Spanish Property in Girona - Maps and Towns - Costa Brava - Spain

Santa Coloma de Farners
The capital of La Selva, Santa Coloma is located in the centre of the region and has a population of 9000. The 10th century church of San Pere is the focal point of the town around which the old quarter of Santa Coloma is spread out. The church is of Romanesque origin and is an interesting site, as are the fountain of San Salvador, the Hermitage of La Mere de Deu and the old castle. There is a spa in the town offering hydrotherapy and other health treatments.
Santa Coloma is the service centre for the surrounding villages with schools, a library, shops and a museum. The weekly market is held each Monday.
The town’s Festa Major takes place in September.
Santa Coloma is 20km from Girona and 20km from the coast, situated just of the C-25 main road. Barcelona is half an hour away on the A-7 motorway. There is a national RENFE station in the town and buses run from Santa Coloma to the surrounding villages.

Girona’s airport is located outside Vilobí d’Onyar, a small town of 2000 people just a few kilometres from Santa Coloma on the road towards Girona. The airport is 10 minutes from Girona and Santa Coloma.

The Costa Brava

Blanes
Blanes is the first town on the Costa Brava and has a triple identity as a heaving industrial centre, a heavy-duty fishing port and a popular tourist destination. With a population of 30,000, Blanes is not a small place and it is difficult to imagine it as the small fishing town that it once was. The remains of the old town, including the medieval castle of Sant Joan and a 14th century church, can still be seen away from the main beach front which is now lined with high rise concrete blocks catering to package tourists. The huge, pine-fringed sandy beach is what draws tourists here and Blanes is popular with both Spanish and international tourists. Quieter than neighbouring Lloret de Mar, Blanes tends to attract more of a family orientated crowd. The town’s 4km stretch of coastline includes wide curves of sand and hidden, rocky coves. Away from the beach, there are some large botanical gardens in the town with a huge collection of plants from around the world.
Just south of Blanes is the Marineland complex which boasts, among other things, dolphin, sealion and parrot shows, a reptile house, water slides and a childrens zoo. You can find almost everything in Blanes, there are plenty of hotels and campsites, international restaurants, shops and supermarkets as well as Spanish street markets, fiestas and folk dancing. The weekly market takes place on a Monday.
Blanes is 60km from Barcelona airport and 20km from Girona’s airport. Trains run between Barcelona and Lloret via Blanes and take about an hour. The town is a few kilometres from the C-32 motorway which runs to Barcelona.

Lloret de Mar
The thriving tourist centre of Lloret has been extremely developed over the last few years. High rise concrete tower blocks cater for the hordes of package tourists that converge on the town each summer. With a permanent population of 17,000, the town swells in the summer and Lloret’s character tends to be of an international flavour rather than Spanish. There are English pubs and German bars, greasy spoon cafés where you can grab a full English breakfast, pizzerias and Chinese restaurants. Its 9km of coastline gets packed in the summer, particularly the central beach, although there are some attractive coves and lookout points nearby that are more isolated. Often seen as an 18-30’s type resort, night-life is frenetic in Lloret in the summer, with plentiful bars, disco’s and foam parties. Families are also attracted to Lloret and there is an abundance of entertainment to choose from, including go-karting, tennis, parascending, pleasure cruises, horse-riding, ten pin bowling and mini-golf.
There are still some traditional Spanish delights to be savoured in the town, particularly the Sardana, a traditional Catalan dance that was banned under Franco’s regime and is now danced by locals each Saturday night in the summer months. Llorets winter festival is the Festa de Sant Romà, which includes marquee dances, theatre and sports as well as plenty of activities for children.
Waterworld, Europe’s biggest water park is located just outside Lloret on the road inland towards Vidreres.
Nearby are 3 professional golf courses: Club de Golf Angel de Lloret, which is on the coast road towards Blanes; Urbanisation Papalus, an 18-hole pitch and putt and Ecogolf, on the road inland towards Vidreres.
There are shops and restaurants to cater to all tastes and needs in Lloret. The weekly market is held on a Tuesday.
Lloret is 70km north of Barcelona and 25km from Girona. There is a RENFE train station in the town and the motorway is 10km away.

Tossa de Mar
Further up the coast, Tossa de Mar is another resort town albeit a smaller, quieter and more attractive one. More low key than Lloret and Blanes, Tossa is a small town of 4000 people. Rich in history, Tossa was originally a medieval town whose 12th century walls and its turrets still surround the old town, which is known as the Vila Vella. The walls of the Vila Vella have been declared a National Historic Monument. The Vila Vella consists of cobbled streets and whitewashed walls, houses with flower boxes on the streets and fantastic views of the beach and bay. There are three beaches in the town, the main beach gets crowded often and the best beach is Mar Menuda, located around the headland away from the old town.
On January 20th each year, a pilgrimage takes place from Tossa to the capital of Santa Coloma in reverance to Saint Sebastian. This is in accordance with the “Pilgrim’s Vow” which goes back to the beginning of the 15th century when the bubonic plague was sweeping Europe. The residents of Tossa begged Saint Sebastian for help and miraculously escaped being affected. To prove their everlasting gratitude to Sebastian, the town promised that a man from Tossa would make a pilgrimage to one of the Saint’s chapels each year.
During the Holy Cross feast on May 1st, crosses are made out of flowers and displayed in the town.
Tossa has plenty of amenities including lots of campsites, hotels, international restaurants, English breakfast cafés and shops. On Thursdays, the weekly market is held.
Tossa del Mar is 13km north of Lloret on a winding coastal road. The town is 80km from Barcelona and 35km from Girona.

Central La Selva

Hostalric
A picturesque town of 3000 inhabitants, Hostalric is situated between the coast and the mountains. Its large, well-restored fortress is surrounded by a walled enclosure with 8 cylindrical towers and commands excellent views of the surrounding area.
Hostalric has shops, a supermarket and a medical centre. The market is held on Tuesdays.
Hostalric is 13km from Santa Coloma, on the C-35 road. It is easily accessed from Barcelona and Girona, being a short distance from the A-7 motorway. There is a RENFE train station in the town.

A few kilometres from Hostalric on the C-35, the town of Maçanet de la Selva with a population of 3500 has restaurants and supermarkets and is 30km from Girona. On the other side of the A-7 motorway, Vidreres (4000 inhabitants) is well placed for connections with Santa Coloma, Girona and Barcelona. It is 6km from Vidreres to the sea and there is a golf course nearby as well as Waterworld, Europe’s biggest water park.

Caldes de Malavella
Caldes, meaning hot water in Latin, has been known for its thermal waters since Roman times and is the most renowned spa town in the area. It stands on the site of old Roman baths and has a number of hotels specializing in all manner of hydrotherapy, mudbaths, health treatments, sauna, pressure showers and massages. There are several spas in the village that you can use if you are not staying in a hotel.
With a population of 3500, Caldes has shops, supermarkets and the local market is held on Tuesdays.
Caldes is situated just north of Vidreres, next to the N-11 highway and near the A-7 motorway with good connections to Girona and Barcelona.

West of Vidreres, adjacent to the A-7 motorway is the town of Sils with 3000 inhabitants, just 5km from Santa Coloma. On the road from Sils to Santa Coloma, the village of Riudarenes is a peaceful place, surrounded by extensive woodlands. It is becoming popular with people seeking a retreat from the busy coastal areas.

Arbúcies
To the west of the Selva region, near the Sierra de Montseny, the town of Arbúcies is another spa town with narrow cobbled streets, old white-washed houses and a pleasant town square.
The colourful Las Enramades festa is held in Arbúcies. During the festival, The main streets of the town are decorated with patterned carpets of flowers with striking designs.
With a population of 4500, Arbúcies has a number of shops and restaurants. The weekly market is held on Thursdays.
Arbúcies is a couple of kilometres off the main C-25 road, 7km from Santa Coloma.

Between Arbúcies and Sant Feliu de Buixalleu, a village of 700 people, is Montsoriu castle, which dates from the 9th century.
On the edge of the Selva region, in the tranquil countryside of the Montseny, Riells i Viabrea is a small town of 1500 inhabitants that is becoming popular with people seeking a quiet location for a second home. The town is located away from the main roads, 15km from the A-7 motorway down country roads.

Breda
Breda used to be an important ceramic producing centre and ceramics are still produced in this little town. It’s a small place of 3500 people, situated just off the main C-35 road in a quiet location.
There are shops and a medical centre in the town. A market is held each Sunday.

North of Santa Coloma

Sant Hilari Sacalm
A major spa destination, the town of Sant Hilari is surrounded by over 100 different thermal and fresh water springs. The countryside surrounding the town consists of gentle mountains covered in green forests and makes a tranquil place for country walks.
A town of 5000 inhabitants, Sant Hilari has all the usual amenities, with a market being held there each Sunday.
The town is located a few kilometres off the main C-25 road that runs between Santa Coloma and the town of Vic.

A small road leads from Sant Hilari through the countryside passing the village of Osor (500 inhabitants) before reaching Anglès, a town of 5000 people where a market takes place on Sundays.

Amer
Amer is an old village with a pretty main square surrounded by shaded arches. A spa town with accompanying hotels, Amer is surrounded by pleasant countryside and located near to the large Susqueda reservoir. Amer’s Festa Major takes place between the 14th and 17th of August when carnival parades throng the streets, featuring figures of giants, carnival-goers wearing colourful papier-mache masks, Catalonian food and other street entertainment.
A small town of 2500 inhabitants, Amer has several shops, bars and restaurants. The street market is held on Wednesdays.
Amer is situated at the northern edge of the Selva region, 25km from Girona.