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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Costa Brava: Empuriabrava/ L'Escala/ somewhere else?

9 replies

0palfrootee · 02/01/2024 16:31

Looking to go in peak summer with 2 young to mid teens - I don't know this stretch of coast at all! Advice gratefully received.

We'd like to be somewhere with a bit of life - nice restaurants etc, plus some culture. Keen to avoid egg chips and beer or nightclubby places though (We'd like lively but not THAT lively!)

I like the look of the canals in Empuriabrava. L'Escala looks cheaper (but quieter). I'm sure there must be loads of other places that would fit the bill but I've become a bit overwhelmed by everything on the Internet.

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0palfrootee · 02/01/2024 18:43

OK, possibly taking to myself here 😂 but I have widened my search to include the following: l'Estartit, Toroella de Montgri, Begur and Parafrugell. Oh and Blanes.

Lloret de Mais and Roses are a bit nightclubby, right?

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MyCatIsPlotting · 02/01/2024 22:27

My knowledge is dated but I think you’re looking at the right kind of places and would also throw in Tamariu, Palamos and Llafranc. Aiguablava was the most beautiful beach when I went, but it was a long time ago!

0palfrootee · 02/01/2024 22:34

Thank you!

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OpposableThumbs2 · 02/01/2024 22:57

Calellla de Palafrugell, Llafranc and Tamariu are all small towns in a row along the coast but all in their own bay. All have restaurants and bars but not clubs. It's easy to walk between Llafranc and Calella along the coastal path. The beaches are all lovely and there are loads within an easy drive, big and small, some rocky, some not.

As MyCatIsPlotting says, Aiguablava is the most beautiful beach but the parking isn't great and some idiot has decided to fill half of the beach with sun loungers that no one uses.

It's good to be walkable to one beach from wherever you stay as the getting up early every day to find a parking spot can be a little wearing when you're on holiday.

All the towns I mentioned have their own little supermarkets, bakers, pharmacies etc... and then there are bigger supermarkets in nearby towns such as Palafrugell and Begur.

For short trips out there are medieval towns of Pals and Peretelada or botanical gardens which hold a judicial festival in July & august. Further afield there is the Dali museum in Figueres or it's only a couple of hours to Barcelona.

In the evenings you will get pop up market stalls selling jewellery and art, at least once a week there will be a Sardana, traditional Catalan dance in the town square or on the sea front.

There is also great opportunities to see sea life snorkelling and diving, and places to hire paddle boards and kayaks.

They are very geared up for tourists but of all nationalities. There are many people from Barcelona with 2nd homes around there so it gets noticeably busier late on Friday night until Sunday.

We go there a lot (can you tell?), it really is a lovely part of the world.

OpposableThumbs2 · 02/01/2024 22:58

judicial was supposed to say music

0palfrootee · 03/01/2024 08:51

@OpposableThumbs2 thanks so much! This is really helpful!

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tapdancingmum · 03/01/2024 09:19

Lloret de Mar does have nightclubs and a high percentage of late teens/early twenties going for the nightlife. We are two fifty somethings and have been for the last couple of years (I spent my childhood in Lloret as my grandparents lived there) and we've had a great time without being impacted by the nightlife. We have chosen hotels away from the main strip but still in the centre that makes everything walkable but quieter. Lloret has something for everyone and a weekly market, but this wasn't great.

Blanes is lovely (many a camping holiday in Blanes) and seems to be quieter than Lloret with families opting for the camping. It has a lovely town, harbour, gardens and fresh fruit and veg market.

Just be aware that even though they both have large beaches, they are not sand.

Lloret has some great places to eat from your English places to lovely Spanish restaurants. My favourite is El Relicario which does the best chicken and chips - it used to have a nightclub above it where they did flamenco dancing but this closed many years ago.

There is a bus station in Lloret where you can get a bus to go to Blanes, Tossa and Girona if you want to get away for a different view. Tossa is lovely and there is a nice walk up the castle. There are also boats that take you between Tossa, Lloret and Blanes. We got the bus to Blanes then the land train to the botanical Gardens and the boat back to Lloret. The cemetary in Lloret is also worth a visit.

I don't think there are many hotels that have entertainment as this is one complaint I see on the Lloret fb page but Lloret isn't like that. They do have things going on in the main square during the year but our favourite thing was to sit in a cafe with a coffee (neither of us drink) and watch the world go by.

I love Lloret as it has so many special memories for me. It's a hard place to describe as it's not your normal bucket and spade holiday where your children are entertained from morning till night but it appeals to lots of people of varying ages.

MangosteenSoda · 03/01/2024 13:35

I think Tossa de Mar would fit what you’re looking for. It’s bigger than Parafrugell, Tamariu and Llafranc (lovely but maybe quiet for teens) and it’s right on the coast with a big sandy beach which is a drawback of Begur (although Begur is one of the nicest towns in the region IMO).

It has plenty of bars and restaurants most of which aren’t the egg and chips sort. It’s not a clubbing town and there’s a lovely castle area. Lots of shops to browse in too.

Cadaques is an awesome town too, but a pita to get in and out of so I’d probably only recommend it for a short break as I wouldn’t want to have to drive in and out multiple times. Tossa is about 20 minutes from the highway and it is a windy drive, but on a good road so not too bad. Pals, Besalu and Girona are all excellent day trips in addition to the ones mentioned above.

0palfrootee · 03/01/2024 14:30

Thanks everyone, you've all been super helpful!

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