Villages · Empordà
The most beautiful medieval and coastal villages of the Empordà
Walled towns, Romanesque cloisters and whitewashed fishing ports, many within half an hour of one another: the villages worth the drive, and how to string them together.
Some of the finest medieval villages of the Costa Brava lie just inland, in the Empordà, while the coast beyond holds its most celebrated fishing villages. Peralada sits neatly between the two. For the wider picture, see things to do near Peralada or our 7-day Empordà itinerary.
Medieval villages of the Empordà
Peralada: walls, cloisters and a castle
Peralada had two rings of medieval walls: a restored 30-metre stretch of the first, with a square tower, survives on Carrer Sota Muralla, and a round tower of the second stands in the grounds of the Convent del Carme. The convent's Gothic cloister now houses a glass museum, a wine museum and a library of more than 80,000 books.
Don't miss: the 12th-century Romanesque cloister of Sant Domènec, with its expressive carved capitals. For the castle, see our guide to Castell de Peralada, its wineries and casino.
Castelló d'Empúries: the "cathedral of the Empordà"
Capital of the County of Empúries from 1079 and Peralada's medieval rival, Castelló is dominated by the Basilica of Santa Maria, begun in 1261 and regarded for centuries as the cathedral of the Empordà, though never granted that rank. The old Jewish quarter, the Call, keeps its irregular medieval street plan.
Don't miss: the basilica's 15th-century portal, with the twelve apostles in their niches.
Vilabertran: a Romanesque canonry
Minutes from Peralada, Santa Maria de Vilabertran was one of the first houses of Augustinian canons, built between the 11th and 13th centuries around a cloister and bell tower. James II of Aragon married Blanche of Anjou here in 1295; today it hosts the Schubertíada music festival.
Don't miss: the processional cross, which the Catalan heritage agency calls the largest piece of Gothic goldsmithery in Catalonia.
Sant Pere de Rodes: the monastery above the sea
This former Benedictine monastery, its church consecrated in 1022, steps down in terraces from a peak of the Serra de Rodes and is a landmark of Catalan Romanesque.
Don't miss: the panorama, described by the Generalitat as one of the best views of Cap de Creus.
Besalú: the Romanesque bridge
Strictly, Besalú lies in the neighbouring Garrotxa. Declared a historic-artistic site in 1966, it is entered across a fortified bridge over the Fluvià, first documented in 1075 and rebuilt in the early 1960s, with a gate tower at its midpoint. The old Jewish quarter keeps a mikveh, one of the few surviving Jewish ritual baths.
Don't miss: crossing the bridge on foot, then wandering down into the Jewish quarter.
Pals, Peratallada and Monells: worth the longer drive
These three lie in the Baix Empordà, roughly 50 km south, so make a full day of them. Pals climbs to the Torre de les Hores, a Romanesque tower about 15 metres high, and a viewpoint over rice fields and the Medes Islands. Peratallada, a declared historic-artistic monument, is built from stone cut from the moat that still rings parts of it. Monells grew as a market town; its old grain measure, the mitgera, still stands beneath the arches of its main square.
Mornings in a walled town, afternoons by a whitewashed harbour: in the Empordà, the Middle Ages and the Mediterranean are never far apart.
Coastal villages of the northern Costa Brava
Cadaqués and Dalí's Portlligat
Cadaqués sits on a bay in the middle of the Cap de Creus peninsula: cobbled lanes, white houses and, at the highest point, the church of Santa Maria with its gilded Baroque altarpiece. Picasso spent the summer of 1910 here.
Don't miss: the Salvador Dalí House-Museum at Portlligat, the fisherman's hut Dalí made his home from 1930 until 1982. Visits are in small groups and must be booked in advance.
El Port de la Selva and Llançà
On the north side of Cap de Creus, El Port de la Selva was settled by fishermen from La Selva de Mar and became a town in its own right in 1787; Sant Pere de Rodes looks down on its bay. Llançà comes in two parts: an old town set back from the sea and a port district on the shore.
Don't miss: the GR 92 coastal path, which runs south from Llançà towards Cadaqués.
Roses and its citadel
Roses lies at the northern end of a bay that belongs to the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World. Its Ciutadella, ordered by Charles V in 1543, encloses remains of the Greek and Roman colony of Rhode and a Romanesque monastery.
Don't miss: the Ciutadella and its museum.
Empuriabrava: the marina town
Part of Castelló d'Empúries, Empuriabrava was planned in 1964 on former marshland and is often described as one of Europe's largest residential marinas.
Don't miss: its navigable canals, best seen from the water.
L'Escala and the ruins of Empúries
L'Escala is a fishing port famous for its anchovies. Beside it, facing the sea, lie the ruins of Empúries, founded in 575 BC by Greeks from Phocaea: the only site in the Iberian Peninsula where a Greek city and a Roman city survive side by side.
Don't miss: the ruins and their museum, MAC-Empúries.
The villages at a glance
| Village | Type | Approx. road distance from Peralada | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peralada | Medieval | On the doorstep | An evening stroll |
| Vilabertran | Medieval | ≈ 4 km | Romanesque cloister |
| Castelló d'Empúries | Medieval | ≈ 9 km | Gothic basilica |
| Empuriabrava | Coastal | ≈ 15 km | Canals and boating |
| Llançà | Coastal | ≈ 18 km | Coastal walks |
| Sant Pere de Rodes | Medieval | ≈ 20 km | Views |
| Roses | Coastal | ≈ 20 km | The citadel |
| El Port de la Selva | Coastal | ≈ 25 km | A quiet harbour |
| Cadaqués | Coastal | ≈ 35 km | Dalí, white lanes |
| L'Escala & Empúries | Coastal | ≈ 35 km | Greek and Roman ruins |
| Besalú | Medieval | ≈ 40 km | The bridge |
| Pals, Peratallada, Monells | Medieval | ≈ 50 km | A full day out |
Approximate road distances, town centre to town centre (OpenStreetMap routing).
How to combine them: day trips from Peralada
The Cap de Creus coast: Llançà, then El Port de la Selva about 8 km on, then up to Sant Pere de Rodes for the view.
Cadaqués and Dalí: go via Roses, and book Portlligat first, planning the day around your slot.
Greek, Roman and Gothic: Castelló d'Empúries in the morning, Empuriabrava next door, then south to Empúries and L'Escala.
A Romanesque day: the Vilabertran canonry, then west to Besalú.
The Baix Empordà: Peratallada and Pals are only about 8 km apart, with Monells about 12 km from Peratallada.
For swims along the way, see our guide to beaches and coves of the northern Costa Brava.
Practical questions
Which is the prettiest village on the Costa Brava?
There is no official ranking. On the coast, Cadaqués is the classic answer; inland, Besalú and Peratallada both carry formal historic-artistic protection.
Is Cadaqués worth visiting?
Yes, with a little planning. It is about 30 minutes from Peralada, and the Dalí House-Museum must be booked ahead, as visits are in limited groups.
How far is Besalú from Peralada?
About 40 km by road, heading west into the Garrotxa, or roughly 40 minutes in clear traffic. Vilabertran makes an easy stop on the way.
A base between the walls and the sea
Villa Pax sits on Golf Peralada, a short walk from the village's medieval walls, with the coast about 20 minutes east. Eight en-suite bedrooms sleep up to 15, with two private pools to come home to.
Exploring the Empordà's villages?
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