Catalonia; a special part of Spain

Catalonia is a beautiful authentic part of Spain. This Spanish region is liked by its inhabitants as 'a country within a country'. Catalans are rightly proud of their Catalonia. Due to the strong economic position of the region, many (especially young) Catalans speak English very well, which can be an advantage compared to the other regions in Spain.

Besides this, the region has a lot to offer, from the Spanish Pyrenees in the northern part, beautiful towns and cities including Girona and Barcelona, ​​and a rugged coastline with beautiful hidden beaches and a fantastic extensive coastal walkway. And best of all? The food here is delicious!

Catalonia is a region (autonomous community) in the northeastern part of Spain. The capital of Catalonia is Barcelona. The region is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and has a coastline of 580 kilometers consisting of (probably the most famous one) the Costa Brava, the Costa del Maresme, the Costa del Garraf and the Costa Daurada. 
The region has a highly developed (economic) identity of its own and is recognized as a nation within the country of Spain through its statute of autonomy (the regional constitution). In Catalonia, Catalan is mainly spoken (official language). In 2017, the region unilaterally made a declaration of independence from the Kingdom of Spain, but this was rejected.

We have had many wonderful holidays in this region, and Catalonia really has a special place in our hearts. This blog is dated July 2022.

Our highlights 

We rented a car, with no issues, for 3 weeks here: rentalcars Catalonia

1. Barcelona

We took the train to Barcelona and had a marvellous time here. Read our full blog about this Catalan City here. 

Plaça Reial Barcelona

2. Girona 

Girona is a beautiful old town and is often called the 'little brother' of Barcelona. We loved wandering through this city and ended up walking on the old city walls ('Murella medieval'). The town has many nice squares with cozy terraces and restaurants. We also had a great time shopping there. 

Girona (& Medieval Wall)

Artisanal vibes at La Santa Market

4. Pyrenees

We went to Vallter 2000 early in the morning and had a decent breakfast before heading into the mountains. We parked our car (Vallter 2000) and took the chairlift up to Les Marmotes (2,535mtr). This point is almost at the Spanish and French border. From this point we walked up to Coll de la Marrana (2,874 mtr) and walked all the way back along the mountain stream. We had lunch at Refugi D'ulldeter (2,236 mtr), a cute mountain hut, somewhere half way. A beautiful hike and day! 

Hiking in the Pyrenees (Spanish - French border)

5. Kayak-trip along the Costa Brava Coast 

We booked a guided kayak trip from Tramuntana and kayaked along the Costa Brava coast north towards Palamos. Along the way we came along s'Alguer, a beautiful hidden fisherman village, only reachable by water or walking through one of the Costa Brava coastal paths.

Besides this, we kayaked into a sea cave and under a 'mirador', a natural stone arch in the sea (Mirador Del Cap Gros). The trip took about 3 hours, and was quite tough because the sea current was quite strong. That's why you should never do this tour without a guide.

Kayak trip Costa Brava Coast

6. Castells festival Santa Cristina d’Aro 

This was one of the highlights of our holiday. 'Castells' are human towers, an established tradition in Catalonia, that is somewhere between sport and folklore. The members of such a team are called 'casteller'. Ten levels is the highest level reached so far, for the first time on November 15, 1998 by the Castellers of Vilafranca.
It is an integral part of celebrations (festa major) and other important events. Each larger municipality has its own 'colla' (team), each with its own colors and there is an annual festival with classification, which takes place in Tarragona in November.
The custom originated around the end of the 18th century in the city of Valls. The castells were added to UNESCO's Intangible World Heritage List in 2010. The impressive results can only be achieved with a lot of training.

Cultural heritage: building human towers ('castells')

7. Costa Brava historical coastal path: Camí de Ronda

Hiking Camí de Ronda

8. Peratallada 

Peratallada is a beautiful fairytail town. It is one of the best preserved medieval villages in all of Spain. The village was founded in the tenth century AD after a castle was built here, nowadays a hotel. This castle with its beautiful tower is still the eye-catcher of the village. The village is built entirely on rocks.

Peratallada has a typical medieval center with narrow streets, gates, bridges and arcades. Most of the historic houses in the village date from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries and are all still in excellent condition. During a walk through Peratallada, we imagined ourselves in times long gone. 

Pictures taken in Peratallada  ⬆️

9. Monells

The main features of Monells are its yellowish stone houses, arches and cobbled floors. The architecture has Gothic influences and all buildings have potted plants, ivy on the walls or flowers on the balconies; a pleasure to walk through the streets.

Moreover, the city is built in an old castle of which only the walls have been preserved. The Rissec River, where the above-mentioned mills stood, runs through the middle of the village and divides Monells into two different parts.

Monells

10. Jardins and Castell de Cap Roig and cala d'en Massoni (hidden beach)

We went to the Jardins and Castell de Cap Roig and from here, we walked to Cala d’en Massoni hidden beach. It was around 20 minutes walk before we reached the beach. Many boats were anchored in this small bay enjoying the beautiful view. We could jump off the rocks into the sea. That was really fun, we had a great time.

Cap Roig & Cala d'en Massoni

11. Cala del Grit 

We went to Cala del Grit, another beautiful small beach, not reachable by car, so you need to walk up there (approx. 45 minutes walk). Nice walk, take enough water with you (and also snacks, because there is nothing else on the beach) and as a reward you will get a beautiful beach with a rock that you can walk through (this is also part of the coastal path: Camí de Ronda). One thing to be aware of... there are also nude recreations to be found, but they are sheltered between the rocks. So nothing provocative.

Cala del Grit

12. Playa El Castell (Cala en Palamos)

Castell beach is one of the larger beaches on the Costa Brava. It is located in the municipality of Palamos, in an area surrounded by pine woods, agricultural land and some farmhouses. The beach has several services, like a bar, sun lounger and parasol hire, kayak school and lifeguard service. The beach also has a parking area, which is payable in summer and rom where you can access the beach. Right along the coastal path you can walk to the Cala S'Alguer and Cala Fosca. Both the road to the left and the right are signposted and offer spectacular views.

Castell Beach

13. Our home stay at Calonge

Calonge is known for its medieval castle (12th-13th centuries), Sant Martí Church and Càlcul Street. It dates back to prehistoric times. We rented a house in Calonge from local people for almost a month and stayed in the middle of the village. Every morning we bought bread at the local bakery, bought fruit at the local market and drank coffee on the central square in the village. What a wonderful life this is!

There was a lot to do in and around the village. We had bicycles, so one day, we took a bike ride via the higher suburbs of Calonge towards Platja d'Aro and via the coast back to Sant Antoni de Calonge and inland to Calonge. This was about 18 kilometers.

We regularly cycled to the beach (3 km) to have breakfast and go for a swim. There was an inflatable water park in the sea, which the kids really enjoyed.

We often went for walks in the morning through the vineyards. There we also did a horse riding tour and really enjoyed some local events, such as the NOMAD (music) festival and a historical festival around the castle with large puppets.

Catalonia offers great food and drinks. Tomatoes, olive oil and different types of sausage play the leading role in Catalan cuisine. Because of its location by the sea, Catalans also eat a lot of seafood, such as the Spanish paella. A popular dish is the pa amb tomàquet: bread with olive oil, pureed tomato, salt and pepper. We really enjoyed eating a 'burrata caprese' salad.

Our favorite eatery in Calonge was without a doubt Bistro 37. But we loved dining at Restaurant Rio de Oro in El Mas Pere (suburb of Calonge). Platja d'Aro is really a tourist town with many bars, cafes and restaurants, we also ate there a number of times. Here you can also shop (for souvenirs), for example there is also an FC Barcelona shop.

Several pictures of (surroundings of) Calonge

Foto album Catalonia summer 2022