Spring and Autumn are beyond doubt the best times to come to the Costa Brava with fiestas in every village and town. Generally warm and sunny but not too hot and very few tourists. It's when the locals kick back and enjoy the first blush of heat from the sun and a perfect time to visit and explore this amazing region. Bike it, hike it, golf it or just relax by the pool and soak up some sunshine....
So, "¿Que pasa?".....
Between 19 April and 19th May 2024, the town of Sant Feliu de Guíxols (15km away) hold their biannual "Ganxotapes" competition with some 30 restaurants competing for the prize for best tapas. Tapas cost €3.00 each including a beer, wine or water !! What's not to like and the evenings are a perfect time to stroll along la Rambla and taste some amazing tapas.suggest
On St Georges day, April 23, Catalunya celebrates their patron saint with The Day of Books and Roses. Known as Diada de Sant Jordi in Catalan, love and literature are celebrated in every town and village throughout Catalunya. Books and roses are exchanged.... A rose for love and a book forever.
Between 13 and 21 of May, the city of Girona becomes a riot of colour as they celebrate the "Temps de Flores". The fiesta starts on Monday and this day is the very best time to visit as all of the displays are fresh. We would suggest that you avoid the weekend; it's a very popular event and it can get quite crowded. During this week, all of the public buildings, museums etc are also open for free.
Held in Tarragona during the month of May, this festival celebrates the history of the Roman period. Lectures, debates, exhibitions, guided tours, audiovisual screenings, routes, workshops, theatre plays, and historical re-creations take place in different parts of a city that preserves a huge legacy from its past as one of the most important towns of the Roman Empire. Tarragona is about an hour south of Barcelona, so we recommend making a day of it and visiting Barcelona on the way back. Take in a show, an Opera or have dinner there.
Aplec del Caragol in Lleida....
An astonishing twelve tonnes of snails are served and tasted by some 200,000 visitors over three days in late May each year in the town of Leida. This is an event that lovers of this ancestral symbol of Lleida's traditional cuisine will not want to miss because the snails are cooked and served in so many ways. This special food festival was first held in 1980, and since then has grown continuously and has achieved international prestige. You've got to really love snails though as Lleida is a whopping 246 kms away. Instead, we recommend visiting one of our favourite restaurants here. Mas Pou is situated in the medieval village of Palau Sator just 30kms away. They do a fantastic Cargols a la llauna served with Alioli (garlic mayonnaise) and a spicy tomato sauce. The snails are cooked over an open fire with salt and pepper and finally flambéed with brandy.
Close to Palau Sator, you can also visit the beautiful medieval villages of Peretallada, Monells and Pals.
Finally, on the last day of Spring and the first day of summer, the summer solstice is celebrated with the fiesta de Sant Joan. The church has tried very hard to eradicate the pagan origins of this fiesta by rebranding it as the birth of St John, but it hasn't been much of a success. All through Catalunya, bonfires are lit and fireworks are set off and much Cava is consumed. Be careful not to wear flammable clothing or use hair spray ! If you want a quieter version, head to a beach with a picnic in the evening where there will be a bonfire lit somewhere. The tradition is to jump over the bonfire three times and then run into the sea. Supposedly it is a ritual to cleanse the body, say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new. It also helps to put out the flames if you get the jumping over the fire bit wrong.
The day after is a national holiday here. Presumably to get over the effect of drinking the Cava and staying up all night. I'm too old for this now and will be in bed shortly after the kids, but we highly recommend that you throw caution to the wind and join in with the celebrations.
Coincidentally, this also tends to be the beginning of the summer proper with all but guaranteed hot weather until the middle of September.
We have space during April, May and June. See our calendar for availability and take advantage of our Spring sale with 20% off list prices.