Costa Brava Holidays

Costa Brava means "wild coast", and one look at the pine-covered cliffs dropping into the sea tells you nobody was overselling it. It runs from just north of Barcelona all the way to the French border, it's a two-hour flight from home, and it offers a great mix of beaches, parties and culture.

Highlights of your Costa Brava Holidays 2026/2027

• Coves you have to walk to - The coast is a run of tiny pine-backed bays rather than one long beach, and the Cami de Ronda footpath links them all the way along the cliffs.

• Lloret de Mar after dark - One of the biggest nightlife resorts in Europe

• Medieval towns that aren't museums - Tossa de Mar's walled old quarter is the only fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast, and people live in it.

• Barcelona on the doorstep - Around 90 minutes from most resorts, so you can do Gaudi and the Ramblas as a day out and still be back for dinner.

• Catalan food, which is its own thing - Not Spanish food with a different accent: mar i muntanya, calcots, botifarra, and a wine region most people have never heard of.

• Dali country - The painter was born, worked and is buried within an hour of the coast, and his house at Portlligat is the strangest place you'll visit all year.

Good to Know for your Costa Brava Holiday

• ☀️ Weather - Daytime highs run 28 to 29°C in July and August, 26°C in September and 22°C in October, with the sea at its warmest in August at 25°C. Even January manages 14°C.

• 💶 Money - A menu del dia at lunch is €14 to €18 for three courses and a drink, a beer is €3 to €4, and Catalonia charges a tourist tax of €0.90 to €4.50 per person per night depending on where you stay.

• 🏰 Fun Fact - The name is barely a century old. A Catalan journalist called Ferran Agullo coined "Costa Brava" in a newspaper article in 1908, and it stuck so completely that nobody remembers what the coast was called before.

The Costa Brava is perfect for you if...

• You want a Spanish beach holiday where the beach is a cove you walk down to through pine trees, not a massive mega beach that stretches for miles

• You like sunshine, but you don't like it over 30' C

• You want a big night out (or three), you want a beach, and you might also want some culture

• You want a proper city on tap (Gaudi, tapas, a football stadium) without paying city-break prices to sleep in one

• You like the idea of a holiday where the food is its own cuisine rather than a regional accent, and you'll happily eat something you can't pronounce

🏘️ Best Resorts in Costa Brava

Costa Brava's resort towns each bring their own special magic to the table. Whether you're after peaceful family vibes, epic nightlife, or that perfect mix of culture and beach time, there's a spot here with your name on it!

The Golden Triangle: Calella, Pineda de Mar & Santa Susanna

These three gorgeous neighboring resorts form the perfect Costa Brava introduction – they're close enough to hop between (brilliant for exploring!) but each has its own personality that makes them special.

🌊 Calella - This cracking seaside town is pure family gold with its long, sandy beach backed by a palm-lined promenade that's perfect for evening strolls. The historic old town with its narrow streets and traditional Spanish charm creates that authentic atmosphere, while the modern resort facilities keep everyone happy.

🏖️ Pineda de Mar - The quieter, more laid-back cousin that's absolutely perfect for families wanting a peaceful base with easy access to everything. The beautiful sandy beach stretches for miles and you're brilliantly positioned between Barcelona and the rest of the Costa Brava for exploring.

🎭 Santa Susanna - This one's got the best of both worlds – stunning beaches backed by dramatic mountains that create the most incredible backdrop for your holiday photos. It's family-friendly during the day but comes alive at night with a brilliant selection of bars and restaurants.

The Party Legends

🎉 Lloret de Mar - Let's be honest, this place is absolutely legendary! If you want epic nightlife, brilliant beaches, and that proper "holiday feeling" from the moment you arrive, Lloret delivers in spades. The main beach is gorgeous, the old town has surprising charm with its medieval castle and stunning botanical gardens, but let's face it – you're here for the cracking bars, world-class clubs, and that infectious party atmosphere that makes every night feel like a celebration.

🏰 Tossa de Mar - This one's pure magic! The medieval walled town (the only fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast!) perched on dramatic cliffs creates the most stunning backdrop you'll ever see. The crystal-clear waters, charming cobbled streets, and that perfect mix of history and beach bliss make this spot absolutely unforgettable. It's got sophistication and beauty in spades, but still knows how to have a good time.

Costa Brava Holidays 2026/2027 - Travel Guide

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best things to do on a Costa Brava family holiday?

• Water World, Lloret de Mar - The coast's big waterpark, with a wave pool and enough slides to fill a full day. Sits just above the resort.

• The Cami de Ronda - The old coastguard path that runs along the cliffs linking cove to cove. Do a short stretch between two beaches and it feels like an expedition without being one.

• Marineland, Palafolls - Aquarium and waterpark on one site, a short hop inland from the Golden Triangle resorts.

• Tossa de Mar's Vila Vella - Free to walk into, and a walled medieval town is an easier sell to a nine-year-old than a museum.

• Blanes botanical gardens - Two clifftop gardens above the town, with paths that drop down towards the sea and views the whole way.

💑 What are the best things to do for couples on a Costa Brava holiday?

• Casa Salvador Dali, Portlligat - The painter's own house near Cadaques, a warren of whitewashed fishermen's cottages knocked together over forty years. You need a pre-booked time slot, so sort it before you fly.

• The Dali Theatre-Museum, Figueres - Built by Dali on the site of the theatre where he first exhibited, and he is buried under the floor. The strangest building in Catalonia.

• Gardens of Santa Clotilde, Lloret de Mar - Renaissance-style terraced gardens dropping down a cliff to the sea, with a staircase view that turns up on every postcard of the town.

• Pals and Peratallada - Two medieval stone villages inland from the coast, both close enough to do in an afternoon and both genuinely lived in.

• Cadaques - Whitewashed, hard to get to, and the reason half the artists of the twentieth century ended up on this coast.

🎉 What are the top things to do for groups on a Costa Brava holiday?

• A night out in Lloret de Mar - The reason a lot of groups come. The scene is concentrated enough that you can walk the whole thing.

• Barcelona for the day - Around 90 minutes by train or coach, and enough for the Sagrada Familia, a wander down the Ramblas and lunch at the Boqueria market.

• Kayaking the coves - Out from Tossa or Sant Feliu, paddling into caves and sea arches you cannot reach any other way.

• A balloon flight over the Emporda plain - Sunrise launches inland from the coast, drifting over medieval villages with the Pyrenees on the horizon. Not cheap, and worth it once.

• Girona old town - Forty minutes inland, with the best-preserved Jewish quarter in Europe and the cathedral steps that Game of Thrones fans will recognise instantly.

🏨 What are the best hotels in the Costa Brava?

The coast splits neatly into two kinds of hotel: the big sandy-beach resorts at the southern end, and the smaller properties tucked into coves further north. Which you want depends entirely on whether you're here for the beach club or the view. See all our Costa Brava hotels or browse our top picks below...

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best family hotels in the Costa Brava?

• Golden Taurus Aquapark Resort has its own waterpark on site at Pineda de Mar, which settles the daily argument before it starts, and it runs all-inclusive board.

• Alegria Mar Mediterrania sits right on the front at Santa Susanna with pools on two levels and the quietest stretch of Golden Triangle sand in front of it.

• Htop Pineda Palace is the big, busy, entertainment-every-night option, a few minutes back from Pineda's beach.

• GHT Hotel Costa Brava puts a family hotel inside Tossa de Mar itself, so the medieval walls and the beach are both a short walk away.

💑 What are the best hotels in the Costa Brava for couples?

• Salles Hotel & Spa Cala del Pi is the coast's five-star, built above its own cove at Platja d'Aro with a spa and a restaurant that face straight out to sea.

• BLUESEA Continental Tossa is a short walk from Tossa's walled old town, which means you can eat dinner inside a medieval fortress and walk back.

• Hotel Delamar is the grown-up end of Lloret, adults-recommended and deliberately calm, on the seafront away from the noise.

• Melia Lloret de Mar sits up above the bay with gardens and a pool terrace looking down over the whole resort.

🎉 What are the best hotels in the Costa Brava for groups?

• Rosamar Garden Resort has the space, the pools and the position to keep a big group happy without anyone having to share a lift for ten minutes.

• Evenia Olympic Resort is a complex rather than a hotel, with several pools and enough bars on site that the night can start before you leave.

• Kaktus Playa Hotel is about as central as Lloret gets, which matters at four in the morning more than it does at four in the afternoon.

• GHT Hotel Aquarium is the well-reviewed all-rounder of the Lloret set, with a rooftop pool and the beach a couple of streets away.

💰 What are the best value hotels in the Costa Brava?

• GHT Tossa Park Apartments gives you a kitchen in the prettiest town on the coast, which is the cheapest way to stay somewhere this photogenic.

• Els Llorers Apartments does the same job in Lloret, self-catering with a pool and gardens, a walk from the beach.

• Helios is the straightforward, well-reviewed, gets-on-with-it option in Lloret, priced accordingly.

👉 All hotels in Costa Brava

Costa Brava All Inclusive Holidays

Costa Brava. This is where medieval towns throw shade with their ancient cool, and the nightlife winks at you with a mischievous twinkle. Whether you're sipping sangria in a beachside bar or exploring hidden coves that play hard to get, Costa Brava serves up a slice of jolly heaven with a side of Catalan charm.

All-inclusive makes a particular kind of sense on this coast, because the southern resorts are built around big properties with the space to do it properly: several pools, a couple of restaurants, entertainment that runs into the evening. You are not buying your way out of eating out, because Catalan food is far too good for that. You are buying a base where lunch, drinks and the kids' afternoon are already handled.

Read the board level before you book. Standard all-inclusive here usually covers buffet meals, local beer, wine and soft drinks between mid-morning and late evening, with branded spirits and the à la carte restaurant sitting outside it. And budget for the Catalan tourist tax separately, because it is charged per person per night at the accommodation and is never inside an all-inclusive package.

Travelling with little ones in search of unlimited ice-cream? Costa Brava came 4th on our Family Beach Index, making it a perfect pick for top-notch all-inclusive family jolly!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best all-inclusive hotels in the Costa Brava for families?

• Golden Taurus Aquapark Resort at Pineda de Mar is the one to beat, because the waterpark is on site and inside the package rather than a taxi ride and another ticket away.

• H.Top Royal Sun sits on the front at Santa Susanna, the calmest of the southern family resorts, with all-inclusive running from mid-morning through to eleven at night.

💑 What are the best all-inclusive hotels in the Costa Brava for couples?

• Hotel Europa & Spa pairs a full spa with all-inclusive board at Malgrat de Mar, and the drinks run to quarter past eleven, which is the detail that decides whether an evening is relaxing or clock-watching.

• Tropic Park Hotel is the quiet one, set in gardens a few minutes back from a long stretch of sand, in a town that is a Catalan town first and a resort second.

🎉 What are the best all-inclusive hotels in the Costa Brava for groups?

• Evenia Olympic Resort is a complex rather than a single hotel, with several pools and enough bars on site that the night can start without anyone leaving the grounds. Lloret's nightlife is a walk away when it does.

• Costa Encantada Suites & Resort sits above the resort with suite accommodation and pools on terraces, which suits a group that wants space and a view more than it wants to be on the strip.

Best Beaches on the Costa Brava

The Costa Brava doesn't really do one long beach. It does about two hundred small ones, most of them wedged between headlands and backed by pines, and the Cami de Ronda footpath threads along the cliffs linking them together. Here's where to start.

• Platja de Lloret, Lloret de Mar - The big one. Nearly a mile and a half of sand running the whole length of the resort, lifeguarded, with everything from pedalos to beach bars along it.

• Platja Gran, Tossa de Mar - The postcard. A curve of coarse golden sand with the medieval walls of the Vila Vella rising straight off the far end of it.

• Cala Pola, near Tossa de Mar - A small pine-backed cove north of town, reachable on the coast road or on foot along the Cami de Ronda, and worth the effort for the water alone.

• Platja de Calella, Calella - Wide, flat, gently shelving and Blue Flag, which is exactly what you want if the group includes anyone under eight.

• Platja de Santa Susanna, Santa Susanna - The quietest of the southern beaches, with more space between the sunloungers and a long promenade behind it.

• Cala Sant Francesc, Blanes - A sheltered horseshoe cove just north of town, calm enough for snorkelling and small enough to feel like a find.

• Platja de Sa Boadella, Lloret de Mar - Twenty minutes' walk from the middle of Lloret and a different world: a cove below the Santa Clotilde gardens, half of it unofficially naturist.

• Aiguablava, near Begur - Further north and worth the drive. The name means "blue water" and for once the marketing is just a description.

When to Visit Costa Brava 📅

Peak Season (July-August) 🌡️🔥

The hottest months with temps hitting 28-30°C and beach season in full swing. This is when Costa Brava absolutely buzzes with life – beaches are packed, nightlife is at its peak, and every resort comes alive with entertainment. Sea temps reach a gorgeous 22-24°C, perfect for swimming. Hotels fill up fast and here's brilliant energy everywhere you go.

What's On:

• Beach clubs and water sports operating at full capacity

• Festival season – live music, cultural events, and summer celebrations

• Perfect weather for exploring coastal paths and hidden coves

• Nightlife at its peak – especially legendary in Lloret de Mar

Shoulder Season (May-June & September-October) 🍃☀️

Absolutely brilliant time to visit with gorgeous weather (20-27°C) and way fewer crowds. May and June offer warming temps perfect for beach days without the peak season chaos, while September stays properly warm (often hitting 27°C) with lovely sea temps around 22°C. October can be wetter with occasional thunderstorms, but you'll get brilliant hotel deals and a more authentic local vibe.

What's On:

• May-June – warming up nicely, flowers in bloom, everything opening for season

• September – still hot and sunny, locals back from holidays, harvest season begins

• Lower prices on accommodation and flights

• Cultural events without the summer tourist crowds

• Top Tip: October is the wettest month, so if you're visiting then, pack a light rain jacket. The thunderstorms can be spectacular but they might cut your beach day short!

Winter (November-February) ❄️🌤️

Mild compared to the UK with temps around 13-17°C during the day – chilly for swimming but brilliant for exploring medieval towns, hiking the Camí de Ronda coastal path, and experiencing authentic Catalan life. Many beach bars and restaurants close, but the old towns of Tossa de Mar and Girona are gorgeous without crowds. February is actually the driest month!

What's On:

• Quieter streets perfect for cultural exploration

• Lower prices - proper bargains on hotels and flights

• Girona and medieval towns at their most atmospheric

• Golf season – Costa Brava's world-class courses in perfect conditions

• Setmana Santa (Easter) – if it falls in March/April, stunning processions and celebrations

Local Lingo

Here's the thing nobody tells you before a first trip to Catalonia: the language on the menus and the road signs isn't Spanish. It's Catalan, and while everyone will switch to Spanish or English without blinking, having a go at a few words in Catalan lands very differently. It's the difference between being a tourist and being a guest.

• Bon dia, bon DEE-ah, Good morning

• Si us plau, see oos PLOW, Please

• Gràcies, GRAH-see-es, Thank you

• Una canya, si us plau, OO-nah CAH-nyah see oos PLOW, A small draught beer, please

• El compte, si us plau, el COMP-tuh see oos PLOW, The bill, please

• Bon profit, bon proo-FEET, Enjoy your meal

• Molt bo, molt BO, Really good

• Adéu, ah-DEH-oo, Goodbye

More Destinations

• Spain - Everything from the Balearics and the Canaries to the Costa del Sol, the Costa Blanca and the cities. There's a reason it never goes out of fashion.

• Barcelona - Gaudi's cathedral, the Gothic Quarter, the Boqueria market and a city beach ten minutes from the middle of it all.

• Girona - Medieval walls you can walk the top of, the best-preserved Jewish quarter in Europe, and a food scene that punches far above a city this size.

• Costa Dorada - Long golden beaches south of Barcelona, with PortAventura and the Roman ruins at Tarragona on the same stretch of coast.

• Costa Blanca - Benidorm's skyline and theme parks at one end, quiet coves and old fishing towns at the other, with some of the most reliable sunshine in Spain.