Costa Brava Weekend

Sometimes you don't need to cross borders to feel like you've discovered a different world. My roommate and I proved this last weekend with an overnight trip to the Costa Brava, splitting our time between the medieval charm of Tossa de Mar and the relaxed beach vibes of Blanes. Just a train and bus ride from Barcelona, these coastal gems offered the perfect recipe for a weekend recharge: historic sights, Mediterranean beaches, fresh seafood, and even some embarrassingly enthusiastic karaoke!

We took the train and then the bus to Tossa de Mar for night one. With our bags dropped off, we made a beeline for the walled medieval town perched dramatically on the headland. Tossa de Mar's Vila Vella is the only surviving fortified medieval town on the Catalan coast, and approaching it as the late afternoon sun cast a golden glow on its ancient stone walls was like walking into a postcard. We followed the narrow, winding cobblestone streets uphill, passing by whitewashed houses draped with bougainvillea, small artisan shops, and restaurants with terraces offering views that got progressively more spectacular the higher we climbed. 

Reaching the lighthouse at the top rewarded us with a breathtaking 360-degree panorama: the Mediterranean stretching endlessly to the horizon on one side, and the town with its crescent-shaped bay nestled between rocky headlands on the other. We took the obligatory photos and lingered until the sun began to set, turning the sea into a shimmer of orange and pink that had us both agreeing this detour from our usual Barcelona weekend was already worth it.

Dinner was a no-brainer: fresh seafood at one of the restaurants along the beachfront promenade. We splurged on a seafood paella, eating leisurely as we watched the town transition from day to night. The string lights along the promenade flickered on, and the sound of distant music began to filter through the evening air. That music, it turned out, was coming from a small karaoke bar tucked away on a side street just behind the main tourist drag.

Saturday morning greeted us with bright sunshine and mild headaches that were quickly remedied by strong coffee and fresh pastries at a café overlooking the beach. We spent the morning exploring the parts of Tossa we'd missed the day before, including a small museum housing Roman artifacts discovered in the area and a leisurely walk along the Camí de Ronda coastal path that offers stunning views of the rugged coastline. 
By midday, we went to Blanes. The contrast between the two towns was immediately apparent: where Tossa charms with its medieval character and dramatic setting, Blanes offers a more straightforward Spanish beach town experience with wider, more urban, and significantly less touristy.

We headed straight for Blanes' main beach, S'Abanell, which stretches for nearly 2.5 kilometers along the town's seafront. The golden sand was a perfect spot for our beach day, with enough space that we didn't feel crowded despite the beautiful weekend weather having drawn plenty of locals and visitors. The water was still a bit chilly for extended swimming this early in the season, but we braved a quick dip. The shock of cold that gradually gives way to refreshing relief is one of those early summer rituals that never gets old. 

After a few hours of alternating between swimming, sunbathing, and people-watching, hunger drove us to explore Blanes' food scene. We found a local favorite restaurant in the fishermen's quarter, Sa Malica, where we feasted on fresh anchovies, grilled squid, and the catch of the day served simply with olive oil, garlic, and lemon—proof that sometimes the simplest preparations let great ingredients shine the brightest.

With our appetites satisfied, we spent the late afternoon exploring one of Blanes' most famous attractions: the Marimurtra Botanical Garden. Perched high on a bluff overlooking the Mediterranean, this garden houses over 4,000 plant species from around the world, but it was the views that stole the show. The "Linné Templet" viewpoint, a classical-style pavilion overlooking the coastline, provided what might be one of the most spectacular coastal views I've seen since arriving in Spain. We lingered there until the garden's closing time, soaking in the panorama of endless blue sea meeting rugged coastline.

As evening approached and our weekend getaway neared its end, we treated ourselves to ice cream cones from a shop that a local had recommended as "the best in town" (a claim I'm now prepared to support) and strolled along Blanes' seafront promenade. The setting sun cast long shadows across the beach, and the day's warmth lingered in the air as families gathered for evening paseos and restaurant terraces began to fill for dinner.

The short train ride back to Barcelona that evening gave us time to reflect on our whirlwind Costa Brava adventure. Just 24-hours had delivered medieval architecture, Mediterranean beaches, karaoke, botanical gardens, and some of the freshest seafood we'd tasted in Spain. While our weekend explorations around Barcelona have taken us to many remarkable places, this overnight escape to Tossa de Mar and Blanes reminded us of how much diversity the Catalan coast packs into relatively short distances and how much more we still have to discover. 
As the lights of Barcelona came into view from the train window, we were already planning our next coastal getaway.