Overnight in Tossa de Mar

June 6, 2022

This hub and spoke tour is coming to a close but we have one last special spoke to complete the full circle. We both have vivid memories of riding the gorgeous Costa Brava in May of 2016 and we really want to give it another go. To ride there and back from Girona would be pushing it, especially since the afternoons are quite toasty so we decided to split the ride into two days and do an overnight in Tossa de Mar.

I brought a small rear panier along just for the chance we would do a mini tour such as this. David will stash his overnight gear in a packing cube strapped to his rear rack.

I mapped out a route in Ride with GPS based on recommendations from Girona Bike Breaks and transferred it to the Wahoo gps. We fuelled up at the five star hotel breakfast buffet and headed south into the undulating farmlands.

The Via Verda path runs through here. Which would you prefer?

Llagostera is a hub, a meeting of roads and bike paths in the area and has a nice outtdoor cafe alongside the bikeway for thirsty travellers.

The Llagostera cafe chalkboard. These artsy menus are popular but can be tough to decipher.

Today's route went up the St. Grau hill and over to the coastal road.

Looking down to the valley after a bit of climbing.

More 'nafent' road graffiti at the summit of St. Grau hill. I just might have to make a nafent t-shirt when I get home.

The hill we had to climb to reach the Costa Brava is named after the hermitage, St. Grau.

The drop to the coast is almost 10k and has a section that's 14% down.

Cruising down without needing to brake is just plain old fun.

Sun seekers on catamarans and boats were enjoying the cove.

Jet skiis were tearing across the light chop.

Lots of boaters were hanging out in the small coves.

Kudos to whoever designed this highway..

Trying to soak it up so I can remember this moment when I get home.

As we got closer to Tossa de Mar, parked cars were squeezed into any and every roadside space that would hold a car. Rugged trails led the sun seeking occupants down to the beach. The traffic going in our direction was quite light, fewer than 15 vehicles in eight km. Now, I don't make a habit of counting passing cars (honestly!) but there had been so few on the way to the coast, I was a little curious how busy it would be, with 8km to go. It seems that anyone who had Tossa de Mar in their plans today was already there, which is to say, the tourists were roaming the small streets, eating ice cream or nursing a cool drink when we arrived.

We headed straight to the beachside for a refreshment at one of the many restaurants before checking in at the hotel Avenida.

On first inspection, our room at the Avenida looked dark, small and in need of an upgrade. But then we drew the curtains back, opened the door to the balcony and the threw the windows open to let the fresh air in. Wow, what a view! Who cares about the size of the room? In no time, we were stretched out in the lounge chairs, replenishing more liquids and admiring the view. On a rooftop below, a magpie harrassing a cat that had other ambitions on his mind provided cheap entertainment.

On check in, it appeared that we were the only occupants at the Avenida. It is a historic hotel, a flash back to the 2 star hotels we stayed at in decades past. The keys with their oversized aluminum fobs are kept in an open key cupboard behind the main desk and you are encouraged to leave the key at the front desk each time you leave the hotel. While it's a throwback, the Avenida is tidy and the staff were in overdrive to keep it covid clean.

The beach at Tossa is composed of tiny smooth pebbles and it's a crescent shape with a castle and tower, and a lighthouse perched on the headland to the south. Motos and bikes are allowed to park on the beach, afterall there is very little space on the roads. There are small car parks at the entrance to town for those who come by car.

From the beach, you can hop on a glass bottom boat to explore the coastal shoreline, rent all kinds of beach toys or rent an umbrella to laze on the beach a while. If you are missing your dog while you are on holiday, you can even walk a dog from the local dog rescue. Or you can walk up the winding cobbled road to explore the medieval 12th C walled town, Vila Vella, and the Roman villa, Els Ametlleres, which was one of the most important villas in the Roman province of Tarraco. There is petit train for those who are too knackered or are otherwise unable to walk up or down the hill.

Motos and bikes are allowed to park on the beach.

I half expected Jerome the giraffe to peek over the turrets. Rusty was nowhere in sight.

By 1950, the Costa Brava was being eyed for development as a holiday destination for tourists mainly from Europe and the United Kingdom. But Tossa de Mar was truly 'put on the map' by the Hollywood star, Ava Gardner, who spent four weeks here in 1950 while MGM was filming her and James Mason for the movie, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. There's quite a story of her romance with Frank Sinatra that played out while she was in Tossa de Mar. It made headlines in America and across Europe, which in turn shone the light on Tossa de Mar and spawned international tourism that has not stopped to this day.

Bronze figure of Ava Gardner (not my photo).

We got cleaned up and strolled along the beach promenade to choose a restaurant for dinner. Patrons begin sitting down for dinner at about 7 pm in a tourist town like this. By 9 pm, restaurants are full and waiters are busy whisking appies and mains from the kitchen across the street to the hungry diners who get to savour the delicious food and wash it down with Sangria, wine or other assorted drinks.

Lest you think that people must be starving by dinner hour, I have not told you how they eat and drink leading up to dinner! I honestly don't know what they do with all the calories (or find the time to eat it), but it starts with a mid day three course sit down lunch between 2 and 4 pm and is followed by the drinking and gelato hours that actually continue all afternoon and evening. I'm guessing that not every person participates in all of these but let's just say we feel like a couple of lightweights!

It wasn't easy to choose a restaurant, but then it never is. It's hardly worth the bother to hum and haw over the menus, though. Few poor restaurants survive in this competetive envronment so you have a good chance of having a very good meal. We settled on the Capri for dinner.

The seating for the Capri, like most restaurants, is located across the street from the hotel kitchen, beachside.

We had croquettes as well as a smoked aubergine, sundried tomato and buffala cheese appy, then I chose the grilled monkfish and David had a prawn tagliatelle.

Smoked aubergine, sundried tomato and buffala appy.

By the time we finished dinner, the sun was setting over the hill behind us and the beach was peaceful once again.

There are some large hotels here that detract from the beauty (what were they thinking?) and others that most defintely add beauty. The Hotel Diana is one that adds to the beauty of Tossa de Mar. It was originally a house built in 1908 for a wealthy cork baron when Tossa de Mar was still a fishing village (fun fact: the architect, Antoni de Falguera I Sivilla, designed the stained glass and wrought iron of the Boqueria Market on the Ramblas). After WW I, it was sold and eventually it was converted into a hotel in 1958. It has a striking presence on the seafront. You can see more about it and peek inside the rooms here.

Beach promenade, with the Hotel Diana presiding over it.

The wall and towers of the medieval village are illuminated at night.

Cumulative elevation gain: 16,669 metres.

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Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 1,136 km (705 miles)

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Patty BarronThis is a place I could spend some serious time exploring! Because; beaches!! 🏝 🏊‍♀️
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Patty BarronI think of you every time we come across these incredible beaches. But, nobody was swimming! The water was likely too cold. Sardinian beaches are the best, in my humble opinion. And a great temperature in May/June for swimming.
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2 years ago

Suzanne GibsonSounds like a fantastic day. Great pictures!
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2 years ago

Anne AnastasiouWhat a great way to spend your last few days in Spain. We swam close to there (Begur) 21-24 June, 2015. The water was beautiful although anything would have felt good after a hot day hiking along the coast! I think a few weeks makes a big difference in temperature. Looking forward to hearing about the final day. Loving the pics! xx
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Suzanne GibsonWe use iPhones for taking photos. The majority of them are taken by David on his iPhone 12.
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Anne AnastasiouA dunk in the clear cool water after a hot day of exercise sounds wonderful. I suspect there will be a lot more water activity here once the summer season hits. We saw more people enjoying the water further along the coast at St. Fileu. Still small numbers at the beach though. I would think this area is bracing for an unprecedented invasion of travellers this year. They have really had a hard time through the pandemic, so we were happy to be supporting them.
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Suzanne GibsonIt really was, Suzanne. The early morning ride was as good as it gets for a cycle tourist.
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2 years ago

Jane KyleHello Anne~ I have been enjoying following your latest tour. I was first introduced to Cycleblaze when our good friends, the Classens headed off on their first European trip. I'm also pretty sure that Vicki Z introduced me to you after a yoga class at Windsor Park pre Covid. We went for coffee after. I'm not an avid cyclist but I'm starting to cycle more around town...the cost of gas is a big incentive! My husband and I have travelled to Europe a few times...no bike tours, as of yet. We loved touring Spain by car in 2017! I think Mallorca would be a great place to start! Girona looks like a perfect spot, too. I really like your plan of having a home base with day trips and rest days along the way! Your beach stay looks amazing! Hopefully it will be summer here soon. Cheers from Victoria:)
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Jane KyleI think you would enjoy Mallorca as a first venture into bike touring. There are so many options that you could put something together that suits your preferences. We have always put together our own tours so if you'd like to discuss it, just let me know. We're always up for a chat about travelling by bike.
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Jane KyleNice to hear from you Jane. Mallorca would be an ideal place to have a first cycle vacation, whether you ride from place to place or do it as a hub and spoke like we did. There is plenty to explore that is flat to rolling on the eastern 3/4 of the island. And there are several other beautiful beach locations to stay. They even have a couple of train lines on the island and the bus service is very good. Just be sure to oick the right season because it gets hot about now through to mid-September. If you like bike trails the Pirinexus network around Girona is also a possibility. Lots of places rent e-bikes in both locations. Cheers!
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2 years ago

Jane KyleTo Anne MathersThanks, Anne. Great suggestions! I’ll work on convincing my husband:)
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2 years ago