Tossa de Mar sits rather majestically on Catalonia’s Girona coast – basking in its beautiful Mediterranean climate. The walled old town offers stunning views of the surrounding coast, and is the perfect location to soak up some of the history of the region, as well as the sun. Marc Chagall, the French painter, loved the quality of life there is so much that he actually nicknamed Tossa de Mar ‘Blue Paradise’.
The main centre of tourist activity in Tossa de Mar is, of course, down at the seafront. This is where the old town of Vila Vella was and this is where you’ll see the remains of Castillo de Tossa de Mar that once stood here. It is still an imposing medieval village with its stone houses and walls, of which almost all the original perimeter and three large cylindrical towers known as Codolar, Ses Hores and Joanàs have been preserved.
In its glory days, Vila Vella had over 80 homes built within the walls.
You can walk up to the Castle right from the beach. Along the way, you’ll walk past small houses with hanging geranium baskets, old ladies sewing in the sun by their front door or villagers chatting with their neighbours. There are lovely cafes and fantastic seafood restaurants within the castle grounds. It’s kind of incongruous but wonderful at the same time.
Hotel Capri
We actually got somewhat turned around entering Tossa de Mar because we were following our GPS and could not read Spanish. We ended up about 200 feet above the hotel where we were supposed to be staying because as far as the GPS was concerned, we were exactly where we were supposed to be – only we were 200 vertical feet above it. A local woman saw our predicament and actually walked down to the hotel with Yim and came back up with the owner of the Hotel Capri and guided us into town.
It’s that kind of place.
The town has beautiful beaches, and the coastline of the municipality is around 14 km so there are also little sheltered coves to be found, which we stopped in on our two day hikes.
Also, as a cool fact, Tossa de Mar was the first place in the world to declare itself an Anti-Bullfighting City in 1989.
Wandering through the Castle grounds is a real experience. The walls are thousands of years old and completely accessible. We were both really giddy about seeing this.
Cami de Ronda – the northern section
We were there to hike the Camí de Ronda coastal path. From Tossa de Mar, the Camí de Ronda goes through beautiful coves and typical Mediterranean virgin pine forests. The trail is well marked with red & white markings, typical of many long-distance trails. Some parts were a lot of fun, such as the section past Cala Bona, a small charming cove, with a VERY rocky beach and a good beach bar, but after the beach, the trail took a turn up and switched back and forth as we trekked almost vertically up the side of a cliff.
A little further on, you will find Cala Pola: a beautiful cove where sunbathing and swimming in the Mediterranean is an option. Just remember that if you do, you have to dry off for the remainder of the 1 hour hike back into town.
Overall, we found this hike very peaceful but that may have been due to the time of the year – we are here in late September. We only saw a handful of people in total along the trail.
Cami de Ronda – the southern section
Starting from Tossa de Mar again, head south instead of north. This was much more of a simple path except for the beginning section, which was steep but had a staircase and railings attached, which helped. We walk for about 3.5 km until we got to the Llorell beaches then double backed. It was a nice hike but truth be told, it wasn’t as scenic as the northerly hike we did here. It mostly ran inland along the coast while the northern section stayed closer to the cliffs.
My choice: Take the northern section hike if you only have time for one hike here..
Tossa de Mar offers a variety of beaches but we only really saw the beach in the photo above, Playa Gran, plus of course, the three I mentioned on our hikes.
Playa Gran is a popular spot that offers excellent amenities such as lifeguard services and convenient rentals. As you can see above, everything is located a couple of hundred feet away at most along the main drag. It is a definite eye-catcher and one of the most photographed beaches on the Costa Brava.
The beach has a half moon shape and is quite large. It has clear, calm water and all the facilities you might need. It also has the Blue Flag award and was on National Geographic´s list of ´25 Best Beaches in the World´ in 2013. We didn’t even attempt to go swimming as it was too cold for us in September.
Castillo de Tossa de Mar at night
Time in Town
The small town of Tossa de Mar is filled with quaint shops, lots of restaurants, gelato, souvenirs, and more. Many of the shops have pieces from local artisans, and they are a perfect place to find a unique souvenir or gift from your time in Spain.
We really enjoyed our time here wandering the streets, however, don’t expect t get served dinner before 8 pm. We tried and had no luck. We can never adjust our lives to eating so late so we learned to eat a bit during the afternoon while in Spain and the have a very small dinner when the restaurants re-opened. Tossa de Mar was no exception to that Spanish rule.
That said, there are many excellent restaurants here so whether you want seafood, tapas, or just a heaping cup of gelato, there are lots of choices in which to eat with stunning views.
And since Tossa de Mar is a fishing village, you can be sure you will be able to enjoy fresh, delicious seafood options.
Hotel Capri
Located right on the beach, this hotel is a very short walk from the old quarter and the medieval fortress. The rooms are simple, and those with sea views have private terraces. Proprietor Maria-Eugènia Serrat, a native Tossan, lavishes warm personal attention on every guest. Seriously, she came up and got us when we were lost and hopped in our car to show us how to navigate the town. That’s personal attention!
The restaurant has canopied seating on the promenade and specializes in traditional fish stews, with ingredients fresh off the boat.
Yim looked pretty stylish as we were checking out…
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