Calella-de-Palafrugell, Spain; a beautiful village on the Costa Brava

Visit Calella-de-Palafrugell

Calella de Palafrugell is in the province of Girona in the Catalonia region of Spain. It is north of the fishing port of Palamos. It should not be mixed up with Calella which is a bigger resort further south.

Calella de Palafrugell is a beautiful seaside village on the Costa Brava.

Explore Calella-de-Palafrugell

Calella de Palafrugell is one of the most attractive towns on the Costa Brava coast. It sits on a picturesque, rocky part of the coast and the shoreline is hugged by the whitewashed villas and houses that make up the town.

The beaches are small and sandy and next to these is a string of lovely bars and restaurants linked in parts by a wooden walkway - perfect for relaxing from a hard days's sunbathing.

Each beach is seperated by the rocky coastline from the next and so as you walk along you get to a number of small sheltered bays each with a pretty, small beach. It really is lovely. The main beaches have showers and life-guards.

There is a picturesque coastal walk that links Calella de Palafrugell with Llafranc a short way down the coast. Along the way you can stop off at the lovely coves. At Llafranc you can climb up to the lighthouse 'El Far' for splendid villages over the bay.

The town winds gently uphill and exploring its narrow lanes of whitewashed houses covered in beautiful bougainvillea flowers is a treat. Many of the houses are end of century villas built when sea-bathing became fashionable.

Even the church is whitewashed and very picturesque. All in all the town is tiny but well worth a visit .

Calella de Palafrugell has a daily fruit and vegetable market and often there is a craft/gift market in the evenings.

Absolutely not to be missed is the wonderful botanic garden - the Cap Roig botanical gardens- just a couple of kilometers south of Calella-de-Palafrugell. As well as really fabulous gardens the views over the El Golfet beach and cove are fabulous.

The Castell i Jardins de Cap Roig were created by the Russian Colonel Nicolai Woevodsky, an architect and Dorothy Webster, a gardening and archaeology enthusiast, who bought the land in 1927.

Every year the gardens and castle are host to the Cap Roig Festival which attracts artists from around the world. The 2012 line-up included Bob Dylan, James Morrison and Simple Minds.

Places to visit nearby

Calella de Palafrugell is on a particularly nice stretch of the Costa Brava called the Baix Emporda. To the south is the lively but attractive resort of Platja d'Aro and to the north is the hilltop town of Begur.

Very close to Calella are two more of the loveliest resorts on the Costa Brava - Llafranc and Tamariu. Llafranc is an up-market resort with a marina and excellent, though expensive, restaurants. Tamariu is named after the pretty tamarind trees lining its seafront promenade.

The impressive walled city of Girona is inland to the west of Calella de Palafrugell.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Girona guide and the Catalonia guide.