Tossa de Mar is a town in Costa Brava that not only has nice beaches for having a bath, but it also offers amazing views and an interesting heritage that will delight the most curious. In this blog post, you’ll find a route around Tossa de Mar to get to know this place in a day and not miss any of its most beautiful spots.

1. Coastal Path

A good way to start the day in Tossa de Mar is with a short hike along the Coastal Path or Camí de Ronda. For those who loves hiking, this is one of the biggest attractions of Costa Brava, as the path follows the profile of the coast from Blanes to Portbou. This path has its origin in the 19th Century, and it was used to communicate the different towns. Also, it was used for surveillance of the coast.

From each town you can walk a section, most of them have amazing views of the sea. From Tossa de Mar, you can do a 3-kilometre one-way route that includes a part of this and is called Es Codolar Route. It starts in the Tourist Office (Av. Pelegrí, 25) and it reaches Cala Codolar, the most beautiful cove we saw here, has it is next to the city wall, at the foot of the Keep.

Remember to wear appropriate footwear for walking this path. If you prefer to walk less, you can go directly from the town to Cala Codolar and, from here, walking some meters through the Coastal Path.

2. Vila Vella: the old town

From Cala Colodar, we can start our foray to the Tossa de Mar walled enclosure, known as Vila Vella, through the gate in Portal street. This walled enclosure is the only one that stills conserved in the Catalan coast. Its astonishing wall, dating back to the 13th century, was built to protect the population from the attack of pirates.

Inside Tossa de Mar old town, what I recommend is to wander around unhurriedly. Its streets and houses are very well-kept, and they inspire a calm that you only can find in a few beach destinations. Don’t miss the walk along the wall and go over it to the Patio de Armas (Parade Ground).

3. To the top of Tossa de Mar

What is it about lighthouses that makes them so attractive? From the old town we can reach to the lighthouse, built in 1917, and that you can visit within its schedule. It is reached via the Passeig de Vila Vella.

As we start going up, we find the statue of Ava Gardner, actress that was in Tossa de Mar shooting a film: Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. Then, you’ll see the old Church of Saint Vincent. Before reaching the lighthouse, stop for a breath of fresh air at the spectacular viewpoint overlooking the coastal cliffs.

4. The lively streets

To finish in Tossa de Mar, you can take a stroll along some of the town’s main streets, such as Carrer del Portal. Continuing along this and Carrer del Socorro, you will come to the Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Socorro. About 250 m away is the parish church of San Vicente, which dates back to the 18th century.

Another interesting place to visit is the old Hospital of Sant Miquel, at 13, Avinguda del Pelegrí. This hospital dates from the 18th century and now houses the Casa de Cultura (Culture House). It was built thanks to Tomás Vidal i Rei, who, after making his fortune in Guatemala, decided to put his money into this building to care for the poor sick.

To finish, there is nothing better than a quiet stroll along the Passeig del Mar, contemplating the immensity of the Platja Gran (Great Beach) and admiring the city walls from the outside.

5. Farewell with the best views

Once we leave Tossa de Mar, the best way to say goodbye to it is at the Tossa de Mar Viewpoint, from where there are magnificent views of the town and the coast. We stopped here on our way to the Sant Grau Sanctuary, where we spent the first night of our camper van route along the Costa Brava.

Pictures are from my travel blog in Spanish, Meraviglia, so I own the rights to them.