Map of The Costa Brava

The Costa Brava, the rugged coastline of the province of Girona, was one of the first tourist areas in the world to be intentionally developed as such, in Franco's post-war Spain. That makes it sound like a touristic nightmare, all high-rise blocks, concrete, happy hour, all-day English breakfasts, Mexican hats and souvenir shops, but it isn't. On the contrary, though undoubtedly over-exploited, it is one of the Spanish costas which has best managed to conserve its own identity. True, there stands Lloret de Mar, the Costa Brava's largest resort and decidedly ropey it can be, too, especially at the height of the season when it is packed with the kind of young Englishpersons you left Britain to get away from, and I have even seen knives wielded drunkenly there. But even Lloret is more likeable than not, if you find out which areas to avoid soon enough, and much of the rest of the Costa Brava is a dream waiting to be dreamt.

If you are approaching from Barcelona, the Costa Brava begins in the county of Bajo Ampurdán (Catalan, Baix Empurdà) on the other side of the Costa del Maresme, just past Pineda del Mar and Santa Susanna. The first resort you come to is Blanes, attractive enough and having great beaches and some lovely churches, but not very different from what you have left behind in Barcelona, exept that it has coves. Lloret de Mar is the place to stop if you are looking for a little action, but Tossa de Mar on the other side is much more pleasant, a former fishing-type village which has retained much of its character and its town walls. Platja d'Aro is the new, seaside version of inland Castell d'Aro, then comes the port of Palamós, famous for its prawns. The inland Palafrugell has three outcrops on the coast, from south to north, Calella de Palafrugell, Llafranc and Tamariu, considered among the best that can be discovered on the Costa Brava. North of Palafrugell, the municipalty presided by the hilltop town of Begur has a number of great coves and beaches and charming villages and hamlets on the coast: Aiguablava, Fornells, Sa Tuna, Aiguafreda...

L'Estartit is a fishing village turned important resort, too important for some, but with a good, large beach, several attractive beaches and coves either side of it, and a number of attractions nearby. The most outstanding of these is the Illes Medes, the Medas Islands, a cluster of uninhabited islands less than a mile off-shore from l'Estartit and a marine nature reserve of note. Unlike other marine reserves (where the main purpose is often fishery stock conservation), it is oriented towards biodiversity, and is an international destination of note for divers. L'Estartit is part of the muncipality of Torroella de Montgri, a small town a little inland from l'Estartit which has a mediaeval town centre and remains of the old town walls. Torroella was originally a seaport, but has been left high and dry except for the River Ter which runs through it.

North of l'Estartit, the coast becomes even more wild and craggy as it curves out of the Bajo Ampurdán into the Alto Ampurdán (Catalán, Alt Empurdà) until it emerges in the Bay of Roses at the small town of l'Escala, a quiet little place, even if its website does offer the tantalising possibility of "Risky Sports." North of it and within its municipal boundaries lies the mediaeval village of St. Martí d'Empúries and the archaeological site of Empúries (from the Greek "emporion", emporium or market), while inland are a number of villages and "fortified hamlets" to explore: Cinc Claus, Les Corts, Vilanera and Els Recs.

The road north of l'Escala will probably take you through Castello d'Empúries, an interesting mediaeval town, and the adjacent marina development of Empuriabrava, the largest of its kind in the world, it claims. Roses itself, at the top of its own, broad bay, is an appealing place, a working fishing port with interesting historical remains including its ciutadella, a fortress on the site of an eighth century BC Greek settlement. And the Costa Brava from here to France is at its most spectacular, beginning with the gorgeous Cap de Creus nature reserve and the lovely if overdiscovered fishing village of Cadaqués, which Salvador Dali visited as a child and was and is popular with other artists, including Picasso and Mirò (if you are a Dali fan, you will not want to miss nearby Figueres and the Dali museum there, but it is not within the scope of this article).

The other side of Cape Creus is the road to France. On the coast, the centres of population of interest are, first, El Port de la Selva, a tiny fishing village (population less than 800) but an "important" tourist centre. It is overlooked by a noteworthy Benedictine monastery and a ruined castle. Then comes Llançà, larger but similar in character, and the unenticingly named but unspoilt village of Colera. And you exit the Costa Brava, Catalonia and Spain, by road or train, through the village of Portbou, popular with French day trippers seeking cheap cigarettes and booze, like Londoners zipping over to Calais for a weekend's plunder.

This map of Girona comes courtesy of those nice young people over at Google, bless their little cotton socks. It will centre where you double click, you can pan over it using the arrows (or dragging the rectangle in the overview map in the corner), and you can zoom in and out using the '+' and '-' buttons. Neat, ain't it? I have pre-selected the "Hybrid" view, just because I happen to like the look of it — if you are looking for a road map or a street map, just click "Map" (or "Mapa" or whatever it says in your language). Or select the "Satellite" view to remove the place names and other map elements.

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