Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Tossa de Mar

What to see and do in Tossa de Mar (Selva, Girona): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

Towns near Tossa de Mar

Spain › Catalonia › Girona › Selva › Tossa de Mar

What to see and do in Tossa de Mar

Tossa de Mar
Village
Tossa de Mar is a coastal town of 6,347 inhabitants (INE 2025) in the Selva comarca, in the province of Girona, famous for its walled Vila Vella, the only fortified medieval centre preserved by the sea on the entire Catalan coast. Its origins go back to Prehistory, and the municipality has been linked to the Roman settlement of Turissa. Marc Chagall named it 'Blue Paradise' after spending the summers of 1933 and 1934 there, and in 1950 Ava Gardner and James Mason filmed Pandora and the Flying Dutchman in the town. Until the 1980s the municipality was simply called Tossa. In 1990 it became the first town in Spain declared an anti-bullfighting city, an example later followed by other Catalan municipalities. With a fishing background, it now lives mainly on tourism.
Old Town of Tossa de Mar
Monument
The Vila Vella of Tossa de Mar (la Selva, Girona) is the only medieval walled settlement still standing on the Catalan coast, with its original walls and towers surrounding the old town by the sea. The precinct was built in two phases, to defend against piracy: a first fortified belt from the late 12th century and a reconstruction by Abbot Descatllar in the 14th century. It preserves seven towers, among them the torre d'en Joanàs, at the easternmost end on the rocks by the sea; the torre de les Hores or del Rellotge, next to the town's entrance gate; and the torre del Codolar or de l'Homenatge, in the western sector, next to the former Governor's Palace. It has been declared a Monumento Histórico Artístico Nacional (a former Spanish heritage-protection designation) since 1931.
Hospital of Sant Miquel, Tossa de Mar
Monument
Founded in 1773 with the inheritance of Tomàs Vidal i Rei, an "indiano" who had made his fortune in Guatemala, replacing the old poorhouse hospital of the Vila Vella; in 1903 it became a convent and school, and since 1984 it has been the Casa de Cultura of Tossa. It is arranged around a courtyard with a central well, in the manner of a small cloister.
Codolar of Tossa de Mar
Nature
The Codolar is a small urban beach in Tossa de Mar (Girona), wedged between the hill crowned by the castle of Tossa and extensive cliffs full of coves, beneath the Homenatge tower of the Vila Vella wall. It is 45 metres long and 18 metres wide on average, made up of coarse sand and gravel; formerly it consisted only of pebbles, hence its name. The water undergoes a fortnightly quality check by the Catalan Water Agency, with good results. It is reached on foot by stairs leading from the wall itself, or through a small gap in it from the plaça del Pintor Roig i Soler, and it has showers, sunbed rental and nearby bars and restaurants.
The wall of the Vila Vella of Tossa
Historical milestone
The abbot of Ripoll Ramon de Berga ordered in 1186 the hill of Mont Guardí walled to protect the fishermen from attacks by sea; the enclosure is the only example of a fortified medieval town left on the Catalan coast.
Cim i tomba
Food and drink
Stew of rockfish and potato cooked slowly and served with allioli, whose name alludes to turning the casserole over without breaking the fish; it was born aboard the boats and is the town's identity dish.