Please help with Spain Itinerary: Tossa de Mar vs Sitges

Tossa de Mar would be great for a beach stay of three days or so. You don’t say what dates you’ll be there, but if the days are in early October you may have water temperatures closer to September’s averages which are 74-79 degrees. The October water temps are around 70-74 degrees which is fine on sunny days.

The main beach in Tossa de Mar is stunning. and I would try to get an oceanview room at the beachfront Hotel Diana which is in a Modernista mansion of a Barcelona cork magnate who built his beach “house” here. The Hotel Capri also has comfortable oceanview rooms with balconies looking at the castle and the beach.

The walled, medieval old town surrounding Tossa de Mar’s castle is amazing— something along the lines of Carcassonne. Be sure to visit this area when it’s illuminated in the evening by golden lights.

On the other side of the castle, there is another beautiful beach with turquoise water and a hiking trail that leads along the oceanfront cliffs for miles.

The rest of Tossa’s old town is an interesting maze of streets with restaurants and shops.

We rented a car to get out to Girona, Figueres and the medieval town of Besalu and we found driving in the area was easy. The only difficult part was at some of the roundabouts where taking the correct exit became a challenge with signs that sometimes were confusing. Having GPS would have helped with that.
If you decide to rent a car, there is a car rental agency we found called Ganxorent-a-car (www.GanxoRent.com) that will deliver a rental car to your hotel almost anywhere in the Costa Brava and pick it up when you’re done with it. That was really convenient.

Girona’s old historic center is incredible with Roman, Moorish, Sephardic Jewish and Christian architecture all within its walls. I would recommend staying at least three nights in Girona.

We also daytripped to Sitges from
Barcelona and, while it made for a fun day, it didn’t nearly have the appeal which Tossa de Mar has.

Have a great trip!

Thank you, Kenko! This is super helpful. We will be in Spain in early October - leave Oct 6, conference starts on the 13th in Barcelona. I think we'd like Tossa de Mar more than Sitges but we are just so worried about driving in Spain, and there is no direct access by train. Even buses to get to Tossa in October are 1.5 hours (the shorter 40 min buses appear to be summer only). You did remind me of something important though -we now have GPS and cell phones, so that does make me a bit more confident in our driving abilities. I did see that there were hiking paths in Tossa de Mar area, but it wasn't clear if it was, say, a 2 mile hike around the walled area. From your note, it sounds like it's much more extensive. We also worried that, being a small town, Tossa may be closing up for the season in October and many restaurants/attractions may be closed?

Thanks again for your very helpful response.

Hi Brenda, Tossa de Mar will still be hopping during early October. There are so many restaurants and shops that it will not be a problem. By late October, some will be closing.

The Costa Brava is mostly rural and, as such, there is indirect bus service between places. You can reach Tossa de Mar from Girona, but first the bus travels about 60 minutes and goes to the overbuilt resort of Lloret de Mar. The bus then continues to Tossa de Mar in another 30 minutes. This works to transfer from Girona to Tossa de Mar if you don’t want to rent a car.

Also, there are direct, express buses that run from Tossa de Mar to Barcelona in about 75 minutes
These buses only stop one time in Lloret de Mar before going on to Barcelona’s Nord bus station near the Arc d Triomf metro station. (The bus station looks more like a Nordstrom store than a bus station in the U.S)!

And intercity buses in Spain are not anything like Greyhound in the U.S. Instead, they are clean, comfortable and modern with good air-conditioning when it’s needed. Luggage is securely locked by the driver in a compartment underneath the bus.

So, while a car rental will help you cover more territory to see multiple attractions, if all you want to do is get from Girona to Tossa de Mar and then Barcelona— the bus will do that for you.

Have fun in Catalonia!

-Ken

Another data point to say that driving in Spain is easy! I rented a car in Girona for the day with my father and visited Besalu, figueres, and the coast at Estartit. Roads/highways are wide and well marked. Have fun!

Ken, thank you so much for the additional information! I went ahead and reserved at Hotel Diana in Tossa de Mar. Thanks too for describing the buses; I did see that there were buses to Barcelona, but you're right - I was thinking of Greyhound. This does open up more possibilities for us. THANK YOU for being so helpful! I am getting super excited for this trip now!

annmargaret, thank you for the vote of confidence about driving in Spain. With all of this encouragement, we just might rent a car! We had considered going to Besalu, but wasn't sure if there was enough to do/see other than the medieval bridge, especially since Girona is supposed to have that medieval vibe to it. I appreciate your response and help in planning our trip.!

Hi Brenda, Girona also has 50-minute buses to Besalu so you don’t have to rent a car if you don’t want to.

You’ll love the Hotel Diana’s historic architecture.
In 2022. Forbes magazine named Tossa de Mar as one of Europe’s 22 most beautiful beach destinations and since then placed Tossa de Mar unreservedly as one of the Top 20 destinations in all of Europe.

Have a great trip!

Just a quick note for those visiting outside the summer months: people actually do live in all these towns and villages year-round! Take Cadaqués, for example—while it won’t have the 25,000 daily visitors you’d see in August, it still has a permanent population of around 2,600. That means restaurants, shops, and museums (where available) are mostly open throughout the year. Of course, some hotels and seasonal shops may close in the off-season, but you’ll still find plenty to do and places to eat. Also, keep in mind that there’s a lot of local tourism within Catalonia itself—especially from the Barcelona area—so on weekends, many locals head to these same towns for a day trip, unless they already have a second home there.

Ken - I had no idea that Tossa de Mar was so well -regarded. I am not familiar with Spain - most of our trips have been to Italy as my mother's family is Italian - and so how fabulous to learn that I picked a great spot for our trip!! I am getting more confident in renting a car, but it is good to know that there are buses to Besalu so that we have an option.

@Enriq- thanks for the reminder that towns just don't close up. Given I have work commitments in Barcelona, my major concern was that the frequency of transportation options may decrease in October and so want to carefully plan that I am at my conference on time - as I am hosting part of it LOL! I picked some towns (Girona, Tossa) that looked pleasant without realizing that they were/are essentially famous hot spots that can be crushed with tourists. I have since learned (from this very thread) that Tossa is famous; and also just saw on YouTube that Girona is a filming location for Games of Thrones, as well as hosting a top Michelen-starred restaurant. I am getting so very excited for this trip!

Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts.

This sounds like a really solid itinerary! October in Costa Brava is actually pretty perfect - still warm enough for swimming (water temp around 18-20C, air temps in low 20s) but without the summer crowds.

For Tossa de Mar specifically, I'd say 2 full days is probably the sweet spot. It's gorgeous but you're right that it's quite small. The medieval castle and old town are stunning, there's some decent hiking along the coastal path (Cami de Ronda), and the beaches are lovely. But honestly after 2 days you'll probably have seen most of what it offers.

That said, the bus situation isn't as bad as you might think - the connections from Girona to Tossa are pretty reliable, just takes a bit longer than you're used to with trains.

One alternative though... since you mentioned being uncomfortable with buses and preferring more flexibility, have you considered renting a car just for the coastal portion? I'd recommend checking out Tripiamo; it helped us get comfortable with road signs/driving rules in Spain prior to our trip. We were definitely nervous about driving abroad! The drive from Girona to Tossa is pretty straightforward, mostly highway, and having a car would let you explore some of the smaller coves and towns along the way that are impossible to reach by public transport.

If you stick with your current plan tho, I'd probably cut Sunday short in Tossa and maybe spend that extra time back in Girona or even head to Barcelona a day early to decompress before your conference starts.

JT Ryan, Thanks for the information. One of the other commenters recommended a car rental place that actually brings the car to you, so perhaps we'll spend that third day on the coast, or, as you suggested, leave for Barcelona a day early. It will be our last time in that city, and given Gaudi and Dali and Picasso are my favorites, we could go see Park Guell or Casa Padrera (spelling?) one last time.

Again, thank you.