Short trip along the coast of the Costa Brava from Portbou to Cadaquès
The Costa Brava is located in the North-East of Spain, from the French-Spanish border to the town of Blanès. This jagged coastline is nearly 250 kilometers long. Its climate is pleasant all year round. You can discover beautiful sandy beaches, follow the customs officers' path which runs along the Mediterranean coast or visit the towns of Figueras where Salvador Dali was born as well as Girona.
In this article, I will tell you about a part of the Costa Brava, the one located furthest north between Portbou and Cadaquès. Some maps to get your bearings:
Let's get closer
Here we are arrived
The route that I am proposing to you is done by car for around forty kilometers. A few stops will allow you to walk a little and discover beautiful panoramas...but you can also follow the customs officers' path which leaves from Collioure in France, crosses the border and joins Blanès via Cadaquès in 6 or 7 days (see below). site )
You will easily find accommodation in different establishments
Let's start our journey in Portbou
Portbou is a small fishing port at the foot of the Albères massif. This village has managed to protect itself from the haphazard construction of seaside resorts. You will see its station built in 1929, its neo-Gothic Santa Maria church and its fishing port.
After this short visit, take the N260 towards Colera. At the exit of the town turn left onto the N260a, park in the car park a few hundred meters further on and enjoy the view of the jagged coast. This view is called "Cova d'en Claper". You will not be disappointed with this first detour.
After this first stop you are back on the N260...the village of Colera is not far away. Colera is a village popular with families, a village where life is good in peace and quiet. A pretty beach and a charming little port welcome you. For the more courageous, go to the Hermitage of St Miquel de Colera...A hike of around thirty kilometers in the mountain will take you to an old church.
Take the N260 road towards Llança and stop at Garvet beach to admire the bay.
A little further on, the tip of Cap Ras awaits you.
The N260 takes you this time to Port de Llança. you will see the pretty Grifeu beach on your left before arriving there. Llança is a town of 5,000 inhabitants which was built around its baroque church and its tree of liberty in Major Square. Llança has become a dynamic tourist town. Its port at the bottom of the bay is protected from the wind and storms.
Let's leave the N260 to take the GI612 which follows the coast towards El Port de la Selva. This typical Catalan village is nestled in the hollow of a bay protected by the mountain (Cap de Creus National Park). Beach, mountain and authentic village will delight you. You are 30 kilometers from Figueras. Why not go visit this city and see the S.Dali museum?
Now take the GI 613 towards Cadaquès. Cross the Cap de Creus National Park. This Park is mixed, terrestrial and marine. Its highest point is the Pic de San Salvador (670m). The vegetation is different depending on the altitude and the affluence of the sea. You will find shrubs, maquis, cork oaks and at the bottom of the valley hazelnut trees or alders. The seabed is also very rich. There are many trails for hiking between sea and mountains.
You have now gone down to sea level. You are in Cadaquès, a famous town on the Costa Brava. Painters from all over the world came to be inspired by its light...Picasso, Chagall and of course S. Dali who spent his childhood there. You can also see his house museum there. Stroll through these narrow streets in the middle of a maze of streets with whitewashed walls. Visit the Santa Maria church, admire the bay, stroll along the quays.
We will end this trip with the Cap de Creus lighthouse...not for the lighthouse itself which is nothing exceptional, but for the panorama which allows us to discover is superb and wild. Enjoy the restaurant that you will find on site, tapas and fresh fish await you there. From Cadaquès head east, a few kilometers away you will find the Cap de Creus lighthouse
Important information: From June 10, 2021 to September 30 (date to be confirmed), vehicle traffic is restricted on the road which connects the town of Cadaqués to the Cap de Creus lighthouse. Between 9:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. the last section of the road (around 4km) which gives access to the lighthouse is closed to traffic. The Cadaqués Town Hall provides a bus service that will travel to the lighthouse from the center of the town, passing through the new car park of Coral d'en Morall (S'Alqueria) and with stops in Guillola and Paraje from Tudela. The cost of the bus service will be 8 euros / person.
You can choose to go there on foot via the coastal path, 8/9 kilometers passing through Portilligat.
I hope I have made you want to discover and visit this little piece of the Costa Brava. I wish you a good trip on this extraordinary route and good souvenir photos.