Tossa de Mar: walls, coves and a blue paradise on the Costa Brava
Tossa de Mar sits about 90 kilometres north-east of Barcelona, where the coastal plain of the Maresme gives way to the cliffs and pine woods of the Costa Brava. It is a small town — a few thousand permanent residents — but it packs in a medieval walled quarter, a string of beaches and coves, Roman ruins, a museum and a long artistic history. It also has something its louder neighbours have largely given up: a compact, walkable centre where the old town, the harbour and the main beach all sit within a few minutes of each other.
The Vila Vella: a walled medieval town by the sea
On the rocky headland between the two beaches stands the Vila Vella, the old town, enclosed by walls that date mostly from the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. Tossa is often described as the only fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast, and while the modern town spreads far beyond it, the enclosure is genuinely intact: crenellated curtain walls, seven round and square towers, and a cobbled interior of narrow lanes, a church and a lighthouse.
Walk up through the portal and climb to the highest tower, the Torre de Ses Ànimes (also known as the Torre des Moros), for the view that explains the town: cliffs to the north, the bay and the Platja Gran below, and the Mediterranean stretching to the horizon. The lighthouse inside the walls houses a small interpretation centre on coastal defences and piracy, a reminder that this stretch of coast was raided for centuries.
Beaches and coves
The Platja Gran is the main beach: broad, sandy, right under the walls, with the town's restaurants and promenade behind it. Just around the headland, Mar Menuda is smaller and pebblier, and it is where locals go to snorkel — the water is clear and the rocky bottom is full of fish.
North of the town, the coast turns wild. Cala Pola and Cala Bona are two sandy coves reached by a narrow road or on foot, and Cala Giverola sits further out in a green valley with a beach bar and kayaks. The paths that connect them are sections of the camí de ronda, the old coastal watch path that runs the length of the Costa Brava; a two-hour walk over the headland is one of the best half-days you can spend here. If you want more, our guide to the hidden coves of the Costa Brava covers the rest of the coastline.
Roman Tossa: the villa of the Ametllers
Long before the walls, Tossa was a Roman settlement. The villa dels Ametllers, discovered in the early twentieth century on the slope above the modern town, was a large farming estate occupied from around the first century BC to the sixth century AD, with mosaic floors, bath houses and the remains of the presses used to produce wine and olive oil. The site is open to visitors and the finds — mosaics, pottery, the everyday objects of a Roman farm — are displayed in the Museu Municipal, housed in the old hospital inside the Vila Vella.
Painters, film stars and the blue paradise
Tossa has an artistic reputation out of proportion to its size. Marc Chagall spent the summer of 1934 here and painted the town, and the nickname Tossa still uses — blue paradise — comes from that period; other artists joined him over the following decades, enough that the town talks of a "Tossa school" of painters.
Hollywood arrived in 1950 to shoot Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, starring Ava Gardner and James Mason, much of it filmed on and around the beach. The film put Tossa on the international tourist map almost overnight, and the town still honours Gardner with a bronze figure on the seafront, which has become one of its most photographed spots.
What to eat in Tossa de Mar
The local dish is cim i tomba, a fisherman's stew of fish, potatoes, garlic and oil simmered slowly in a single pot — traditionally cooked on board, and now the signature of the town's seafront restaurants. Grilled fish and suquet de peix, the Catalan fish stew, are the other safe orders. Wash it down with a glass of Catalan wine, and leave room for crema catalana for dessert — our guide to Catalan cream explains what it is and why it is not quite a crème brûlée.
Getting there and when to visit
Tossa has no railway station. The simplest route from Barcelona is the direct bus from Estació del Nord, which takes about an hour and a half; from Girona or the inland towns, buses run through Lloret de Mar, the resort next door, so you can combine the two in one trip. In summer, boats link Tossa with Lloret, Blanes and Sant Feliu de Guíxols along the coast, which is the most scenic way to arrive.
May, June, September and October are the best months: warm enough to swim, quiet enough to find a table. July and August are lively and crowded, and the week of 15 August — the Assumption, one of the public holidays in Catalonia — is the busiest of all, so book rooms well ahead. If you are touring the coast, the Marimurtra botanical garden at Blanes is an easy half-trip north, and the city of Girona is under an hour away by road.
Tossa de Mar FAQ
Is Tossa de Mar worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you want the Costa Brava without high-rise development. The walled old town, the beaches and the Roman site are all within walking distance of each other, and the town has kept a scale that its larger neighbours have lost.
How do you get to Tossa de Mar from Barcelona?
By direct bus from Barcelona Estació del Nord, roughly an hour and a half. There is no train to Tossa; the alternative is a train to Blanes followed by a bus along the coast.
What is Tossa de Mar famous for?
For the Vila Vella, the walled medieval quarter on the headland; for the 1951 film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman with Ava Gardner; for Chagall, who painted here in 1934; and for its beaches and coves.
How many days do you need in Tossa de Mar?
One full day is enough to see the walls, the museum and swim at the Platja Gran. Two or three days let you add the coves, the camí de ronda walk and a boat trip along the coast.
More on the coast: Lloret de Mar · Blanes · Costa Brava coves
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