I always wished to see this place, but never imagined the journey would teach me so much about what I actually want from a beach day. When I arrived in Barcelona last summer, everyone told me I had to visit the Costa Brava. What they didn’t tell me was that not all beaches along this famous stretch of Mediterranean shoreline are created equal, and that sometimes the best travel experiences come from trusting your instincts and knowing when to walk away from a place that simply isn’t working for you…
Why Renting a Car Change your Entire Day
My day on the Costa Brava started with a decision that I now recommend to anyone planning a similar trip: I rented a car. However, pubblic transports in Spain offers an excellent service, and you can technically reach the coastal towns by bus or train. But here’s the thing: when you factor in the cost of multiple tickets, the time spent waiting at stations, and the reality of being crammed into vehicles with dozens of other tourists during peak summer season, renting a car often works out to be surprisingly comparable in price.
More importantly, it gives you something that no bus schedule can offer: freedom. The freedom to leave when a place disappoints you. The freedom to chase the sunset down a winding coastal road. The freedom to discover that perfect hidden spot that isn’t on any itinerary.
That freedom, as it turned out, would save my entire day.
The Drive North: Leaving the City Behind
I picked up my rental car early in the morning from a small agency near Sants station. The process was straightforward, and within an hour I was merging onto the highway heading northeast, the sprawling city of Barcelona shrinking in my rearview mirror. The drive itself is part of the experience. As you leave the urban landscape behind, the terrain begins to shift. Warehouses give way to farmland, and farmland eventually surrenders to the dramatic cliffs and pine forests that define the Costa Brava.
The name itself ‘Costa Brava’ translates to “Wild Coast” or “Rugged Coast,” and you understand why the moment you catch your first glimpse of the sea from the highway. This isn’t the flat, endless shoreline of other Mediterranean destinations. This is a coastline that fights back, all jagged rocks and hidden coves and medieval watchtowers perched on impossible cliffs. I felt my excitement building as I took the exit toward my first destination of the day.
That destination was Blanes, a town often described as the gateway to the Costa Brava. It seemed like the logical place to start: close to Barcelona, easy to access, and home to a long sandy beach that looked beautiful in all the photos I had seen online.
Blanes: A Lesson in Managing Expectations
I arrived in Blanes around ten in the morning, hoping to beat the worst of the crowds. I didn’t. The parking situation should have been my first warning sign. After circling the same blocks for nearly twenty minutes, I finally found a spot several streets back from the waterfront and made my way toward the beach on foot.
The promenade was already packed. Families with strollers, groups of teenagers with Bluetooth speakers, vendors selling inflatable toys and cheap sunglasses—it felt less like a coastal escape and more like a very hot, very loud shopping mall that happened to have water at one end. But I had driven all this way, so I decided to give the beach itself a chance.
That was my second mistake.
What the photos hadn’t shown me was that the sand at Blanes isn’t really sand at all. It’s a coarse mixture of tiny pebbles and grit that immediately found its way into every fold of my towel, every pocket of my bag, and every crevice of my sandals. When I tried to lie down, the stones pressed uncomfortably into my back. When I walked to the water’s edge, they burned the soles of my feet and the sun had turned them into tiny coals by mid-morning! And when I finally waded into the sea for relief, I discovered that the beach was so crowded that I could barely move without bumping into someone else.
I lasted about an hour. I sat there, sweating under my umbrella, watching the endless parade of bodies and listening to a cacophony of competing music from nearby towels, and I thought to myself: this is not why I came to Spain. This is not the Costa Brava I had imagined. So I did something that I’ve learned to do more often as I’ve grown older and wiser as a traveler. I packed up my things, shook the stones out of my shoes as best I could, and I left.
Tossa de Mar: The Costa Brava of My Dreams
Parking in Tossa was easier than in Blanes, which I took as a good omen. The difference was apparent from the first moment. Yes, there were tourists but it was still the Costa Brava in summer, after all. However, the atmosphere was entirely different. Calmer. More relaxed.
But I didn’t stay on the beach for long. Instead, I found myself drawn to a small bar tucked against the rocks at the edge of the sand, right where the beach meets the base of the old town walls. The place was simple, just a handful of tables with faded umbrellas and a counter serving cold drinks and simple tapas.
And then I just looked.
The cylindrical towers that once defended against pirates now stood as silent witnesses to centuries of history. Seabirds circled overhead, and the sound of the waves provided a gentle, constant rhythm beneath the quiet conversations of the other patrons.
I stayed at that bar for hours. I watched the light change as the afternoon deepened, the shadows growing longer on the castle walls, the blue of the sea shifting from bright turquoise to a deeper, more contemplative shade. Unlike Blanes, where I had felt assaulted by noise and crowds and discomfort, here I felt something I hadn’t experienced in a long time: genuine peace.
What Tossa Taught Me
There’s a lesson in this story that goes beyond beaches and rental cars. It’s about the importance of listening to yourself when you travel. So often, we force ourselves to stay in places that aren’t working for us because we feel like we should enjoy them, because we’ve already paid for parking, because leaving feels like admitting defeat. But travel isn’t about checking boxes or proving anything to anyone. It’s about finding the moments and places that resonate with your soul.
Blanes might be perfect for someone else. Maybe some travelers love lively beaches and don’t mind a bit of gravel in their sandals. But for me, on that particular day, it was exactly wrong. And Tossa de Mar, with its quiet bar and its ancient castle and its view that seemed to stretch all the way to forever, was exactly right.
Practical Notes for Your Own Day Trip
If you’re planning your own Costa Brava adventure from Barcelona, here’s my honest advice. Rent a car. Give yourself the flexibility to explore, to change plans, to chase something better when your first choice doesn’t pan out. Leave early to maximize your time, but don’t over-schedule yourself. Sometimes the best travel days are the ones where you find a single perfect spot and simply allow yourself to stay there.
And if you find yourself in Tossa de Mar, look for that little bar at the edge of the beach. Sit facing the castle. And just breathe.
