The Costa Brava is truly one of the most beautiful and spectacular coastlines in the world.

If you are able to add on some extra days to your trip, we highly recommend renting a car and visiting some of the stunning beaches and picturesque towns which can be found the length of the coast.

The Costa Brava gets it's name from the word Brava which translates to English as wild, so it is the "Wild Coast". It is called this as it is where the Pyrenees mountains (which separate Spain from France) hit the Mediterranean sea, resulting in dramatic cliffs, small bays and coves (Calas) and landscapes of rugged coastline stretching for about 100 miles (150kms).

Many of the towns and villages date back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Countless famous people have been known to spend time on the Costa Brava, including: Frank Sinatra & Eva Gardner who spent summers at the Hotel Gavina in S'Agaro (opposite the wedding venue), Salvador Dali who had a summer house in Cadaques and Pablo Picasso, amongst many others.

Below are some of our top recommendations but there are so many places of interest it is hard to chose a final list. If you have any questions or queries, please don't hesitate to reach out to us and we will be happy to help you put together a super itinerary!

Beautiful beaches within 15 min drive of Playa d'Aro:

* Playa Rovira

* Playa de Sa Conca

* Cala Sa Cova

* Cala Cap Roig

* Cala de Pi

(Cala means small beach in Spanish, while Playa means "beach")

Beautiful beaches within 30 minutes of Playa d'Aro:

* Playa la Fosca

* Cala de Castel

* Cala Estreta

Picturesque Towns within 30 minutes from Playa d'Aro:

* Tossa de Mar - small beach town overlooked by a castle.

* Sant Feliu de Guixols - a local fishing town on a pretty bay overlooked by a little hermitage.

* Palamos - a local fishing and beach town famous for shrimps with some cute back streets to wander.

* Callela de Parafrugel (Alexa's favorite) - stunning white washed village built across a number of small beaches (calas).

* Tamariu - tourist village on a beautiful bay beach.

* Sa Tuna - similar to Tamriu.

* Begur - a castle and village a few kilometers inland on top of a hill overlooking the surrounding coastline & countryside.

* Girona - the regional capital city. Has a nice old town area enclosed by fortress walls.

* Pals - a stunning medieval town built on a hill.

Places worth visiting within approx. 1.5 hour drive from Playa d'Aro

* Cadaques - a gorgeous white washed village set on the coast in the Cap de Creus National Park (the Eastern most point on the Iberian peninsular).

* Figueres - Salvador Dali's hometown and the location of a museum in his honor.

* Montserrat Monastery & Mountain - considered a highly spiritual mountain by the local Catalans. At the top is a monestary with views overlooking up to 100kms away.

* Barcelona - the world famous capital of Catalunya, surrounded by mountains on 3 sides and the Mediterranean sea on the other. Countless museums, restaurants, tourist sites and so much more. Definitely worth spending a few days there!

Photos