Lloret de Mar
On the most southerly part of the Costa Brava, lies the town of Lloret de Mar. With a deep seaside tradition, today it is one of the largest tourist centres on Girona’s sea front.
Beaches and coves with clear water combine with an interesting historic centre and a wide range of accommodation and leisure.
Walking, golf and water sports are some of the possibilities offered by the excellent temperatures of the Mediterranean climate.
Terraces, bars and restaurants help you to enjoy the Catalan night, making it possible to taste the region’s products.
The county of Selva, in which Lloret de Mar is set, has a broken coastal relief, with cliffs more than 100 metres high. These granite rocks sink into the Mediterranean, forming coves with incredible sea beds, suitable for diving, and broad sandy beaches.
The landscape here is dominated by dense pinewoods that reach the line of the beach and that house within them many holiday developments and homes.
Cultural wealthThe quality of the water and the pleasant temperatures this Catalan region enjoys all year attract many visitors every year.
The variety of accommodation is another of its attractions, as well as the large number of leisure opportunities. One of these is a walk round the historic centre, where the layout of an old seaside village awaits you.
The Promenade brings together nineteenth century and modernist houses, while elsewhere, the church of Sant Romà, the hermitage of Santa Cristina and the monument to the Woman Sailor, by Ernest Maragall, await you.
Sant Romá dates from 1522 and boasts Romanesque and Gothic elements in its structure. For its part, Santa Cristina stands above the beach showing the character of buildings in transition between Baroque and Neoclassical.
Modernism has other beautiful examples in the municipality of Lloret de Mar, like the works of Puig i Cadafalch.
The hermitage of La Verge de Gràcia, the transept that leads to Sant Pere del Bosc and the pantheon of the Costa Macià in Lloret cemetery bring you closer to the first Modernist works of this Catalan architect.
On the way out of the town, where the tourist developments begin on the shore beside the beach, like Cala Morisca, Platja de Fenals or Santa Cristina, stands a Roman sepulchral tower dating from the imperial era. Regional cuisine.
The position of Lloret de Mar between the sea and the mountains means its cuisine combines raw materials from very different spheres.
Fish and shellfish add their flavour to game and to products from the fields. Broad beans, peas, cod salad (“esqueixada”) or cold roast aubergines, onions and peppers (“escalivada”) are some suggested starters.
Chicken or rabbit with seafood, sea bass, gilt-head bream or prawns make up interesting second courses. Cold meats with “pà amb tomàquet” (bread with tomato) round off any menu.
Among the desserts, we should point out seasonal fruit like strawberries, peaches, oranges or water melon. And, to bring out the flavour of such delicious food, there is nothing better than wines with the Ampurdán-Costa Brava Denomination of Origin.
This excellent regional cookery can be tasted both in Lloret de Mar and in other nearby places, like Tossa de Mar. Here you can see the harmonious juxtaposition of the walled town beside the sea and Vila Nova, the area with the most modern buildings.
Blanes, for its part, is another important coastal tourist centre that adds to its range of beaches a beautiful historic centre.
The castle of Sant Joan, the Gothic palace of the Counts of Cabrera and the Carrer Ample fountain are some of its main monuments.
Also on the Mediterranean is San Feliu de Guíxols. Excellent beaches, a marina and a town centre full of entertainment coexist with the hermitage of Sant Grau, the church of Porta Ferrata and natural viewpoints like Cap de Mort. And, as the culminating point of any tour:
Girona, the provincial capital. The cathedral, the Jewish quarter, the Arab baths and the Archaeological Museum are sights not to be missed, as well as the walls and the churches of Sant Nicolau and Sant Feliu.
Situated in the north west of Spain, Lloret de Mar offers you everything you could possibly need to escape from routine and enjoy yourself all day and night long.
From beaches for soaking up the sun, plus a whole range of nearby restaurants, shops and leisure centres, to an exciting water park for a great day out with friends. Besides, its seven kilometres of coast also boast various coves, largely unspoiled.
At night, especially during the months of July and August, you can choose one of the numerous discos and dance until the early hours, meeting people from all over the world who, like you, have travelled to Lloret de Mar for a fun time. The best nightspots can be found along Just Marlés avenue and on the perpendicular streets Josep de Togores, Ponent and Santa Cristina.
