Best of the Costa Brava

The Costa Brava runs from Spain's Mediterranean border with France down to just north of Barcelona. It is renowned for its rugged coastline peppered with numerous idyllic villages and ports, framed against a coastscape of immense cliffs and riven coves, which in turn secrete truly glorious beaches. The region also hosts a superb offering of cultural activities and opportunities to relax. The Costa Brava's beaches, though, are some of the country’s best, although not the biggest, often hidden below soaring clifftops and unusual rock formations. Many of these, in fact, can only be reached on foot, making the journey part of the fun, and you'll be rewarded on arrival by turquoise blue water, lapping waves and stretches of sandy and stony beach which, outside the main tourist destinations, are quiet besides those near Barcelona.

Not only is there plenty to see along the shore, but the Costa Brava also encompasses some beautiful inland attractions, too. Stop by the town of Figueres, birthplace of famed surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, and visit the Dalí Theatre-Museum designed in typical bizarre fashion by the artist. Or toast your trip in the Empordà wine region, also located along the Costa Brava. Though it's not as big as other wine regions in Spain, Empordà is known to produce delicious wines, like White Grenache, Tempranillo, Macabeu, and Syrah, at terrific prices. Historians say that vineyards have been in this area since the 5th century BCE, and a tasting tour of the region's vineyards and bodegas is a great way to pass an afternoon.