Best Things to Do in Girona & Costa Brava, Spain

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I was invited on a trip to visit Costa Brava, but it certainly wasn’t exploring medieval towns, dining under the olive trees at a vineyard and lingering through one of the most beautiful gardens I’d ever been to. One of my most recent adventures was to Girona and Costa Brava, a region in Northeastern Spain, which combines medieval history and coastal landscape. Our flights to Girona with Jet2 was from Manchester (we caught the Friday 6am flight out, and the 1030PM Monday home,) the flight took under 2 hours, making it a perfect escape for a short weekend break. Click here for flights from Manchester and holidays to Costa Brava.

We stayed at Meliá Lloret de Mar, booked through Jet2holidays and packed an incredible amount into three days.

Here are my top ten must-dos when visiting the Costa Brava region.

A Clifftop Garden with Breathtaking Mediterranean Views - Santa Clotilde Gardens

Personally, visiting the Santa Clotilde Gardens was a real highlight of our Costa Brava and Girona trip. With panoramic views over the coast, the garden is quite simply the most beautiful garden that I have ever visited. Designed in the Italian Renaissance style, the gardens are filled with peaceful terraces, marble statues and hidden stairways, all surrounded by beautiful coast. I could have spent hours exploring.

Burricleta e-bike experience around the medieval towns

If you’re visiting Girona then you should DEFINITELY book in for an e-bike experience. This was such an amazing way to cover a lot of ground and visit some of the most incredible, well kept medieval villages in the region that you might not find by searching the internet. We rode through miles of countryside, passing farms, vineyards and stunning Spanish properties. It felt very Tuscany-ish.

Visit Pals, historic village

Pals is a beautifully preserved medieval village perched on a hilltop in Baix Empordà, in Girona . One of its most striking landmarks is the Torre de les Hores, a 15-metre-high circular Romanesque clock and bell tower dating from between the 11th and 13th centuries. Another highlight is the Església de Sant Pere, a historic church that blends a Romanesque foundation with a Gothic apse and later Baroque features, partly built using stones from the former castle - a wedding was actually taking place when we were there! We didn’t have long to explore Pals unfortunately, but I would have loved to have spent the afternoon bouncing between coffee shops and tapas restaurants.

Explore the coastline around costa brava

One of the best things about the Costa Brava is being surrounded by its beautiful coastline. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I live in Cornwall, so I’m pretty spoilt when it comes to beaches. I have to say, the coastline that we explored during our trip to the Costa Brava really impressed me. We stayed at Melià Lloret de Mar in Lloret de Mar and visited Platja de Lloret de Mar. Despite being one of the region’s most urban and lively beaches, it still felt VERY clean, relaxed and surprisingly chilled - and that takes me onto the next point perfectly.

Dofí Jet boat to Cala Canyelles

Dofi jet boats offer excursions and a hop-on-hop-off service which is a great way to explore more of the coast. We used this service and jumped on at Platja de Lloret de Mar, and off at Cala Canyelles where we had lunch at Gammarous (mentioned below). Cala Canyelles is also home to Castell de Lloret - a fairly surprising castle if you enjoy an immersive experience.

Lunch at Gammarous Beach Club in Cala Canyelles

This was proabably my favourite meal of the trip. Gammorous Beach Club is a mediterranian style restaurant and beach club situatied on the Cala Canyelles; a picturesque cove between coastal towns Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar. Serving market-fresh local seafood and meats, dining at Gammarous really felt like an authentic Catalonian meal - plus, the setting was gorgeous!

Dining in Lloret De Mar - the best chicken and steak you’ll ever have

Dinner at La Campana in Lloret de Mar, a rotisserie chicken restaurant where you can order half or whole chickens. And oh my goodness, it was right up there with the best chicken dinners I’ve ever had!

The following evening, we headed to La Brava, a steakhouse in Lloret de Mar. All I can say is WOW—the steak was absolutely incredible. Sadly, I didn’t have my camera with me, so you’ll have to make do with a few iPhone photos!

Girona Food Tours – Gastronomic tapas route

Joining the Girona Food Tour was such a great way to spend lunchtime and experience some of the best food the city has to offer. As a food photographer by trade, I was particularly excited to visit Rocambolesc Gelateria, the famous gelato shop created by Jordi Roca, the pastry chef behind the world-renowned El Celler de Can Roca (now that restaurant is right at the top of my food bucket list.)

It wasn’t all about the food, though! We also learnt so much about Girona and were taken to some of the city’s main highlights along the way.

Besalu - 35 minutes from Girona

Walking over the 12th century Romanesque bridge at Besalu is like stepping back in time. Situated at the foot of the mountains, Besalu is one of the prettiest medieval towns in the region with it’s stone paved streets and authentic charm. Just 35 minutes away from Girona, Besalu is a picturesque must see if you’re interested in history, or simply exploring and enjoying local coffee shops and cafes.

Visit Mas Geli cellar Vineyard, near girona

Mas Geli is a family-run winery in Els Masos de Pals, tucked between Begur and Montgrí. The sandy limestone soil, sea air and Mediterranean climate all shape the wines, and you really get a sense of the place in every glass. We had lunch under the olive trees, drinking wine made right there and sharing local meats and cheeses. Simple, authentic and such a lovely way to spend the afternoon. The vineyard offer guided tours, and wine tasting.

We had such an amazing trip to Costa Brava and Girona and it exceeded all expectations. Interested in taking a trip to Costa Brava and Girona? Click here for Last Minute Holidays with Jet2Holidays.

*Please note that this trip to Girona was an AD created for Jet2Holidays - but all opinions are my own, I had a wonderful time.