train route though...although happy to use Uber/taxi where needed.
Many thanks in advance.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2942 posts
Hi Marie
Firstly to mention you're bound to be disappointed no matter where in the Mediterranean you go because nothing will compare to the pristine landscape in New Zealand. Having said that, and if you don't want to run around like a headless chicken, I would recommend staying within Catalonia as your base and either doing day escapades from Barcelona or moving to a second base city for a few days -say Girona for example, barely 100km from Barcelona- and do some more day escapades from there.
Keywords to google for: costa brava, cadaqués, l'escala, camí de ronda, tossa de mar, ruta de les muscleres,
Some food for thought:
- Cities, towns and villages in Catalonia
- Catalonia. Experience and Discover Art and Culture
- Calendar of cultural events in Catalonia
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
April would be a bit premature getting too much coastal flavor. The beach towns that aren't full of northern European holiday makers will still be shaking off winter, and the temps won't have really warmed up yet, especially the water.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
421 posts
We did our Barcelona trip in 2011. Our only coastal excursion was to Sitges, which is probably not what you want since it it focused more on a touristy beach. We were there in April, and as Scudder said, the weather was not very conducive to "flavour of coastal Spain"--it was windy, cool, and cold water. I did jump into the sea, though just to say I had gone swimming on the Spanish coast. We actually did enjoy the quiet as a change from Barcelona--not very many people there at that point.
BTW--can't wait to go to New Zealand!
Posted by
OP
New Zealand
12 posts
Thank you so much. Perhaps I can help you plan a NZ trip one day 😊