Hello! I have 3-4 days in Barcelona, and was planning a day trip by car along Costa Brava to sea kayak and swim. Looking at pictures, it seems extremely scenic and relaxing....and my husband and I will be cramming multiple stops in our 2 week whirlwind first trip to Europe, so a little change of pace might be really refreshing! So I started considering doing more than just a day trip, but thought I'd ask the experts about whether this is a smart move or not! I was looking at a 9 AM sea kayak excursion (which is crazy early for Spain), so thought it might be best to just drive up from Barcelona to L'Escala the day before the kayaking trip (2 1/2 hrs north if take scenic route, right along the coast) and just stay 2 nights. Is that crazy? To make this work I'd have to either cut my Barcelona time down to 2 days or cut the 2 days allotted to Seville out of the trip. Also, if anyone has been to Costa Brava (because even if we abort the 2 night stay and are unable to do the early sea kayak trip, we'll most likely at least do the day trip), any advice on where to go? Which beaches to see, where to stay, etc?
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Krista, I am not an expert, I have only been to Spain once, and that was last summer. We gave Spain 6 our of our 26 days trip to Europe. We allotted 2 nights in Barcelona and 4 nights in Tossa De Mar. We arrived by air in Barcelona , took bus downtown, got bus to Tossa De Mar. We had found out about TDM by looking at photos of friends who had done a car trip of the Costa Brava coast the year before. Its only 1.5 hours from Barecelona so we decided to try it. We arrived at Tossa De Mar. Within a few hours we had the desk clerk at our hotel phone the hotel we had booked for last two nights in Barcelona and cancel one of the nights. We stayed 5 nights in Tossa and it was HEAVEN. Google for photos.. its amazing. Its low key, no Starbucks, no McDonalds, and theres only a bit of sightseeing ( other then the fort of course) but the beach was lovely, the food amazing,, the people so kind..
Next time we go back I would allow much more time in Spain, still take 4-5 days in Tossa( and catch the sightseeing boat that will ferry you to other CB towns and beachs) and also visit more of the towns on the area. Our trip last year was a bit whirlwind, lots of big cities ( Amsterdam, Paris, Nice , and then Barcelona) ,, Tossa De Mar was a vacation from our vacation.
Posted by
OP
Dallas
75 posts
Wow, the pictures do look amazing. Do you mind if I ask where you stayed? Any recommendations on places to eat, etc? Any good snorkeling in the area? (Not important, but worth asking.) :)
Posted by
FL USA
1560 posts
"my husband and I will be cramming multiple stops in our 2 week whirlwind first trip to Europe"............ 30 years we did the same thing and regretted feeling the need for speed to justify the time and expense "invested" in the trip. We created some good memories, but realized we generated too much "travel stress" resulting form having to make sure we arrived at the next destination. Please step back and contemplate the memories you both can create and cherish by reducing the itinerary and investing in taking a deeper dive into fewer locations. Speaking of dives, think about the life time memories of being able to say you snorkeled in the Med! Safe and Happy Travels! Steven
Posted by
saint paul
1 posts
Yes, yes, yes! It's definitely worth a visit. We drove along Costa Brava and stopped somewhere (I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the town now) and walked along the coast toward a public beach park area. It was so gorgeous! We did stop at one of the beaches along the way and waded until we were wet enough. If we could have stayed two nights along the way, it would have been amazing. There was a fishing village along the shore - Calella de Palafrugell, I think - that was so charming. I think there was a hotel along the cliffs near it called Hotel Sant Roc that looked like a place I'd love to stay one day. I think that is the general area where the beach park was located, although I could be wrong. There seemed to be many places to stop and hike, wander, and just take in. There is a company called Spanish Trails Tours out of Barcelona that would be a great resource, unless you are already using them for your sea kayak tour. Highly recommend them. Have a fabulous time.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Hi we stayed at the Capri Hotel, which I loved and booked in late March for a july visit,, so doubt you will be lucky(its small and books up fast),, but we did want a third floor(top) balcony facing the sea,, maybe they will have a room facing the alley.. It was an amazing deal, 99 euros, air conditioning, big balcony, sea view, and included buffet ( simple) breakfast each day.. Its not a fancy place, is family run and I miss it just talking about it, lol The view of the sea and the ruins on the hill were just amazing. Google "Tossa de Mar hotels tripadvisor.com" then you can read all the reviews on all the hotels in Tossa .. and see photos taken by actual visitors..
Posted by
darlington
26 posts
Would also agree with Alice and check out Callella de Pallafrugell, Llafranc and Tamariu. All these little coastal areas can be walked from one to the other easily.
Have stayed at San roc hotel and also at Hotel Alga both of which are in Callella de Pallafrugell.