Looking for Beaches Near Barcelona? Why I Loved Tossa de Mar
If you’ve been following my Spain series, you’ve already seen how we made our way to Costa Brava through Girona. This article is about the place that ultimately became my favorite stop of the entire trip: Tossa de Mar.
If you’re thinking about visiting the Costa Brava, book the trip.
If you’re thinking about visiting Tossa de Mar, keep reading only if you’re ready to be convinced it’s the vacation you didn’t know you needed.
One evening was all it took.
Before I had even spent a full day exploring, I was already imagining what a week here would look like. Slow mornings. Walks along the cliffs. Long lunches overlooking the sea. A book I might actually finish. The kind of trip where the goal isn’t to see more, but to do less.
In a world where so many vacations leave us needing another vacation afterward, Tossa de Mar felt different.
In fact, after returning home, I found myself comparing the experience to another coastal destination I love. You can read that comparison in Amalfi Coast vs Costa Brava: Which One Should You Visit?
The Beach Vacation Dynamic We Didn’t Know We Needed
The truth is, I’m the difficult one when it comes to beach vacations.
I enjoy the beach, but after a few hours I’m usually ready to walk somewhere, photograph something, or explore a nearby town. That’s why places like Tossa de Mar work so well for our family.
Throughout the day, everyone naturally found something they enjoyed. My dad and I loved wandering through the medieval streets of the old town and walking along the castle walls for the views. My mom enjoyed browsing the beachside shops and taking photos. My sister, meanwhile, was perfectly content spending hours swimming in the Mediterranean and relaxing on the beach.
What made Tossa special was that nobody felt like they were compromising. The beach wasn’t the only attraction, but it was always there whenever we wanted to return to it. The old town, restaurants, shops, coastal walks, and viewpoints were all within easy reach, creating the perfect balance between relaxation and exploration.
Tossa de Mar isn’t just a beach destination.
It’s a beach town with enough personality, history, and charm that everyone can enjoy it differently.
The water in Tossa de Mar somehow looked even better in person—clear, impossibly blue, and framed by the rocky Costa Brava coastline.
The Water Really Is That Beautiful
I knew the photos of Costa Brava looked incredible, but nothing prepared me for seeing the water in person. It was one of those rare places where the colors somehow looked more impressive in real life than they did in the photos I’d spent weeks staring at while planning the trip.
Standing at the shoreline, I could see the rocky bottom several meters away, even as I walked into deeper water. The Mediterranean shifted between turquoise, emerald, and deep blue depending on the angle of the sun, and at times the anchored boats looked almost like they were floating in midair because the water beneath them was so clear.
The water is definitely cold when you first step in, there’s no pretending otherwise. But with the Mediterranean sun overhead, that initial shock quickly gives way to one of the most refreshing swims imaginable. Once I was in, I understood exactly why everyone seemed perfectly content to spend hours moving between the water and the beach.
The rocky coastline is part of what makes the entire setting so striking. Instead of an endless stretch of sand, the clear water meets cliffs, rocks, and the medieval Old Town rising above the beach, creating a view that feels distinctly different from the typical beach vacation I’d pictured.
It was the kind of place where I’d take a dozen photos, decide none of them quite captured what I was seeing, and eventually put my phone down and simply enjoy being there.
Why We Loved Staying in Tossa de Mar
We stayed at Hotel Delfín, and the location couldn’t have been better.
Within minutes we could walk to Platja Gran, the medieval old town of Vila Vella, dozens of restaurants, and the shopping streets. Even arriving by bus was easy, we walked from the station with our luggage in about six minutes.
After spending the day exploring Girona, we were more than ready to freshen up and start enjoying Tossa de Mar. Being able to walk straight from the bus station to the hotel made the transition effortless.
Traveling with my parents, having the ability to return to the hotel throughout the day made a huge difference. Tossa de Mar isn’t the type of destination where you’re necessarily out exploring from sunrise until bedtime every day. If you’re spending several days here, you’ll likely want the option to return to your hotel, cool off, shower after the beach, relax by the pool, or simply take a break from the sun before heading back out for dinner.
Speaking of the pool, I loved Hotel Delfín’s setup. It wasn’t designed for swimming laps. Instead, the gently sloped design made it perfect for lounging in the water while enjoying the sunshine. More pools should be designed like this.
What I also appreciated was the absence of large international hotel chains. As someone who enjoys collecting travel points, I usually gravitate toward Marriott or Hilton properties. But in smaller European beach towns like Tossa, the lack of major chains often works in the destination’s favor.
Instead, you’ll find independent hotels, family-run properties, and accommodations across a wide range of price points. The result is a town that still feels local rather than dominated by large resorts.
Returning to Vila Vella in the evening gave us quieter viewpoints and one of my favorite views of Tossa de Mar as the sun began to set.
Don’t Skip the Medieval Walls
If you’re visiting Tossa de Mar, the Vila Vella is non-negotiable. The fortified Old Town rises directly above the Mediterranean, and walking its walls and surrounding paths quickly became one of my favorite things to do during our stay.
What makes Vila Vella even more remarkable is just how much of it has survived. The fortifications were built in the early 13th century to protect the town from pirate attacks, and nearly the entire original walled perimeter remains today, complete with battlements and watchtowers. It’s now the only surviving fortified medieval town along the Catalan coast, which made me appreciate even more that we weren’t simply walking around a picturesque reconstruction.
The town eventually expanded beyond the walls, but the old fortified center remained. The castle that once stood at Vila Vella’s highest point is gone, its former location is now occupied by the lighthouse, but the walls themselves still wrap around the historic center much as they have for centuries.
Timing can make a surprisingly big difference. If you have a leisurely morning and head up after breakfast, you may actually find the walls and viewpoints at their busiest as other travelers are starting their sightseeing for the day. Rather than treating Vila Vella as something you visit once and check off the list, I’d recommend walking through at different times of day if you’re staying in Tossa de Mar.
We ended up doing exactly that, and the experience changed depending on when we went. During the day, the paths were livelier and the bright Mediterranean sun made the water almost impossibly blue. In the evening, we found many of the viewpoints noticeably quieter, with most visitors continuing along the walking paths rather than lingering at the overlooks.
That made the evening one of my favorite times to return. We could slow down, stop at the viewpoints without feeling crowded, and watch the light begin to change over the cliffs, beaches, and coastline below.
And that’s part of what I loved about staying in Tossa de Mar rather than simply visiting for the day. Vila Vella wasn’t one attraction we had to squeeze into a sightseeing window, it was somewhere we could wander back to whenever we felt like it.
Tossa de Mar made it very easy to eat well between beach days, from bakery stops and casual pizza to fresh seafood by the Mediterranean.
What We Ate
One of the things I enjoyed most about Tossa de Mar was how easy it was to settle into a rhythm.
On our first evening, we headed to Da Giovanni. We weren’t looking for a big meal, just something casual after arriving, but it ended up being the perfect introduction to the town. We also kicked off what would become the drink of the trip: sangria made with cava. Lighter, crisper, and less sweet than traditional sangria, it quickly became a favorite. Alongside a buffalo mozzarella pizza and a plate of small fried fish—a dish that seemed to appear on nearly every menu in town—it was exactly the relaxed welcome dinner we needed. The short walk there along the coastline at night only added to the excitement of the days ahead.
During our longest beach day, after renting four beach chairs and an umbrella for €42, we grabbed a quick lunch near the beach. Honestly, it was forgettable, proving that not every meal on vacation needs to be memorable.
Dinner that evening, however, was a different story.
La Placeta ended up being one of our favorite meals of the trip. Sitting beside the medieval walls, we shared grilled octopus, a seafood rice dish, a mixed grilled seafood platter, and a pitcher of sangria. The portions were generous, the setting was beautiful, and it was one of those dinners where nobody wanted to leave the table.
On our final full day, after returning from Cala Giverola and spending a few hours enjoying the hotel pool, we barely made the cutoff for the last lunch seating at Maritim Tossa. If you’re visiting, keep in mind that many restaurants close around 3 p.m. and don’t reopen until 7 or even 8 p.m. We ordered the catch of the day and enjoyed one last leisurely meal overlooking the water. It was one of the more expensive meals of the trip, but it felt like the perfect way to end our stay.
My favorite discovery, though, wasn’t a restaurant at all.
It was a popsicle.
You’ll find plenty of gelato shops throughout town, but the chocolate-covered mango popsicle from Ice Cream by Don Juan was irresistible. I had four of them during our three-day stay.
Not that I was counting.
Take the Boat to Cala Giverola
On our second full day, we booked one of the glass-bottom boat excursions along the Costa Brava. For roughly €20 per person, the boat follows the coastline from Tossa de Mar, peering into small caves and rocky openings along the way before continuing to Cala Giverola, where you can get off and catch a return boat later in the day.
The glass-bottom sections give you glimpses of fish swimming beneath the boat, and getting close to some of the caves was fun, but for me, the best part was simply being out on the water. The Mediterranean really is that beautiful everywhere along this stretch of coastline. From the boat, you get a completely different perspective of the cliffs, hidden coves, rocky shoreline, and water shifting between deep blue and bright turquoise as you move along the coast.
My advice? Take the first boat of the day, pack your towel, and get off at Cala Giverola. Return boats operate throughout the day, roughly every hour when we visited, so we didn’t feel like we had to decide in advance exactly how long we wanted to stay.
While Platja Gran is beautiful, Cala Giverola felt quieter, smaller, and more relaxed. The water was every bit as clear, but the surrounding cliffs and curved shoreline gave the beach a much more secluded feel. It was still developed enough to be comfortable for a longer stay, but once we settled onto the beach, it felt distinctly removed from the busier atmosphere back in Tossa de Mar.
It’s hard to choose between two beautiful beaches, but I actually preferred Cala Giverola. The smaller shoreline felt more intimate, and because the rocky section between our towels and the water was shorter than at Platja Gran, I found myself going in and out of the Mediterranean constantly rather than treating each swim like a small expedition across the rocks.
Eventually, we simply caught one of the return boats back to Tossa de Mar. Between the caves, views from the water, ridiculously clear Mediterranean, and several hours at Cala Giverola, the excursion felt like much more than a boat ride to another beach. It became one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip.
The glass-bottom boat drops you right at Cala Giverola, where the clear water and rocky coastline make it very easy to decide to stay awhile.
Who Tossa de Mar Is Perfect For
Tossa de Mar is perfect for travelers who want a beach vacation without feeling like the beach is the only thing to do. You can spend a few hours swimming in incredibly clear water, walk back into town for lunch, wander through medieval streets, climb to a viewpoint, and still be back on the beach before the afternoon is over.
If you’re happiest alternating between beach time, scenic walks, good meals, historic streets, and beautiful views, it’s hard for me to imagine a better fit. It also works particularly well for travelers who like having options without needing a packed itinerary. We never felt like we had to constantly plan activities because simply wandering through Vila Vella, walking along the coastline, stopping for a drink, or heading back to the water was enough to fill the day.
I also think Tossa de Mar is a great choice for couples, families, and groups with different travel styles. Someone who wants a proper beach vacation can absolutely have one, while the person who gets restless after three hours on a beach towel has an entire historic town and coastline to explore. That balance was a huge part of why it worked so well for us.
What Tossa de Mar probably isn’t is the best choice if your priority is nonstop nightlife, huge beach clubs, or a luxury resort where you rarely leave the property. There are other Mediterranean destinations better suited to that kind of trip.
But if your ideal beach vacation involves waking up without much of a plan, choosing between the water and a walk through a medieval town, lingering over lunch, swimming again in the afternoon, and ending the day overlooking the Mediterranean, Tossa de Mar is very hard to beat.
Final Thoughts
Tossa de Mar completely spoiled me. My bar for beautiful water is now unreasonably high, and for the foreseeable future I’ll probably compare every beach to it. Is the water clearer? Are there cliffs? Does a medieval town rise directly above it? That’s a difficult standard to live up to.
What surprised me most wasn’t that I loved Tossa de Mar, but how quickly I started imagining a return. A five-minute bus transfer through Lloret de Mar had already made me curious about the Costa Brava, and a few days in Tossa only made me wonder how many more beaches, coves, and coastal towns we had barely scratched the surface of.
I came expecting a pleasant beach town and left thinking I could happily spend an entire week here doing very little at all. After three days, I wanted a week. After a week, I suspect I still wouldn’t have been ready to leave.
Tossa de Mar also reminded me how much I enjoy balancing busy cities with slower coastal destinations. And that contrast became particularly noticeable when we left the Costa Brava behind for the city I had been most excited about before the trip: Barcelona.
Next up in the Spain series: Barcelona Didn’t Capture Me the Way Madrid Did (And That’s Okay).
My expectations for Barcelona may have been a little too high. Unlike Madrid and Tossa de Mar, which won me over almost immediately, Barcelona took a few days to warm up to, and for me to warm up to it.