Discovering the Costa Brava

Girona has all the charm of a large city but without the crowds; a very "human" city that will have you strolling through everything it has to offer: streets, festivals, cultural activities, restaurants, tourist services, and events.
Make the most of your visit at any time of the year, and if possible, visit more than once, as the city is very lively, and there are always new things to surprise you.
Close to Barcelona, situated halfway between the sea and the mountains, Girona has a privileged position. The Ciutat Vella is one of the most evocative historic centres in Catalonia, with certain elements that are unique to Europe: the Carolingian wall, an exceptionally well-preserved Jewish quarter "El Call," which has gained the most significant architectural and urban interest, and the grandeur of the Gothic nave of the Cathedral, the widest in the world.

Girona also has six museums with a heritage collection of great interest:

Museu Tresor de la Catedral / Cathedral Treasury Museum
This museum presents the famous "Tapestry of Creation," an extraordinary piece of textile of incalculable value dating from the 12th century.
www.catedraldegirona.org - Plaza Catedral, s/n. 17004 – (+34) 972214426.

Museu del cinema / Cinema Museum
It is one of the few museums where you can explore 500 years of the history of images, seeing the predecessors and origins of cinema. Techniques and visual spectacles from the beginnings of the seventh art until the arrival of television are showcased. During this journey, you will be accompanied by the Tomàs Mallol Collection, an internationally recognized collection of cinematic and pre-cinematic devices acquired by the City of Girona in 1994. 
www.museudelcinema.org - C/ de la Sequía, 1 -17001 Girona – (+34) 972 22 21 29

Museu d'Història dels Jueus / Jewish History Museum
This museum offers one of the most spectacular collections of tombstones, along with other examples of Jewish culture.
http://www.girona.cat/call - C/ Força, 8, Girona - (+34) 972 216 761

Museu d'Història de la Ciutat / City History Museum
This museum presents educational exhibitions on the most important historical events that took place in Girona.
http://www.girona.cat/museuciutat - C/ Força, 27, Girona - (+34) 972 22 22 29

Museu d'Arqueologia / Archaeology Museum
The Archaeology Museum of Catalonia - Girona has artifacts from the prehistoric and classical periods.

Museu d'Art / Art Museum 
The Art Museum exhibits a valuable collection of medieval and Renaissance paintings.

Palamós is the most important fishing port in the province of Girona, with centuries of history, and its port is a very interesting visit.

Museu de la Pesca / Fishing Museum

A reflection of the history and the past and present life of sailors and women. The goal is to protect, promote, and research the maritime fishing heritage of the Catalan coast. The only one of its kind in the Mediterranean.
Services offered: guided tours, workshops, itineraries, sea trips, and a shop.

Sant Feliu de Guíxols stands out for its Benedictine monastery, one of the most important and powerful, of which an interesting group of Romanesque buildings is preserved, consisting of two towers and the Porta Ferrada (10th century), one of the most distinctive constructions in the city. The irregular shapes and dimensions of Porta Ferrada provide a unique and attractive perspective.

Museu de la joguina / Toy Museum

The museum houses more than 2.500 toys, dating from 1.870 to 1.970, with the majority of them made in Spain (from a private collection belonging to Tomàs Pla). You can trace the evolution of toys from tin to plastic.

Museu d'història / History Museum

Permanent exhibitions featuring prehistoric and ancient civilizations; ceramics, glass, and art; maritime rescues and the cork room. In addition to temporary exhibitions. The museum began with the display of archaeological findings by Eduardo González Hurtebiese at Punta dels Guíxols in the early 20th century. The exhibited objects were the remains of the first established settlement in the territory of what is now Sant Feliu: the Iberian settlement from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD.

Casa Màgica / Magic House

A house from 1850 that showcases posters and articles from the world of illusionism from different periods, along with automatons, paintings, antiques, curiosities, and also memories and awards obtained by the magician Xevi during his artistic career worldwide. 
Av. Església, 1, 17246 Santa Cristina d'Aro - Tel. +34.972.837 209.

Don't miss the coves along the coast of Palafrugell. Calella, once a small fishing village, is one of the most charming spots on the Costa Brava.

The coastal walk that connects this bay with Llafranc is beautiful, hugging the coastline just a few meters from the sea

The town of Pals boasts a fascinating medieval nucleus situated on a hill, preserving the typical structure and layout of the period, with narrow streets, towers, and buildings that make it a very interesting visit.

Iberian Settlement

An important Iberian archaeological site dating back to the 7th century BC, located on the hill of Sant Andreu, about two kilometers from the town of Ullastret.

During the time when the area was inhabited, the Iberians constructed a large walled area, establishing their own culture that influenced both urban layout and the funeral rites and various social activities they undertook.

The layout of the streets adapted to the shape of the mountain, houses, rock-carved cisterns, temples, and the extraordinary wall with square and circular towers can be discerned. These materials allow dating the first pre-Iberian settlement to the late 7th century BC and the first Iberian city around 550 BC.

The capital of the region, La Bisbal d'Empordà, is renowned as the ceramic capital. The street known as Carrer de l'Aigüeta is filled with shops selling the typical ceramics of the city. In La Bisbal, you can also find ceramic factories and the Terracotta Museum dedicated to the ceramic tradition of the area.

The ceramic center features a grand castle dating back to 1180, once the residence of the bishops of Girona and classified as a national monument and historical-artistic monument since 1972

A visit to the municipality of Torroella de Montgrí-L'Estartit is incomplete without including the Medes Islands. This is a protected maritime-terrestrial area with great biological diversity. It consists of two small islands and a group of small islets and reefs. The submerged area is a protected zone containing a series of highly complex ecosystems, making it an ideal location for diving.

Tossa de Mar, in the Selva region, boasts one of the most important medieval walls on the Costa Brava. 
It is characterized especially by its spectacular defense towers that once kept a watchful eye over the ancient city center. 
Medieval Tossa was first mentioned in 966. The castle, built in 1187, was used to defend the coast but declined during the 19th century, and its remains were demolished to build a lighthouse.
Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the walled area was constructed as a defense against pirate attacks. Almost the entire original perimeter is preserved, along with three large cylindrical towers named Codolar, las Horas, and Joanàs.
In 1931, the Vila Vella of Tossa was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument. The city walls on Cape Tossa are currently the sole example of a fortified medieval town that still stands on the Catalan coast. The beauty of its beaches and its rich artistic and cultural heritage have made this place a must-visit for tourists.

Salvador Dalí Theatre-Museum
The old municipal theater is now the Salvador Dalí Theatre-Museum, and the mausoleum of the genius. It is located next to the church of Sant Pere. The building that housed the city theater of Figueres, designed by the architect Roca i Bros, was built between 1849 and 1850 but was destroyed by a fire at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939. In 1961, the then-mayor of the city suggested to Salvador Dalí to build a museum dedicated to his work. The painter was impressed by the ghostly charm of the old theater and, with the intention of preserving the structure of the building, chose it as the home of the future Dalí Theatre-Museum. The museum was inaugurated in 1974 and has since continued to fill its halls with works by Dalí, ranging from his early artistic experiences to his creations within the surrealist movement, and extending to works produced in the last years of his life. The facade and the tower with the three loaves of bread and giant eggs on the roof are the most photographed scenes by visitors.

It houses a large part of the work of painters from its inception. Some of the most notable are: The Spectre of Sex-Appeal (1932), Atomic Leda (1949), and Galatea of the Spheres (1952), among others. The collection is periodically expanded with new acquisitions. There is also a permanent exhibition of jewelry designed by Salvador Dalí.
http://www.salvador-dali.org

Castell de Sant Ferran / Castle of Sant Ferran 

Its construction began in 1753 and lasted for thirteen years (built according to the Vauban system) and employed all the latest in the art of fortification. Due to its size, it was the second largest fort in Europe. It is a star-shaped castle with five bastions, seven ravelins, two tenailles, and an unfinished tower that overlooks the buildings.