How to organize a road trip to Blanes and Lloret de Mar

How are you doing guys? Here in Spain everything is slowly coming back to normality and we can finally travel outside Barcelona! As soon as we knew that we are allowed to escape from the city, we booked a hotel in Costa Brava for the last weekend!

As we already mentioned, this summer we want to focus on local traveling and discover new destinations in Spain. We feel really blessed to live in Catalonia because there are plenty of places to visit, from the mountains to the beautiful coastline. 

If you are curious about how to organize a two days stay in Costa Brava, check our itinerary below! 🙂 

How to get to Costa Brava

The easiest way to get to Costa Brava is definitely by car. This is how we traveled in the last few years. However, this year we decided to try our motorcycle and it really did a good job! You can rather take the highway or some secondary road, which may result a little big longer but more interesting. This time we decided for the second option and I have to say that the views were breathtaking. The road leads through many charming towns by the sea and you can literally feel the breeze in the air. It took us approximately two hours to get to Lloret de Mar.

Where to stay in Costa Brava

If you travel by car or by moto, the place you book for accommodation doesn’t really determine your stay. Our hotel was located in Lloret de Mar, but it was only 15 minutes driving from Blanes or Tossa de Mar. The good thing about Costa Brava is that all the towns are situated very close to each other, so you can have your breakfast in one of them, enjoy your lunch in another one, and book a table for your dinner somewhere else. Regardless of the town you choose to sleep in, we suggest to reserve a room very close to the beach  – at the moment you wake up and look through the window, you will be simply amazed! Our hotel in Lloret de Mar is called Excelsior and it’s literally in front of the sea.

What to do in Lloret de Mar

If it’s your first visit in this town, you should definitely take Camino de Ronda. It’s the name by which the route through the steep Costa Brava was known and was used by the Civil Guard to control the Spanish maritime border and avoid smuggling. Today is one of the main attractions in Costa Brava and you can start your trail in almost every town. 

If you are staying in Lloret de Mar, you can get by walk both to Tossa de Mar to North or Blanes to South in around 3 hours! When we took Camino de Ronda to the South last year, we were stunned by the views – long stairs leading you to the turquoise water in the hidden coves and castles reminded us what are the real symbols of Camino de Ronda.

So, when we came back from Blanes on Saturday afternoon, we dedicated a couple of hours to take a walk to the North. On our way back we stooped to meet the iconic bronze statue of The Sailor’s Wife, also known as La Venus de Lloret, which represents the women who were left at home while the men went on expeditions to the other side of Atlantic Ocean.

When it comes to the beach, you can rather choose the main beach in the town called Playa Lloret de Mar, or one of the small bays nearby, such as Sa Caleta or Fenals. Wherever you decide to go, don’t forget about the protection because the sun may be very tricky!

What to do in Blanes 

This year we visited Blanes for the first time and it was a really nice surprise. We didn’t continue Camino de Ronda because I prepared another plan for us 🙂 The main reason why we choose Blanes was Marimurtra, the Botanical Garden situated on the mountain top and offering wonderful views over the Mediterranean Sea and rocky coves. I really recommend you to put this place on your list because for me it’s one of the most beautiful spots in all Costa Brava. If you’re like me and you love parks, you can also visit another famous garden in Blanes – Pinya de Rosa. 

If you are more a beach lover, Blanes is the first town of Costa Brava so you won’t be disappointed. The central beaches offer a lot of facilities and additional activities such as beach volley, windsurfing or boat trips. If you prefer smaller, more private space  surrounded by nature, you can visit one of Blanes’ cute little coves, for example Cala San Francesç, which was our destination for Sunday afternoon.

As a lively beach town, Blanes has many other attractions, street markets with delicious sea food and events all year round. If you are planning to visit Blanes in June, you shouldn’t miss Noche de San Juan, celebrated all over Spain. It’s a real fireworks show on the beach! Blanes has a hill and castle named after this San Juan saint, so you can also dedicate one day to climb the castle and admire the panoramic view of Blanes from the top.

Summary

After months of lockdown, these 2 days in Costa Brava were a real balm for the soul. We relaxed a lot and enjoyed slow life of the coastline towns. I love this feeling when we drive tiny roads on the motorcycle with the Mediterranean Sea just in front of us, making our experience so unique. This trip to Costa Brava was also special because there was no foreign tourists, only local people! I heard Spanish and Catalan instead of English and French for the first time in years.

On our way back home we also stopped in Ocata, one of our favorite beaches only 30 minutes from Barcelona. It was a nice way to end up the weekend and make plans for the next trips!

I hope our recommendations will help you organize your stay in Blanes and Lloret de Mar! And if you want to discover more, check our article about The Best Places in Costa Brava. 

From Barcelona with love,

Koalas