The Costa Brava shore of north Spain’s Catalonia area was one of the first areas to draw in foreign visitors to Spain and became more popluar in the 1950′s and 1960′s thanks to increased leisure time, less expensive flights and better communications. As a consequence of this new interest the area commenced a program of re-development which, while providing better facilities for tourists rather ruined the traditional charm of the place, tourism has changed into one of the mainstays of the area. Plenty of the towns which up till then were simply fishing towns and had been for many years right from the times of the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsular, all of a sudden became traveller resorts with high rise hostels, bars and discos.

This was a culture shock to the area and it has taken a long while to recover. One of the most engaging and least spoilt of the Costa Brava resorts is the medieval city of Tossa de Mar which is found on the twisting coast road between the more commercial Lloret de Mar and Sant Feliu.

Tossa de Mar is perhaps most noted for its fantastic medieval walled old city and castle, the remains of which still look down proudly on the modern resort and beach area. The castle and old city of Tossa de Mar were built on a rocky promontory (Mont Guardi) in the 12th Century by the monk of Ripoll, and there’s still lots left of this traditional and interesting old city. The narrow winding streets are cobbled in the fashion of the times and covered with old fashioned stone homes decorated with pretty flower boxes. Along the path you’ll find some glorious fish restaurants where you can try one of the delectable Costa Brava fish dishes that the area is famous. Almost all of today’s visitors to the city arrive because of the fine climate, the attractive wonderful beaches and the glorious water recreational facilities.

Toss de Mar has three beaches and two of them have been awarded “Blue Flag” standing for safety and cleanness. The city of Tossa de Mar also has a colourful nightlife but younger visitors looking for something more lively head for Lloret de Mar some 13 kilometres down the coast. If you’re visiting Spain’s Costa Brava why not bother for a visit to Tossa de Mar a gorgeous haven in a busy area.