I'm wanting to take my teenage daughter to Costa Brava in July. Thinking of taking the train from Paris to Barcelona then renting a car or ? to head up along the coast. I'm not sure what towns are best to stay at and need hotel recommendations (mid price, pool, AC, 2 beds). We like the beach and snorkeling and exploring. Thanks for any tips!
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2326 posts
When we visited Costa Brava from Barcelona, we picked up our rental car in Barcelona and drove along the coast to Cadaques, where we stayed for one night. Along the way, we stopped at beautiful Tossa De Mar, S'Agaro, and then at Callela Palagrugell, a quiet fishing village, before reaching Cadaques. While at Cadaques, we visited Dali's quirky home in Port Lligat. If you are interested, you need to make reservations in advance. We stayed at Playa Sol Hotel in Cadaques. I know that a lot of people like the town of Begur, but we didn't stop there.
We then spent 2 nights in Girona, a wonderful medieval walled city with a river running through it. One day we drove to Besalu, then over the Eastern Catalan Pyrenees to Ripoll, then Rupit and Vic. Not sure if you are interested in mountain scenery. While in Girona, we stayed at Hotel Historic.
If you don't have any guidebooks, I highly recommend buying a couple guidebooks, such as Rick's, Michelin Green Guide, Rough Guides, and Lonely Planet.
Posted by
new york
1576 posts
I did a lot of reading and decided on Begur, for a stay of about two weeks, in September.
There are many beaches in the area, most set in small coves; it's known for good restaurants.
There are lots of good hotels in the town of Begur, and many along the coast.
Since you'll have a car, you could save money by staying IN Begur, or elsewhere, inland, nearby, and driving to the beaches. But I don't know about parking....that might be very tricky in July.
We have booked a brand-new hotel at Sa Riera beach in Begur, with a pool and free parking. But there are not many reviews yet.
In Cadaques, we liked very much the small hotel LLANE PETIT, facing a beach, slightly out of the town. I would not choose Cadaques unless you have at least three nights to spend there--the drive is long and a little winding.....
Wherever you decide on, make sure to bring water shoes.
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
840 posts
We stayed in Cadaqueś to visit the Salvador Dali house in Port Lligatt. We stayed at the Hotel Playa Sol. It has a pool, AC, parking, breakfast, across from a very small beach. Get a room facing the beach and town. Reasonably priced. We'd stay here again if we visited again. One night we ate at Compartir, a Michelin starred restaurant and the price for the tasting menu was reasonable for a Michelin starred restaurant. We also ate at Restaurant Casa Pilar, a mom and pop run restaurant on the second floor of a converted apartment. the Seafood paella was fantastic and a great find!
We also stayed in Tossa De Mar. we stayed at the Grand Hotel Reymar. Paid parking at hotel. Pool. Good breakfast. Walkable to town to the restaurants. Great beach! Can walk to the castle on the other side of the beach. Good buffet breakfast. Nice large rooms. great views from the rooms.
We rented a car at the Barcelona Airport, so that we didn't have to deal with driving in Barcelona. We also returned the car at the airport and then took the aerobus from the airport to Plaça Catalunya in central Barcelona and walked to our hotel. I would never drive a car in Barcelona.
With a car, you can easily visit the Dali Museum in Figueres, and Girona is a nice visit also. We had no problems finding a paid parking lot in Girona or Figueres, but we were glad that the hotel in Cadagues had a small Parking garage for guests.