Barcelona Trip Overview
Discover one of Europe’s most beautiful coastlines on this Costa Brava day trip from Barcelona. Travel by air-conditioned minivan to the famous coast, known for its pine-fringed cliffs and rocky headlands, and visit Blanes to relax at a secluded cove or admire the clifftop Marimurtra Botanical Gardens. After a delicious restaurant lunch, enjoy free time to explore pretty Tossa de Mar.
Additional Info
* Duration: 10 hours 30 minutes
* Starts: Barcelona, Spain
* Trip Category: Day Trips & Excursions >> Day Trips
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What to Expect When Visiting Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Discover one of Europe’s most beautiful coastlines on this Costa Brava day trip from Barcelona. Travel by air-conditioned minivan to the famous coast, known for its pine-fringed cliffs and rocky headlands, and visit Blanes to relax at a secluded cove or admire the clifftop Marimurtra Botanical Gardens. After a delicious restaurant lunch, enjoy free time to explore pretty Tossa de Mar.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Palace of Catalan Music, Carrer Palau de la Musica, 4-6, 08003 Barcelona Spain
8.15am – You will start your day at our main office, which is right next to the famous Palau de la Musica. You will meet your guide, have time to use the restrooms, and perhaps even grab a quick coffee before the tour begin. Your guide will explain all about the day ahead and what to expect as you wait for you tour to leave.
Duration: 15 minutes
Pass By: Eixample, Eixample, Barcelona, Catalonia
8.30am – You will leave Barcelona though the Example district of town. As you head out of the city, your guide will give you a brief history of Barcelona, before letting you sit back and relax on the 60 minute drive to BlaneS.
Stop At: Cala de Sant Francesc, Passeig de la Bitacora, s/n, 17300 Blanes Spain
9.45am – In just over an hour, you will be transported from the hustle and bustle of the busy Mediterranean city of Barcelona, to one of the most breathtakingly beautiful stretches of coastline in the whole of Europe – the Costa Brava.
Cala de Sant Francesc, known only to locals, is one of the few remaining coves on the coast that have avoided the crowds of tourists and big commercial developments.
Our early morning departure from Barcelona means you’ll have the beach to yourself, and you’ll be able to enjoy a secluded swim in the crystal-clear waters, or wander alone the shoreline.
You have the option to stay on the beach for the next two hours, or leave the sand for another day and come with us to the famous botanical gardens. With a little bit of effort, you’ll even find time to do both.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Jardi Botanic Marimurtra, Passeig Carles Faust, 9, 17300 Blanes Spain
10.15am – The Marimurtra botanical gardens are home to a wide variety of exotic plants, but it is the amazing views from high up on the cliffs that makes this stop an absolute must.
The turquoise blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea stretch out endlessly into the distance, while far beneath you the waves crash in an explosion of white against the wild coastline. You’ll not want to leave the clifftops, but a typical Mediterranean lunch is waiting for you in a local restaurant.
You can choose to spend all morning here, or you can spend an hour wandering the gardens and then go back to the beach you first visited.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Blanes, Blanes, Costa Brava, Province of Girona, Catalonia
12.30pm – After we leave the botanical garden and beach we will stop first at the Castle of Sant Joan, with its magnificent views over Blanes.
From there we descend into the town for the highlight of the day, a feast of traditional local dishes and Sangria at a local family run restaurant.
All the dishes are lovingly handmade and they have built a deserved reputation as one of the best kept secrets in town.
After lunch, we will take a short drive to Tossa de Mar.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Stop At: Tossa de Mar, Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava, Province of Girona, Catalonia
3.45pm – The final stop of the day is Tossa de Mar, home to the last remaining preserved fortified town on the Costa Brava Coast.
You will have time to walk up to the lighthouse along cobbled streets with the ever-present backdrop of the Costa Brava coastline completing your view.
From the lighthouse on top of the hill, you’ll wander back down through the old medieval town before dropping into a maze of narrow streets lined with traditional whitewashed houses and shops.
After a couple of hours exploring Tossa de Mar, we will head back to Barcelona, arriving at about 7pm.
Duration: 2 hours
Pass By: Plaza de Catalunya, Placa de Catalunya, 08206 Barcelona Spain
7.00 – 7.15pm – We end the day in Plaça Catalunya. From here, you can easily take the metro or a taxi back to your hotel. Otherwise, your guide will be more than happy to make some recommendations of where to have dinner.
