As difficult as it may be to tear yourself away from Barcelona, we’ll show you the upside.
Technically, we’ll show you the north side: the best beaches on the Costa Brava.
Spain’s Costa Brava is a serious stretch of shoreline that makes tracks northwards from Barcelona’s outskirts to the French border. Pebble beaches with crystal clear snorkeling, soft sand with resort backdrop, and hidden coves with doggies splashing in joy are just a few of the things the best beaches on the Costa Brava can offer.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Jordi Salas
How to visit Costa Brava, Spain, without a car, logistically
Because if there’s one thing to know about getting to Spain’s best beach clubs, it’s which towns have bus lines and rail lines to accommodate your tan lines.
What is Costa Brava in Spain?
The Costa Brava is the Spanish coastline that runs from north of Barcelona to the French border. Technically, the Costa Brava region encompasses some villages and towns that are more inland, making this part of Catalonia one of the most expansive beach trips you can have in Spain.
Where is Costa Brava located in Spain?
More specifically, many consider the starting point of the Costa Brava to be the Catalan town of Blanes. The Costa Brava ends at the town just south of France’s border, Portbou. The area in between the two towns is the Girona province.
Is there a train to Costa Brava?
Yes, there is a train to the Costa Brava’s main city, Girona (or Gerona). Many travelers take the high-speed train from Barcelona Sants to Girona train station in less than an hour for as low as $7.80. Girona, however, is inland, not on the coastline. To get to specific beach towns along the Costa Brava without a car, you’ll have to take other train and bus routes.
What’s the best way to travel around Costa Brava without a car?
A combination of train travel and bus travel should get you to most places you want to visit. For instance, you can take a cheap train from Blanes to Llançà and be able to say you’ve traveled the length of the Costa Brava in 90 minutes for one-third the price of a paella.
Let’s say you wanted to see the castle and comb the beaches in Begur; you can take the train from Blanes to Flaçà then a bus from Flaçà to Begur for a price around €10 and a journey time less than two hours. It’s very possible to stitch cheap train and/or bus rides together to get to Costa Brava beaches without spending more than the price of a sangría.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Xavier Lorenzo. Image Location: Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava, Spain
⛱️ Now onto the beachy bits
You know that you can get to and around the Costa Brava by train and bus with ease—if only picking which of the best beaches on the Costa Brava to visit first was as obvious of a choice.
Does Costa Brava have dog-friendly beaches?
More like Costa Barka, the Costa Brava has a number of dog-friendly beaches like Platja de les Barques in Colera, which is accessible by train from Blanes. Other dog-friendly beaches on the Costa Brava include Platja de Pere Grau in Palamos, which lets dogs hang out year-round, and Port de la Selva, which lets dogs roam on all of its beaches in winter but limits canines to Platja de la Ribera and Platja del Port de la Vall in the summer.
Does Costa Brava have sandy beaches?
Nothing makes you regret paper-thin flip-flops more than not realizing the shoreline is a pebble beach until you arrive. The best beaches along the Costa Brava can be rocky or sandy. La Pletera within the Ter Vell Nature Reserve is a wild beach with tons of sandy dunes while Platja Empuriabrava has miles and miles of warm sand built for long walks with a partner (or podcast).
Image Credit: Getty Images, Artur Debat. Image Location: Sant Feliu de Guixols, Costa Brava, Spain
Does Costa Brava have clear water?
Oh yeah, you’ll find your fill of clear water beaches on the Costa Brava, but you might have to earn those crystal droplets. Cala Culip, for instance, is north of Cadaqués and requires a bus plus a little bit of a walk down to the beach. Sa Tuna Cove and Aiguablava, both accessible from Begur, have great snorkel-worthy waters.
Does Costa Brava have nice beaches?
Yes, you can be assured that any of the best beaches the Costa Brava has to offer will meet your personal coastal definition of “nice”. Platja de Riells in L’Escala has a long promenade and playground, perfect for families. Tossa de Mar’s shoreline is swimming with history while cosmopolitan Calella de Palafrugell throws one heck of a party.
Speed it to the beach
Let’s get you to the beach before you need to reapply your suntan lotion. Browse the fastest and cheapest routes to Spain’s Costa Brava now when you download the Trainline app.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Oscar Sánchez Photography