El Port de la Selva
El Port de la Selva is a town of around 1,000 people (2023) in Costa Brava, on the northern coast of the Cap de Creus. It is a stage in the Catalan Way of St. James, and an important fishing port and tourist centre. The romanesque abbey of Sant Pere de Rodes is particularly notable.
Understand
El Port de la Selva is a municipality in the Alt Empordà county. The municipal area includes the population of Vall de Santa Creu. The town of El Port de la Selva is north of the Cape de Creus peninsula, in the northern sector of the Costa Brava.
- 🌍 Tourist Office, 3, Llançà Street, ☏ +34 972 387 122, turisme@elportdelaselva.cat.
Get in
By plane
The nearest airports are Girona-Costa Brava (GRO IATA, in Spain) and Perpignan–Rivesaltes (PGF IATA, In France)
By railway
Figueres has high-speed trains station, connected to Madrid, Barcelona, and French high-speed trains.
Llançà has a local train station. From Llança to El Port de la Selva you need a taxi or a bus.
By bus
By car
- From France: The A-9 ( E-15 ) from Montpellier and Perpignan to the Spanish border. Then the AP-7 ( E-15 )until Figueres.
- From Barcelona and Girona: The AP-7 ( E-15 ),until Figueres.
- From Figueres take N-260 to Llança and then the GI-612 To Port de la Selva.
By boat
- 🌍 Port de la Selva Marina (Port del Port de la Selva), La Lloia, s/n, ☏ +34 972 38 70 00, nautic@cnps.cat. It has 308 moorings, VHF channels 9/16, bar restaurant, social building, sailing school, swimming school, offers sports and health activities, scuba diving and summer sports camp.
See
Within the urban nucleus, you can visit the Church of Santa Maria de les Neus. It houses a Gothic image of the Virgin Mary that comes from the monastery of Sant Pere de Roda.
In the Vall de Santa Creu, the Church of Sant Fruitós stands out, along with the streets leading to the fountain or the path that ascends to the monastery of Sant Pere de Roda, majestically overlooking the surroundings from the mountaintop.
The megalithic heritage is reflected in fifteen elements, among which the dolmens of Les Mores Altes are notable, next to the road that ascends from Port de la Selva to the monastery of Sant Pere de Roda, and the paradolmen of La Pallera, right next to the junction of the mentioned road with the road from Vilajuïga to Sant Pere de Roda.
The cultural heritage of the municipality boasts the precious ensemble of Sant Pere de Rodes, declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia in 1997. This ensemble includes the monastery of Sant Pere de Roda, the castle of Verdera (or Sant Salvador de Verdera), and the ancient village of Santa Creu de Roda, centred around the Church of Santa Helena de Roda.
In addition to this exceptional ensemble, there are other medieval monuments, such as the Church of Sant Baldiri de Tavellera, in the massif of Cap de Creus, along the long-distance hiking trail GR11, about 5 km from the centre of Port.
- 🌍 Sant Pere de Rodes monastery, ☏ +34 972 387 559, reservesspv.acdpc@gencat.cat. Tu-Su 10:00-17:30, open until 20:00 in summer. Main sights: Cenobi of which we already have news in 878, when it was a humble monastic cell. During the first half of the 10th century, it was already an independent abbey. In the 11th and 12th centuries the monastery adopted its main configuration, although it was the subject of successive reforms throughout its long history, which ended in 1835 when it is definitively abandoned, due to looting and confiscation. The most important element of the monument is the church, a key work and unique of its kind within the Catalan Romanesque. The central nave of the basilica is of exceptional decorative richness and grandeur. The capitals, of the caliphal type, are of the Corinthian tradition or with interlacing and are considered among the best sculptural pieces of the 11th century. Also noteworthy are the defensive tower (10th century, reformed 14th century) and the bell tower (end of the 11th century) as well as the 2 superimposed cloisters and the remains of pictorial wall decoration
- 🌍 Sant Salvador de Verdera castle ruins (a path starting in Sant Pere de Rodes monastery). Perched atop a rugged cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, Castell de Verdera commands attention with its formidable presence. Dating back to the 11th century, this imposing fortress boasts a rich history intertwined with tales of knights, kings, and conquests. With its strategic location near the French border, it served as a crucial defensive stronghold during medieval times. Today, visitors can wander through its ancient walls, exploring towers, courtyards, and sweeping vistas of the surrounding coastline.
- 🌍 Old bridge (El Pont Vell) (south of the urban centre on the lower course of the Rubiés stream). Bridge dated around the 15th century and with 17th-century reforms.
- 🌍 Sant Baldiri de Tavellera church (about 3 km away to the south-east of the urban center and just over 1 km from Cala de Tavellera). The church of Sant Baldiri is a work built in the 18th century, on the remains of an old high-medieval church, which is in a dilapidated state. The activity of this hermitage is understood as that of a religious centre and economic of the numerous farmhouses scattered across the Cap de Creus mountains. Archaeological excavations confirm that it was continuously inhabited from the end of the 6th century until the end of the 19th century.
- 🌍 Church of Saint Fructuosus of Santa Creu Valley (Sant Fruitós de la Vall). Sant Fructuós was a monastic cell that already existed in the 9th century. Mass is only said there in the summer months.
- 🌍 Santa Helena de Rodes church ruins (Església de Santa Helena de Rodes). The church of Santa Helena, initially known as Santa Creu, is documented since 974. In 1527, Santa Helena was added to the parish of Sant Esteve de Mata, now Sant Sebastià, in Selva de Mar. In 1725 the temple was in poor condition. In 1820 the last meeting was held there.
- 🌍 Santa Maria de les Neus (Located in the middle of the urban core.). In 1742, during a visit from Bishop Bastero, he was asked for permission to build a new church. In 1944, the Bishop of Girona inaugurated the post-war reconstruction, and in 1962, the expansion and modernization was reopened.
- 🌍 La Vall de la Santa Creu. A small village made up of around thirty houses and farmhouses arranged in short, narrow and steep streets, mostly cobbled and cut into the natural rock, it is believed to have been formed when the town of Santa Creu de Rodes was abandoned. Within the nucleus, the church of Sant Fruitós stands out, dating from the 17th century, although with mentions already in the 9th century, and the set of houses from the 17th-19th centuries, a paradigm of popular architecture.
- 🌍 s'Arenella lighthouse (Far de s'Arenella). It was projected in the 1904 coastal and harbour lighting reform plan. It was built by an 1891 initiative led by the Sociedad de Salvamento de Náufragos de Girona. It was inaugurated on the night of December 16, 1913. The characteristic light of this lighthouse is a white light signal with a flash of 1 second every 5 seconds (L 1 oc 4). The focal plane is 22 metres above sea level and its nominal night range is 13 nautical miles.
Do
Port de la Selva offers the possibility of practicing a good number of sports activities in summer and in winter.
On the one hand, the many alternatives offered by the sea:
- The bay of Port de la Selva has the right conditions for water skiing, swimming or rowing, with a usually calm sea in summer. You can learn to practice sailing, swimming, kayaking, etc.
- It is also an ideal place for windsurfing, especially when the north wind blows, which offers the advantage that always leads towards the coast.
- You can also enjoy boat trips, which allow you to discover the places that Cap de Creus hides, either by renting a boat or by using the cruises that take us to the different coves.
- In addition to the itineraries around the town, Port de la Selva offers ideal terrain for mountain biking (more than 30 km of signposted forest tracks) and road cycling.
- Another possibility is paragliding, which is practiced from the area of Sant Salvador Saverdera, where there are several departure areas around the castle. The Ribera del Port de la Selva beach is used as the landing area.
Beach
- 🌍 Platja d'en Robert (accessed from the Camí de Ronda by going down some wooden stairs.). Located in an urbanised area. Oriented to the north, it is made up of gray sand and gravel. It has a length of 48 m and an average width of 24 m. In front of the beach is the island of Robert's Planasses.
- 🌍 Platja de Vaquers (accessed from the Camí de ronda.). Located in an urbanised area about 4 km away from the town. Oriented to the northeast, it is made up of grey-coloured gravel. It has a length of 43 m and a width of 11 m. It does not have any service.
- 🌍 Platja d'en Balleu. Located in an urbanised area, next to the tip of s'Arenella, where the s'Arenella Lighthouse is. It has a length of 32 m and an average width of 14 m, made up of gravel and pebbles.
- 🌍 Platja de la Vall. Oriented to the northeast, it has a length of 197 m and an average width of 29 m, made up of sand and gravel. On the northernmost stretch of the beach there is an area for dogs. It does not have any services or infrastructure, but behind the beach there is a campsite with a bar and a restaurant.
- 🌍 Platja d'en Pere Esteve (accessed from the Camí de ronda.). Located in a residential environment, in the bay of Port de la Selva. It is 26 m long and 10 m wide, made up of sand and gravel.
- 🌍 Platja d'en Taita (the GI-612 road and the Camí de Ronda pass behind it). It has a length of 52 m and a width of 8 m, made up of gravel and pebbles. Surrounded by a leafy pine forest.
- 🌍 Platja de l'Erola (behind the beach passes the Camí de Ronda, which leads to Taita beach, and continues to Llançà). It is a semi-urban beach in the municipality of Port de la Selva (Alt Empordà), located to the west of the Ribera beach, from which it is separated by the Ribera de la Selva and Hostal Càmping l'Arola. It is 70 m long and 7 m wide, made up of sand, gravel and pebbles.
- 🌍 Platja de la Ribera. It is an urban beach in the bay of Port de la Selva, which constitutes a natural refuge. It stretches along the town, flanked by a tree-lined promenade, from Port del Port de la Selva in the east, to the Selva stream. It has a length of 522 m and an average width of 30 m, medium-grained sand and a gentle entrance slope. It has showers, surveillance, cleaning service, kiosk, kayak rental and, on the promenade, numerous bars and restaurants. There is a car park at the foot of the beach and some ramps, so it is easily accessible for people with reduced mobility. It has an area for dogs.
- 🌍 Platja del Pas. It is an urban beach. Oriented to the west, it has a length of 57 m and an average width of 19 m, formed by pebbles. The slope at the entrance to the sea is not very steep and the bottom is very rocky. It has a lifeguard service and bar service, showers and is accessible to people with reduced mobility, thanks to the access walkway. In addition, it is very good for anchoring and practising water sports. It has obtained the badge of Environmental Quality.
- 🌍 Platja de les Violetes (accessed by wide flagstone stairs from Carrer Punta de la Creu). It is a beach in an urbanised environment. Oriented to the west, it is 11.6 m long and 11.6 m wide, made of pebbles.
- 🌍 Cala Tamariua (it can be accessed by car; the Camí de Ronda leaves from the east side of the beach). It is framed between Cap Mitjà and the island of Sant Andreu, on the eastern margin, and the tip of Bot Nou, on the western margin, within the Cap de Creus Natural Park. It faces north and is very protected by the two rocky walls that flank it. It has a length of 79 m and an average width of 22 m, formed by coarse-grained sand. Nudism is practiced there.
Eat
- 🌍 Ca l'Elvira, La Selva de Mar.
- 🌍 La Tina.
- 🌍 La Timba Pizzeria, Moll de la Timba 2, ☏ +34 682 54 73 65.
- 🌍 Restaurant Sant Pere de Rodes (in the Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery), ☏ +34 610 310 073, info@restaurantsantperederodes.cat. Alt phone: ☏ +34 972 19 42 33. Privileged views, guaranteed value for money, guided tours with food pairings, classical music concerts, local gastronomic products. from €24.
Sleep
- 🌍 Hostal German, Carrer Josep Maria de Segarra 11.
- 🌍 Porto Cristo, Carrer Major 59, ☏ +34 972 387 062.
- 🌍 Hotel Cap de Creus, Carrer de l'Illa 10.
- 🌍 Càmping Port de la Vall, GI-612 Crta. Llancà-El Port de la Selva, km6, ☏ +34 972 387 186.
- 🌍 Càmping L'Arola, ☏ +34 972 387 005, amich62@hotmail.com. alt phone: ☏ +34 972 208 027.
- 🌍 Càmping Port de la Selva, Ctra. Port de la Selva a Cadaqués 2, ☏ +34 972 387 287, info@campingportdelaselva.com. Alt phone: ☏ +34 616 194 486.
- Hostal La Tina, C/ Major, 15, ☏ +34 972387149, latina@gna.es.
Go next
| Routes through El Port de la Selva |
| Llançà ← | W E | → End |
| Figueres ← Sant Pere de Rodes ← | w E | → End |
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