Calella de Palafrugell
Calella de Palafrugell is a small fishing town near Palafrugell, but it is equally a cozy family resort. The area features many small and genuine coves and Palafrugell's largest beach, Llafranc. There are plenty of restaurants and places to stay when visiting.
Understand
Calella de Palafrugell has an excellent setting and, whilst busy in the summer season, it does not have the large hotels and mass tourism of other Costa Brava resorts such as Malgrat or Lloret de Mar. The coastline of the town stretches south some 2 km south to the El Golfet beach - part of the Cap Roig headland where beautiful Botanical gardens are located. Heading north you can find the neighbour beach/village of Llafranc.
The town has some standard hotels, apartments and, at a distance from the beach, some campsites. Like much of the picturesque section of the Costa Brava, north of Palamos and south of L'Estartit, Calella offers some very high quality restaurants and hotels - at prices to match. The beaches are Blue Flag standard.
Calella de Palafrugell has some beautiful small coves linked to Llafranc via a coastal walk. The first of the beaches at Calella de Palafrugell is 'El Canadell' where you have the Tragamar restaurant on the beach which is open during the summer season.
Port Bo is a small sandy cove just south of central Calella de Palafrugell. Les Voltes is a beach where a small promenade is set back from the beach with several restaurants and a beach shop. Platja Sota Can Calau is the next one along and after that Port Pelegri, Sant Roc and El Golfet which is approximately 1.5 km from central Calella de Palafrugell.
Calella de Palafrugell is a very popular destination dominated by apartments blocks set just back enough not to be seen from the beach. There are only a few hotels in this area.
Get around
By car
There are many places to park for free, so there's no reason to use paid parking. However, violating parking rules will definitely result in a fine quite fast, even on a weekend. There are a number of parking lots and walking to the waterline is easy and allows you to admire the surroundings. Calella is a small village and heavy traffic is far from beneficial.
Do
- Sunbathe. There's half a dozen of municipal beaches in the town, although you'll see only one or two from any given point. Bring all the stuff you need with you, as nothing can be rented on a beach.
- Walk. There are several villages available in a walking distance—the routes to them are well-marked and typically goes along the sea.
- Visit a water park. There are two water parks within visiting distance of Calella de Palafrugell - Aquadiver in Platja d'Aro, and Water World in Lloret . There are buses to and from the parks which depart from various holiday destinations around the area, including La Siesta and Kim's Camping. Both parks offer a large number of water-based rides, in addition to Jacuzzis, swimming pools (with wave machine) and food/ice cream kiosks. Water World is approximately 52 km (32 mi) to the south, usually around 50 minutes to an hour by car. There is also a bus service available.
- Take a walk down the coast from El Golfet to Platja de Castell. The coastal path is not challenging, no particular footwear required. It passes dozens of public and private coves, many of which are sandy and empty of tourists and can be climbed down to by foot. The GR 92 long-distance route crosses the city.
- Swim along the Vies Braves, a marine path following the coast which is closed to recreational boats. Apart from the beauty of the sights (usually from the opposite point of view), the bottom is rocky and inviting for snorkeling and diving as well. The swim is 1.5 km each way. Going early in the morning is recommended. In the afternoon water is quite opaque due to current and wind, but at 09:00 it shines like a mirror.
- Atend to Festival of the Gardens of Cap Roig: Held at the Auditori del Jardí Botànic, located in a particularly unique place next to the sea. This summer festival is open to various performing arts disciplines. Early July to mid-August
- Bike: The Pirinexus and the EuroVelo EV8 long distance bike routes cross the parent city of Palafrugell.
Eat
- La Torre, ☏ +34 972 61-46-03. 13:00-15:30; 20:00-22:30. A seafood restaurant with a great view of the sea and a sunset. Tried and recommended dishes: mussels (musclos); gaspatcho; calamars a-la Romana; turbot. Menu del dia is not a good choice--doesn't allow to choose dishes, but available both for lunch and dinner. salads €5.60-7.50; fish main courses: €9.50-18 (mussels €7.10); meat main courses €8.90-19.50. Menu del dia €17.
- Restaurant Tony's, C. de les Voltes, 9, ☏ +34 972 61-41-27. Tony's has a great location with a view of the beach (depending on seating), and a good standard of food. €20 (average).
- La Nova Pasta, Cipcela, 1 17211 - Palafrugell, Girona, ☏ +34 972 61-14-11. This Italian restaurant is located in Llafranc, near to the beach, and offers a variety of pizzas, pasta and other Italian dishes for reasonable prices. €9 (average).
Sleep
Camping La Siesta is a holiday site around 500 m from the village of Calella, offering various types of accommodation - camping spaces, bungalows, pine lodges, apartments and mobile homes are all available. The site also features various conveniences such as a supermarket, bakery, gift shop, restaurants, bars, internet cafe, ice cream shop, two swimming pools, videogames arcade and sports courts/pitches. The site-provided accommodation (bungalows, lodges, apartments) feature toilet facilities, and for campers there are toilet and shower blocks on the site.
- 🌍 Kim's Camping (Camping Kim's), Av. del Mar, Km2, ☏ +34 972 30 11 56, info@campingkims.com. Check-out: 12. Kim's Camping is a privileged campsite right in the heart of the genuine Costa Brava, located between Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc, the largest beach in Palafrugell. EUR.
Connect
As of Jan 2024, Calella de Palafrugell and its approach highways have 4G from MasMovil and Orange, and 5G from Movistar and Vodafone.