The Costa Brava on the Catalan coast of Spain is made up of several neighbouring villages and resort towns as well as the celebrated city of Barcelona. Beautiful beaches, a stunning natural landscape and a temperate climate have all contributed to the Costa Brava becoming a holiday hotspot for those seeking fun in the sun. What makes the Costa Brava interesting is that while several parts of the coast have become clichéd tourist destinations, there are still also several hidden gems dotted along the coastline that are ripe for exploring.
Take for instance Tossa de Mar. This romantic marine town holds its own as one of the Costa Brava’s most beautiful cities. A visit here wouldn’t be complete without a stroll around the Old Town and its city wall – the only one that has been maintained on the Catalan Coast. Pause for a few moments and enjoy the sun, sand and sangria whilst watching the world pass by.
Many holidaymakers will choose to stay in Blanes for its excellent shopping or Lloret de Mar for its eclectic nightlife, but go off the beaten path and in between the two you’ll find little known Cala Sant Francesc, a small hidden beach that’s popular with locals. Head here for a truly authentic Spanish experience. Be sure to stop for a bite to eat at Restaurant Cala Bona where you’ll find delicious Mediterranean cuisine and very affordable prices. What’s great about this Spanish region is that you can choose to base yourself at any one of the many cheap Costa Brava hotels then set out to explore all the hidden gems the area has to offer.
This post is part of a monthly Spanish Series sponsored by www.hotels4u.com, where you’ll find plenty of Costa Brava hotels suitable for all tastes and budgets.
Juan-les-Pins is situated between Nice and Cannes on the French Riviera. Offering visitors beautiful beaches cut with small inlets. It also offers many nightclubs, a casino and restaurants, making it one of popular travel destinations in Europe.
Juan-les-Pins is most famous for its annual jazz festival during July and has in fact just celebrated its 50th year.
During 1857 the Jardin Botanique de la Villa Thuret was created, a renowned 8.5 acre botanical garden on the grounds of Villa Thuret. The garden is open during the week and entry is free.
Pau is 50km from the Pyrenees in southern France and stands on a 200m elevation, making it the perfect travel destination for splendid views to the Pyrenees from the Boulevard des Pyrenees. Alphonse de Lamartine said: “Pau has the world’s most beautiful view of the earth just as Naples has the most beautiful view of the sea.”
The Chateau de Pau is located in the centre of Pau and was built during the 14th century. Here the museum of Bearnais architecture is housed where you can see architecture, furnishings and other aspects of Bearnais life.
Pau is featuring today because Stage 16 of the Tour de France is finishing here.
Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Iceland’s sleeping volcano, burst into life for the first time in 190 years on the 20 March and again, on the 14 April. This post is not about Eyjafjallajokull Volcano being a dream, travel destination but more about how it has affected all of Europe and those with travel plans.
The huge ash plumes being generated from this natural occurrence have air travel to and from Europe on hold, and no end is in sight! This is resulting in travel chaos for both air travellers having to resort to land travel and competing with the already busy land services of rail, bus and ferry. It has been reported that many are even resorting to extensive trips via taxi’s just to reach their desired destination. The financial implication to the grounded air services will not be know for some time but of course, it will filter down the system and many other businesses will also be greatly affected.
There is now speculation from scientists, saying history has shown when Eyjafjallajokull erupts, the much bigger, nearby Katla volcano often follows within days or months. More can be READ HERE
Flights – 24,000 cancelled Cost – $1 billion plus Major airports closed – 40 Travellers affected – 5 million Extent of ash plume – 5,000 km Height of plume – 7 km History – The volcano last erupted from Dec 1821 to Jan 1823.
Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupts, stopping all air traffic
The Traveler IQ challenge ranks geographic knowledge of cities such as: Punta Cana, Willemstad or Columbia by comparing results against 5,473,834 other travelers.
The Costa Brava on the Catalan coast of Spain is made up of several neighbouring villages and resort towns as well as the celebrated city of Barcelona. Beautiful beaches, a stunning natural landscape and a temperate climate have all contributed to the Costa Brava becoming a holiday hotspot for those seeking fun in the sun. What makes the Costa Brava interesting is that while several parts of the coast have become clichéd tourist destinations, there are still also several hidden gems dotted along the coastline that are ripe for exploring.
Pau is 50km from the Pyrenees in southern France and stands on a 200m elevation, making it the perfect travel destination for splendid views to the Pyrenees from the Boulevard des Pyrenees. Alphonse de Lamartine said: “Pau has the world’s most beautiful view of the earth just as Naples has the most beautiful view of the sea.”
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