Activities | What to see in Roses, Girona and Costa Brava

Boat trips

Discover the seabed from a catamaran with a Super Underwater Viewing! Go on a morning or afternoon trip, watching the wildlife in the area of Cap de Creus, one of the richest and most varied of the Mediterranean coast, and bathe in remote areas. Suitable activity to do with children.

Wines from Empordà

If you love wine come and visit the wineries of Empordà wines of all styles and for all tastes! Get lost in the exciting world of wine and the peaceful landscapes of Empordà, a perfect combination!

Water park

Enjoy a refreshing day on the endless slides, exciting toboggans and relaxing pools at the Aquabrava Water Park of Roses. A great day out for children and adults alike.

Sailing catamaran

Enjoy trips in a large sailing catamaran along the Costa Brava coast. You will spend hours of fun sailing and anchoring in the most beautiful coves with family and friends or custom groups. Take this opportunity, not to be missed, to spend a great day at sea with the best entertainment, music, DJ, barbecue and bar all the way…. not forgetting snorkelling and bathing with lilos.

Fishing tourism

Want to know how do fishermen work? Join them on one of their outings and discover how they develop trawling or the small-scale fishing for tallarina (shellfishing), tremall or palangre (longline fishing). In addition, all-day tours include breakfast and typical fisherman’s communal lunch on the fishing boat itself.

Girona, Temps de Flors!

In may visit Girona, Temps de Flors! The old town dresses up with spectacular spaces of flowers and plants. The exhibition converts into unique gardens, monuments, urban spaces and corners of the city, by painting them colourful and leaving penetrating aromas. City and nature are together in the same space!

cadaqués

A charming village that retains its roots. White houses, narrow streets, shops, and especially beautiful coves. And for people who like sports, arrive at Cadaqués by walkway, a routes that follow the beaches and coves of the Costa Brava. Discover a beautiful way to know the surroundings.

Roses Express Train

The cultural tourist Rrain Roses & Cap de Creus Expres offers a new way to visit the town of Roses and the Cap de Creus nature park at the same time affording marvellous panoramic views of the fascinating background landscapes of the park and the Bay of Roses. You will be able to admire small beaches with the clear bright waters of the Mediterranean and discover the culture and history of Roses.

Tours

It may also be interesting to see the different weekly markets in the region, such as the Roses on Sunday morning. Other recommended visits would be the Jewish quarter of Girona, particularly during the Flower week in May or the medieval town of Besalú and of course Cadaqués and Port Lligat where the house of Salvador Dalí is.

stand up paddle

Enjoy Stand Up Paddle and make the most of the beach in Roses, on the Costa Brava, in one of the most original ways. This sport is gaining ever more fans and those who try it come back for more. Suitable for all ages it is a new option for fun, for practising a sport and keeping fit in the sea.

Bicycle

You, a bicycle and the numerous landscapes of the Costa Brava to discover. Many miles of green lanes, ancient paths are awaiting you. With the bike you can explore as many miles as you wish and discover the diverse and spectacular scenery as you go.

hiking

Get to know the Costa Brava step by step. Along wonderful paths you will discover its enchanting landscape. We offer many excursions along the Costa Brava and its hillsides for all ages and all levels. Moreover there are coastal paths leading to an insight into the many beaches and coves. Discover more

aquatic activities

Hire a pedal boat from the beach, go snorkelling and discover the secrets of the Costa Brava, spend the day with the family at a water park ….. the Costa Brava offers various ways to enjoy summer in the water.

Beaches

The stay at the Hotel Monterrey Roses is suitable for all those who love a lifestyle based on relaxing on the beach, whether looking for sandy beaches and shallow sea as if they prefer most solitary rocky coves and crystalline waters with the exceptional sea of the Costa Brava.

cap de creus

It constitutes the last spur of the Pyrenees and the easternmost point of the Iberian Peninsula. The coast is rough and rugged with impressive cliffs and isolated coves.

The Cap de Creus Natural Park was created in 1998 and protects the Cap de Creus peninsula and its marine environment. It constitutes the first natural park in the country to cover both sea and land and stretches over 13,886 ha.

The land area includes three natural sites of national interest (PNIN): the Cap Gros-Cap de Creus in the north; the Punta Falconera-Cap Norfeu in the south and the Rodes mountain range in the west. Furthermore, all the islands and islets in the Natural Park’s marine environment are also covered by this classification.

The towns and villages within the influence area of the park are: Cadaqués, Llançà, Palau-saverdera, Pau, El Port de la Selva, Roses, La Selva de Mar and Vilajuïga.

Aiguamolls de l’Empordà

This is the second wetland area in Catalonia. It is made up by a number of ponds, swamps and flood plains in the confluence of the rivers Muga and Fluvià. It constitutes a privileged habitat for fauna and especially for wetland birds.

In 1983, the place was declared a National Interest Natural Site in terms of its wide-ranging zoological and botanic reserves. It covers an area of 4866 ha . The creation of this reserve was the result of an intense and long defence campaign that began in 1976 to halt an urban development project whose aim was to create a residential marina for 60,000 people in the lake area located in the estuary of the Muga and Fluvià rivers.

The towns and villages within the influence area of the park are: L’Armentera, Castelló d’Empúries, L’Escala, Palau-saverdera, Pau, Pedret i Marzà, Peralada, Roses and Sant Pere Pescador.

La Albera

This natural site is located on the southern slope of the L’Albera massif and is comprised of two very different areas: the western part in the Requesens-Baussitges area which features Central European vegetation, with wet beech woods and oak groves; and the eastern part in the Sant Quirze de Colera area which is more Mediterranean, featuring a vegetation of cork oak and undergrowth, inhabited by the last colonies of the Mediterranean tortoise.

The Site was created in 1986 and covers an area of 4108 ha . It stands within the municipal areas of La Jonquera, Espolla and Rabós. Its areas of influence are the towns and villages of Llançà, Colera, Portbou, Cantallops, Vilamaniscle and Garriguella.

Excursions & routes

Roses have incredible walking routes to offer—all kinds of excursions, for every level of difficulty and age group: from easy-going itineraries for families with children, to challenging hikes for true nature lovers.

The different itineraries that criss-cross the Roses area are quite diverse, ranging from short walks along the fishing port to routes taking you past megaliths, plus wine-tasting tours and excursions along the coves nearby Roses; there’s something to please everyone who comes to explore the northern Costa Brava.

ROMANESQUE

The Romanesque art of this land has a distinct personality. There is a large amount of religious architecture. Additionally, Pre-Romanesque churches have been preserved, from the beginning of the Carolingian domain (9th-10th centuries) which are of great interest, as they are the foundation of the Romanesque autochthony, some truly unique and exceptional. Highlights the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes.

SURREALISM

Likewise, it is not possible to discover the Empordà without knowing Dalí, and it would be difficult to understand Dalí without discovering the Empordà.

The Empordà, a land touched by the north wind: honest, eclectic and at times crazy, like Dalí. They are said attributes that mark the life and work of Salvador Dalí, the Empordà painter of excellence that made the region the starting point of his surreal journey, a world of unreal shapes and impossible colors.

GOTHIC

In Alt Empordà, gothic art has its key center in Castelló d’Empúries, with the church of Santa María and samples of civil architecture. The Renaissance left us particularly interesting civil buildings.

The lighthouse of Roses

Inaugurated 1st September 1864, the Lighthouse of Roses formed part of a general plan carried out during the reign of Isabel II to light up the country’s coastline and ports. The lighthouse’s structure and purpose have withstood the passage of time, and it has adapted to society’s changes: initially oil was used to fuel the operating system, and later it was changed to paraffin. In 1883 it began running on petroleum and finally in 1921 it was converted to electricity. The Lighthouse of Roses still retains its original structure and garden, mostly built atop the coastal artillery battery, which was used to defend Trinity Castle. You can’t miss it!

The Roses Citadel

The Roses Citadel was listed as historic in 1961, the Citadel contains vestiges of different ages and occupations. The military fortification, with its monumental Sea Gate is a plot of 131,480 m2 Renaissance style was built in 1543. The interior is an important archaeological site where the remains of the Greek city of Rhodes, founded by the Rhodians in 776 BC, the Hellenistic district, who lived during the fourth century BC and the moments of greatest prosperity the city, the Roman villa, dated between the second century BC and sixth century AD, the monastery of Santa Maria romànicollombard the eleventh century, and the findings of the nineteenth century.

Trinity Castle

Trinity Castle which crowns the Poncella point above the lighthouse of Roses. The military construction, which dates from 1544, was erected under the reign of Emperor Charles I, as an essential complement to the Citadel. It has the shape of a five-pointed star, with pronounced angular corners for defence against enemy projectiles. It is built on a grand scale with two-metre thick walls. It had three terraces for batteries of cannons, howitzers and mortars, set at different heights, to defend the port and the coast, It had a garrison of up to two hundred men. The building remains an extraordinary example of coastal artillery fortress.

Dolmens & fortifications

This is a collection of megalithic monuments made ​​of different dolmens, menhirs, and inscultures cists, most notably for its size a dolmen in Cobertella Cross. (3000 BC). One of the unique parts of Roses, hidden and little known are the remains of Visigothic Castrum. It is a fortified early medieval town built on top of a strategic hill overlooking the old town of Rhodes-Roses. (s.VII-VIII). Bufalaranya Castle, which was built in the eighth century when the territory of Roses was integrated in the Carolingian Mark. Standing on a hill with difficult access its fortified perimeter has the characteristic of opus spicatum. (s. VIII-XIV).