Exploring Costa Brava, Spain: Where to eat, what to see, where to stay

The raw beauty of the Costa Brava, the “wild coast” region that runs about 100 miles along Spain’s northeastern corner, has long lured artists and intellectuals. The Surrealist artist Salvador Dali lived in the small fishing village of Port Lligat, while Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood in the town of Palamos. Today, a new generation of Catalan creatives is trading the bustle of Barcelona, 40 or so miles to the south, for a quieter life by the sea. In its wake, a host of stylish new guesthouses, shops and restaurants have begun springing up across the region, reenergising its sleepy coastal towns. If you have just a weekend, consider spending a night each in the towns of Cadaques and Begur and cruise the coast at your leisure.

FRIDAY

5pm | Find your Catalan style

The town of Cadaques sits at the tip of a rugged peninsula called Cap de Creus, toward the northernmost end of the Costa Brava, and is accessible only by a winding road that curves across steep, wind-swept hillsides. It’s a postcard-perfect blend of whitewashed houses and bougainvillea-strung alleyways dotted with stylish boutiques. Pepa, a chic seafront store, has been styling the town’s best-dressed since the 1970s. Today, it stocks Catalan brands like La Veste (Barcelona-based producers of brightly coloured clothing made from terrycloth) and hand-crocheted headwear from Pardohats — alongside international big-hitters like Jacquemus and Acne Studios. Local brand Polonio also has two shops in the town, stocking its own range of colourfully printed swimwear as well as a summery selection of floaty dresses and cotton shirts.

7pm | Drink with Dali and Duchamp

On the golden sand of Cadaques’s central Platja Gran beach stands Maritim Bar, an institution since 1935. For much of its history, the bar was a magnet for artists and intellectuals — according to local lore Dali (who lived in neighbouring Port Lligat) would dock his boat directly at the terrace, and Marcel Duchamp played chess there. Gabriel Garcia Marquez even name-checked Bar Maritim in his short story Tramontana. Today, it’s run by third-generation owners and its wooden structure is furnished with bentwood furniture and faded photographs documenting some of the famous faces who have dropped in over the years. Outside, its wide wooden deck makes for a perfect spot for an ice-cold Turia beer (€3.90 euros, about US$4.50 or S$5.90) at golden hour.

8pm | Eat modern Mediterranean, then hear live music

Oli Bar, which opened in April, has given a stylish makeover to the cavernous interiors of a centuries-old oil mill on a side street in central Cadaques. A horseshoe-shaped bar loops around the central open kitchen run by the Catalan chefs Vito Oliva and Monty Aguilo. An inventive array of small plates mixes a wide range of (mostly) Mediterranean influences; think oysters prepared in the French meunière style (pan-fried and soaked in lemon butter), large hunks of rosemary-studded focaccia and Iberico pork tartare. Expect to pay about €100 for a meal for two, not including drinks. After dinner, it’s a short stroll along the seafront to Cafe de la Habana; a dimly lit bar popular with young locals that comes alive at the weekends with free live performances of Spanish guitar music.

SATURDAY

9.30am | Breakfast by the sea

Start your day with a leisurely beachfront breakfast at Bar Casino, in a 19th century mansion with a facade adorned with portraits of famous explorers including Magellan and Columbus. The building never actually served as a gambling institution: “Casinos” were social clubs that sprung up across Catalonia in the 1800s, created to host all manner of public meetings and performances. Today, it’s a no-frills bar and cafe where €10 will get you a cup of coffee, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a crusty bread roll (entrepa) stuffed with Iberico ham. Pull up a chair on the terrace to enjoy your breakfast with a view over the shimmering bay and its gently bobbing wooden fishing boats (known as llauts).

10.30am | Tour the surreal

In 1930, Salvador Dali bought a small fisherman’s hut in the small village of Port Lligat, about a 15-minute walk from Cadaques. He wrote about the Costa Brava’s distinctive beauty and depicted its craggy shorelines in his Surrealist scenes. Over the decades, he bought up various adjoining huts and linked them to create a labyrinthine network of elaborately decorated rooms — complete with taxidermied swans (once Dali’s pets), a swimming pool and antique curios like ornate bird cages, Japanese paper parasols and an enormous lighthouse lamp. Today, the only way to see inside the property, called Salvador Dali House Museum, is to book a tour. Guides lead small groups, offering insight into the eccentric furnishings in English, Spanish or Catalan. Tickets start at €15; reserve well in advance.

12pm | Chill for vermouth hour

Time to hit the road. Drive about an hour south along the Bay of Roses, along the inland perimeter of Aiguamolls de l'Emporda Natural Park— an area of protected wetland where you might even spot the odd gaggle of flamingos — to reach L’Escala, a seaside town famed for producing salt-cured anchovies. Sample these at Ultramar, a waterfront restaurant with panoramic views along the coast, where they’re served with pa amb tomaquet (crisp ciabatta-like bread topped with fresh tomato and olive oil) for €12.50. Between 12pm and 2pm is l’hora del vermut (vermouth hour), when locals gather for a pre-lunch glass of this sweet fortified wine — served over ice and garnished with a slice of orange and an olive. Ultramar has more than 20 varieties of vermouth on the menu.

3pm | Hike along the beach

With its wide expanse of golden sand lined with pine-studded promontories, Sa Riera beach, about a 45-minute drive south from L’Escala, is a scenic spot for a refreshing dip. It also makes for a good starting point to pick up the Camide Ronda hiking trail; a system of footpaths once used by local fishermen that have been linked to form a walking route that stretches almost 90 miles along the Costa Brava. The well-maintained path comprises a series of dirt tracks, paved walkways and stone staircases that snake up and down rocky cliffs. The section between Sa Riera and Sa Tuna beach is particularly easy on the eye — it’s an hourlong walk each way, winding past small pebble beaches and secluded coves that make for peaceful swimming spots.

6pm | Take in the view atop medieval ruins

It’s a short (but steep) drive uphill from Sa Riera to the town of Begur — a maze of narrow lanes, dotted with 19th century mansions known as casas indianas. These were built by residents of Begur who left Spain to make their fortunes in Cuba. Upon their return to Catalonia, they commissioned stately villas in the classic colonial styles popular in Havana — with brightly painted facades, grand balconies and lush interior courtyards. The most notable remnant of the town’s medieval past is the hilltop stone fortress (Castell de Begur), built in the 11th century to protect from marauding pirates. From the centre of the town, a signposted path leads up to the ruins (free to visit). At the top are expansive views across the coast, all the way to the Pyrenees in the north.

8pm | Share in a home-style, wood-fired meal

For traditional Catalan cuisine, head to Begur’s Casa Juanita. The beloved local institution’s unassuming interiors, housed inside a 17th-century stone building, are largely unchanged since the restaurant opened in 1978. In those early days, a single oak-fired oven served just three tables, surrounded by wine barrels. Over time, the wine cellars were cleared out to make room for more diners, and the menu expanded beyond simple seafood dishes to include grilled meats, fresh salads, and escalivada (vegetables slow-roasted in the ashes of the fireplace). Second-generation owner Jordi Barreda changes the menu seasonally and according to the local daily catch — still prepared in the oven Mr. Barreda’s father built by hand back in the 1970s. Expect to pay about €80 for dinner for two (including wine).

SUNDAY

10am | Explore a seaside castle and garden

If you’ve spent the night in Begur, Fitzroy Cafe makes for an excellent breakfast spot to have a bowl of housemade granola (€6) or a stack of banana pancakes (€9) before hitting the road about eight miles south. Jardins de Cap Roig, a botanic garden with clifftop views and more than 800 different plant species, dates back to 1927, when the Russian colonel Nicolai Woevodsky and his wife, English aristocrat Dorothy Webster, set about creating their dream home on a plot above El Golfet beach. Woevodsky designed the house in the style of a medieval castle, while Webster took charge of the garden. The result is a technicolour spread of roses and oleander bushes shaded by towering palm trees that is today open to visitors for an entry price of €12.

By Hester Underhill © The New York Times.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.