Costa Brava Coastline

The Costa Brava — the Wild Coast — runs 214km from Blanes, north of Barcelona, to Portbou at the French border, entirely within the province of Girona in Catalonia. The name, coined in 1908 by journalist Ferran Agulló, references the dramatic character of the coast: dark slate and schist cliffs plunging directly into the sea, rocky headlands separating crystalline coves, and cap (cape) formations battered by the Tramontana wind. Unlike the heavily developed Costa del Sol, the Costa Brava retains significant stretches of protected shoreline — particularly around the Cap de Creus Natural Park, the Empordanet coastline, and the Illes Medes marine reserve. The coast divides naturally into three sections. The southern Costa Brava from Blanes to Palamós is the most developed, with the large resort town of Lloret de Mar drawing package tourists in summer and Tossa de Mar preserving a genuine medieval walled town overlooking a turquoise bay. The central section around Begur, Palafrugell, and Palamós contains the most spectacular hidden coves — Aiguafreda, Sa Tuna, Calella de Palafrugell — accessible by the Camí de Ronda coastal path. The northern section, from L'Escala past L'Estartit and Roses to Cadaqués and Cap de Creus, is the wildest: Cap de Creus is mainland Spain's easternmost point and one of the windiest places in the country. Diving visibility in the marine reserves can exceed 30 metres. The Camí de Ronda, an ancient coastal path used by customs officers to patrol for smugglers, connects most significant points along the coast on foot.