The Costa Brava region north of Barcelona, nestled against France's southern border, is one of the most idyllic in the country. Tiny cobblestoned towns filled with ancient architecture, little buildings tucked in to each other, friendly chatter, lively plazas, darling little streets to run through and fairytale-like views abound.
One day, I want to roadtrip down the entire Costa Brava coastline, stopping at the many hidden beaches, viewpoints and coastal pathways along the way.
Today, I felt so fortunate that, for my final day trip while based in Barcelona, I managed to get the timings of the buses and trains just right so that I could visit two of Costa Brava's most beautiful towns: Besalú and Girona.
How to Get to Besalú from Barcelona
There are no trains running from Barcelona to Besalú, however the TEISA bus company runs regular buses that take just an hour and a half up the countryside. The bus departs from Carrer de Pau Claris in Barcelona, and arrives near Ctra. d'Olot in Besalú. You can check the bus schedule here.
Buses also return to Barcelona in the afternoons, with the same bus stops, however I took a different bus down to Girona - also with TEISA, check the schedule here - and then took a train back to Barcelona from there.
You don't need to buy tickets in advance as you can purchase them in cash from the bus driver on board; tickets were €15,70 per person from Barcelona to Besalú and €4,80 from Besalú to Girona at the time of writing. I highly recommend doing both towns in a day!
Things to See in Besalú
Besalú is a dreamy little fairytale of a town - think cobbled plazas, tiny little stone streets, merchants selling their wares from open front market stalls and sunlight beaming down over everyone. Little churches beckon you in from the heat and cafe terraces await you with tempting ice cream.
The highlight of the town is the medieval Pont de Besalú, best seen from the nearby Mirador de Besalú as well as from the neighbouring Carr. de Girona bridge. If you're lucky, live music will serenade you as you wander across, half imagining you're wandering through a scene from Beauty and the Beast.
Mirador de Besalú
From Carr. de Girona bridge
From under the bridge
CHECK OUT MY VLOG OF Besalú AND GIRONA HERE!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
