Tossa de Mar, a Chill Spanish Beach Town

Should you find yourself in Spain, you’ll never be at a loss for something to do. Maybe you just danced your way through Barcelona. Pretty incredible, right? Well, after that you might feel the need to relax and decompress. Luckily for you, there is a chill Spanish beach town called Tossa de Mar.

Tossa de Mar, a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, is located on the coastal Costa Brava, about 64 miles (103 km) north of Barcelona and 63 miles (100 km) south of the French border. Here you’ll find the perfect blend of old meets new with its modern beachfront and old walled village.

This place is relaxing in every sense of the word.

The Beach

It’s a Spanish beach town, so if you’re in Tossa de Mar, odds are your reasons have something to do with the beaches.

The town has three main beaches. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are smaller hidden beaches a little further along the coast but I didn’t find any of them.

Platja Gran

The Tossa Beach or Platja Gran is where I spent my time. The largest of the three, it lines the downtown area and is packed with people. It also has the same pebbly sand as the ocean floor (about the size of the “0” on an average keyboard).

In my opinion, this is the place to be if you’re looking for a chill beach that still has things to offer the average tourist. The prime location allows you to hop right off the beach and into someplace for a drink or a bite to eat. I went here between my two dives on the second day as they were scheduled for 10AM and 4PM.

La Mar Menuda

La Mar Menuda is on the other side of the bay and is the beach where you enter the water while diving. There are some nice rock features there if you’re interested in that sort of natural view. I walked out on them at one point. It was a bit sketchy with my camera hanging from my neck but worth it.

You may have to wait your turn though as I’m convinced that 1 in 4 females visiting Europe hires a photographer to follow her around. This girl was even wearing a wedding dress, sans groom. Trial run?

El Codolar

The third beach, which I didn’t set foot on, is El Codolar. It is by far the smallest and also the most empty. This is the perfect beach if you want peace and quiet away from any tourists.

Hidden behind a wall, you can see it from the top of the hill in Villa Vella. It’s very possible that most people don’t even know that it’s there. The rest are probably just too lazy to walk the extra distance.

Now remember, this is Europe and they are far more liberal with their dress when compared to the USA. As such, there were a fair amount of topless women on these beaches. Not a ton since it’s optional, but there were enough. Don’t ogle the ladies and don’t harass them. If you stare, people are going to notice. Don’t be that guy. And for the love of God, DON’T TAKE PICTURES. Seriously… don’t be a creep.

Scuba Diving

Seahorses! Do I have your attention? If not, I’m willing to acknowledge that I’m easily amused.

I went to Tossa de Mar with diving in mind. After all, how could I not dive in the Mediterranean?

I love diving. So upon arrival, I immediately pulled up the dive shops on google and picked Super Dive Tossa. I can’t remember why I picked this shop but it was probably the rating.

Since it was only 3:40PM I gave them a call and hoped that they had a 5:00 dive with an open slot. Well, it turned out that luck was on my side and there was an opening… at 4:00PM. The shop was 15 minutes away so I put on a pair of board shorts, grabbed my GoPro, threw all of my stuff in the locker, and sprinted across town… in flip flops. Have you ever ran somewhere in flip flops? I do this far too often. I don’t recommend it.

Upon arrival things went smooth. You’ll have the standard forms to fill out, give them your certification number, and answer a few questions. Common fare. They then square you away with your equipment and load you into a van for transport to La Mar Menuda beach.

Hold your breath…

Should you use SuperDive, I don’t know that it will be the same van but ours smelled like 476 cats took a piss inside it at the same time and then it was sealed up and left to bake in the sun for a month. So, fair warning.

About 10-15 minutes later you’ll arrive at the beach. Know that in spite of what their website says about boat dives, all diving in Tossa de Mar is done from the beach. Not a big deal but I would have loved to do both. Also, why is it on your website if you don’t offer it? I inquired about boat dives in other shops as well and was told the same thing. “All dives in Tossa de Mar are from the beach.” I think that most likely they just pretended not to offer them since I was the only person interested. Oh well.

The Quality

The diving itself is great with a pebbly/large grain sandy bottom and rocky reefs that you wind your way through like a giant maze. There were set routes that the guide will lead you on so be sure to take note of your route and tell your next guide so you can go a different way. Otherwise you may end up with some repeats like I did.

Now I believe I mentioned something about seahorses? Yes! Tossa de Mar, while seemingly devoid of the larger things like sharks and turtles, plays host to a small seahorse population. We managed to find at least one seahorse on 3 of my 5 dives.

All research that I have done seems to say that they are not rare in the wild but this was the first time I had seen any. A week later while diving in Nice, my dive buddy who had over 5,000 dives all over the world expressed jealousy and told me that he had never seen one. So who knows. Other wildlife included a ton of small to tiny sized fish, a fair amount of star fish, eels, and small octopuses.

Diving Cost

Cost was reasonable and seemed to be fairly standard from shop to shop but if you’re looking to save some money, take two dives in one day rather than two days of singles. They also offer things like night dives and all of the different certification courses. I feel a Spanish Beach town like Tossa de Mar would be an ideal location for someone interested in getting their certification.

Overall I rate this dive experience a 7.5 I would give it a higher score if not for the repeating routes, “lack” of boat dives, and some of the staff. Two of them were talking about me in the van on the way back to the shop. I was the only American present and they didn’t know that I understand some Spanish so that irritated me a bit.

Also they’re spitters in this shop so be sure to bring your own baby shampoo or whatever anti-fog treatment you use or you’ll be spitting in your mask to keep it from fogging. I know many don’t mind but I’m not a fan of that.

Vila Vella enceinte

Vila Vella enceinte will be the first thing you notice up making your way to the coast. It is more or less the Old Town of Tossa de Mar. You won’t be able to miss it as it looks like large castle and you will hear many people call it such, but it’s not. It’s actually a fortified medieval town with its original perimeter wall still in tact.

Vila Vella enceinte is the only example of a fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast. Set upon on a rocky hilltop it’s surrounded by an impressive city wall, complete with 7 different towers. At some points this wall is HIGH! While you’re here, make sure you go up to the top where you can walk the wall. This leads to some great views of the beaches.

Within the Wall

Inside you’ll find the very old, old town. Here, the original stone buildings are so well preserved that they’re still in use today.

Normally these types of buildings are more ruin than whole, in disrepair due to neglect, or just modern reconstructions. These were in such good condition that I had to inquire as to how.

It turns out that this was the last fortified town to be built along the entire coast which helped it last into the age of tourism.

Now not only are the buildings preserved, but they’re also occupied! There are homes where people currently live, shops, restaurants, cafés, a gothic church, and the Municipal Museum which was built inside the old governor’s house. It was like stepping back in time.

At the very top of the hill you’ll find the old lighthouse and the ruins of a Romanesque church that didn’t survive the test of time. All are still worth seeing and there’s a photo gallery that you can go through for a nice little history lesson. Just walking around these cobbled streets is like stepping back into the 14th century. It’s beautiful.

The Nightlife

I’m only touching on this because before getting to the area, I read on another travel blog about the town’s great nightlife. Well, that depends entirely on your age. If you’re on the younger end of the spectrum, there is absolutely no nightlife. At least not that I could find.

My first two nights I walked the entire downtown area two or three times trying to find where everyone was. There were so many people on the beach, I was sure that there had to be some destination for the younger crowd.

Well, there wasn’t. In spite of the many many bars and restaurants, this sleepy Spanish beach town isn’t much for night life. Or at least it wasn’t while I was there. Was this an anomaly? Possibly. But I doubt it.

I only found two bars with people inside of them. These two bars were close to hoppin. But every single person inside was well over 50. Not my scene. So I went to a little restaurant, had some Tapas and beer alone, and then went back to the hostel.

I later found out that the reason why I couldn’t find any of the younger crowd is because most take a short 30 minute bus ride to Lloret de Mar. I later did stop off in Lloret de Mar with a friend from the hostel so this theory seemed to check out.

On the plus side, while there may not be many people out late at night, you can still grab some food if the mood strikes you. Many of the restaurants stay open quite late and won’t hesitate to prepare you anything from the menu.

Hiking

I was in town to dive so I didn’t do much hiking but there are several quality trails. On my final day I couldn’t resist the prospect of what views the hikes might offer so I grabbed my camera bag and set off on one of the shorter loops. The green marked trail.

The trail began at the back of La Mar Menuda beach (that’s the middle sized of the three beaches and where you enter the water for scuba diving). A large black gate designates the starting point (it’s not on the beach itself but up near the entrance to the parking lot area from the street) and green spray paint dashes mark the way. The dashes aren’t obtrusive and you had to be semi-vigilant if you need to find one.

The hike itself is great and it can be a bit steep at times but it’s well worn. It’s also very secluded so be careful. If you roll an ankle or can’t walk for some reason, you’ll be found eventually, but it may take a bit.

The coast of Tossa de Mar

Throughout the entire loop I only saw one couple which I passed on the way up and then a second couple who were coming from the other side and connecting onto the green trail. I was told start to finish is about an hour. I did it in 45 minutes not counting the 15 I spent at the top taking pictures. The views from above were stunning.

Lloret de Mar

If Tossa de Mar is the small Spanish beach town, then Lloret de Mar is like the fun big brother. This small sized beach city is perfect for the night out. There are casinos, bars, nightclubs, way too many tourist shops, and of course, the beach. Just be aware that the beach here is far more touristy and crowded.

Lloret de Mar also happens to be the local bus hub so if you’re backpacking in or out, odds are you’ll end up here regardless.

Safety and Security

I feel the need to mention safety given how relaxed Tossa de Mar is. One late night while walking through town it was around 1am and there was nobody to be seen. I then saw something which had me so surprised that I made an Instagram story about it.

There were multiple shops along the shoreline that don’t even bother locking their doors. Now I don’t mean that the doors were simply unlocked. They were wide open and there was merchandise all along the streets unattended. If that doesn’t say sleepy Spanish beach town, then I don’t know what does.

I’m sure there were hidden cameras around the area but seeing everything out like that blew my mind. Unfortunately that isn’t something you’d see at a beach in America in this day and age.

Getting There

With its prime location on the Catalan coast, Tossa de Mar is a highly accessible Spanish beach town. Highways and trains line the coast quite thoroughly so I never once ran into an, “Okay, now how do I get from A to B so I can go from B to C and then finally to D?”

I opted for the bus from Barcelona as it gave me a straight shot into town.

How do you find your way from place to place?

The specific bus to this Spanish beach town was easy to find. A common question that I’m often asked by friends and family. “How do you find your way from place to place?” Well, I’m sure in years past it was a bit more difficult, but now, you just put your destination in google maps, or the app Rome2rio, and pick your preferred mode of transport.

They will then give you all of the details including which line to take (this works for city subways and local buses as well). From my experience it’s good to check both since neither seems to always display every option. Rome2rio also displays results from a car share app called Bla Bla Car. I have never used Bla Bla Car so I can’t comment on its effectiveness.

Stops included, the ride took about two hours. It drops you off at a bus station somewhat on the edge of town and then from there you can either get a cab or walk to your accommodations. I took a roughly 10 minute walk to the hostel, but had I been going to the far side, I would have gotten a cab.

Other options include a bus Girona–Costa Brava Airport (GRO) but this will take you 2.5-4 hours by bus depending on the time you leave. A car ride however is only about 35 minutes to cover the 21 miles (35km).

There are no direct trains as Tossa de Mar does not have a train station of its own.

My personal recommendation would be fly into Barcelona and then hop the bus the rest of the way.

Where To Stay

For such a small Spanish beach town there are a lot of places to stay. These are mostly moderate to small sized hotels but Airbnbs are abundant as well. Some of which can be found for as little as $26 per night for a single room apartment.

I am a hostel guy, so I booked…. wait for it…. a hostel! As far as I can tell, Tossa de Mar only has two or three true hostels. One of which isn’t even listed on booking.com or hostelworld. I only found it by looking at a map.

Mana Mana Hostel

The Mana Mana is a little hostel perfectly situated in the old town section of Tossa de Mar. You won’t know it at first glance but it’s positioned equidistant from pretty much everything.

The building itself is on the smaller side as far as hostels are concerned but the bathrooms were clean and the kitchen well maintained. The rooms were about average. There is no longer a bar but a rooftop terrace does the trick if you’re looking for a nice lounge area to relax with friends.

My entire time there I only ever saw one employee. She was working the front desk and she went beyond the typical level of service that I’ve grown accustomed to.

I was given a town map which isn’t unheard of, but then she began marking and labeling locations on it. She traced out the various hiking trails, how to find them, gave me distances and time frames for said hikes, outlined the various beaches, and gave me a brief history of the town. She even gave me recommendations on places to eat.

As for the other staff, they managed to stay out of sight and not be obtrusive.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I know you’ll enjoy Tossa de Mar! Please be sure to share and comment below!

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