Tourist Attractions in Wild Coast

South of Playa de Aro is S'Agaró, a high-class resort established only in 1923, with numbers of fine villas set in beautiful gardens.

From the beach at San Feliú de Guixols, which is fairly short, a road runs up to the Mirador de Sant Elm. On the hill there is also an old hermitage.

On the coast to the southeast of Castelló de Ampurias is the planned holiday settlement of Ampuriabrava, a well designed complex of holiday houses and apartments laid out round an artificial network of canals.

From Torroella the road runs through level country (rice-fields) by way of Pals, an old-world little town picturesquely situated on the slopes of a hill, and Regencós to Bagur (Catalan Begur; alt. 220m/720ft), built round a castle situated on a cone-shaped crag, from which there are panoramic views.

To the north of the Port Lligat promontory the 80m/260ft high Cabo Creus, known to the Greeks as Cape Aphrodision, projects into the sea. It is the most easterly point on the Iberian peninsula.

From Rosas C 260 runs round the Bahía de Rosas to Castelló de Ampurias, an old market town with the church of Santa María (13th-15th C.), which has a fine doorway and a Gothic alabaster retablo.

Visitors entering Spain from France should take N 114 from Perpignan. This runs via Argelès-sur-Mer to the French frontier town of Cerbère, 49km/ 30mi from Perpignan, from which the road winds its way up to the Col de Balitres (173m/568ft), on the frontier, with beautiful views of the coast.

The road continues from Port-Bou high above the cliff-fringed coast with its offshore islands to Colera, which lies below the road and has a stony beach.

The drive along the Costa Brava ends at Blanes, the last resort on this stretch of coast. Places of interest in the hinterland of the coast include Gerona, Figueras and Vich.

On the coast to the east of Torroella de Montgrí is the not particularly beautiful resort of Estartit, which is part of the commune of Torroella.

From Estartit there are boat trips to the Islas Medas, a nature reserve with good diving grounds.

From Castelló de Ampurias a secondary road runs south by way of San Pedro Pescador and the archeological site of Ampurias to the old fishing port of La Escala, attractively situated above the sea on a small promontory in the Golfo de Rosas. It is now a popular family holiday resort, with a beach of sand and pebbles.

Beyond Colera is Llansá, a little walled town, off the road to the right, with the Baroque church of San Vicente (Catalan Sant Vincenç) and a 15th Century defensive tower. There is a small beach by the harbor.

Lloret de Mar is one of the most popular resorts on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Once a modest fishing village, it is now a high-class holiday and tourist center with a wide range of entertainment and leisure facilities, including the Waterworld leisure center to the west of the town.

C 253 continues southwest from Palamós, a short distance from the coast, to San Antonio de Calonge (with the beautifully situated inland holiday resort of Calonge 2.5km/1.5mi off on the right) and Playa de Aro, a busy seaside resort comprehensively developed for tourism, with high-rise hotels lining the seafront promenade.

2km/1.25mi southeast of Bagur are the resorts of Playa de Fornells and Aiguablava, the latter of which has a small sandy beach and attractive coves with clear water.

Beyond the French frontier another winding road runs down to Port-Bou, a fishing port and the Spanish frontier town. It has an important railroad station, since in view of the broader gauge of the Spanish railroad system passengers must usually change trains here or wait while their carriages are adjusted to the Spanish gauge.

Returning from Cadaqués to the road junction, we turn left and in another 12km/7.5mi turn left again into the road to Rosas, originally founded by the Greeks under the name of Rhode. At the west end of the town, within the walls of a former citadel, are the remains of a church belonging to an early Christian cemetery.

Northwest of Rosas is the Aqua Brava water park, with several swimming pools, restaurants and seven water chutes.

San Feliú de Guixols is a port town, attractively situated at the head of a bay. As the main center for the shipment of the cork produced in the surrounding area it is a port of call for ships of many nations, and it is also a very popular seaside resort with a good beach. In the town are the remains of a monastery built in the 13th century, with an iron entrance gate, the 11th century Porta Ferrada, and a defensive tower beside it. In the square, standing by itself, is a Baroque doorway. The Casa Berruguer contains a small museum with Iberian, Greek and Roman antiquities.