Costa Brava Holiday Guide

There are a staggering number of scheduled and charter flights to Girona and Barcelona, the airport gateways to the Costa Brava. If you're on a package, the hotels might even provide transfers to your resort.

Hiring a car is the best way of getting around if you're a lone traveller. Trains and buses run between Barcelona and Girona. From the resorts south of Blanes, trains run every 20 minutes to Barcelona. The journey is about two hours.

La Selva, at the southern end of the Costa Brava's 160 km coastline, is the heart of the region's mass market tourism, with the lively Lloret de Mar resort the main haven for the sun-seeking, party-loving 18 to 30-year-old crowd.

Nearby Tossa de Mar is more low-key and is favoured by families and couples. Equally popular is Blanes, although its quaint appeal is sometimes undermined by unsightly modern property developments. It does, nonetheless, offer water-skiing, a nice sandy beach, a colourful fish auction and a bit more of a Spanish flavour.

For truly languid, unspoilt beaches, though, Baix Emporda, in the middle section of the Costa Brava, is the place to head. Calella, a former fishing village, is a good choice for villa holidays, while Llafranc is smaller and more upmarket. Far-north resorts include laid-back Estartit, a magnet for scuba divers.

Despite the focus on beach activities, there's still plenty for culture vultures on holiday in the Costa Brava. Art-lovers flock to Cadaques where you can find the home-turned-museum of painter Salvador Dali. You have to pre-book tours in advance but the village's idyllic streets and bay are worth the trip.

Meanwhile, Tossa de Mar's medieval roots are evident in the 12th century walls that circle the cobbled streets of the Old Quarter. The Museu de la Vila Vella displays Roman exhibits and paintings by Russo-French artist Chagall.

The port of Sant Feliu de Guixols offers a comprehensive sample of local turn of the century architecture, while La Bisbal, near Girona, boasts a long-standing pottery tradition that makes this charming medieval market town well worth a visit.

City breakers will not be disappointed with Barcelona. Its superb museums, shops, architecture and nightlife have made it a popular weekend break destination. Girona is less well-known but has a quaint medieval centre laced with narrow alleyways, stone houses, a cathedral and monastery.

The busier resorts all serve up standard British fare; however, the local cuisine, dominated by fresh seafood and rice, is a must, with Cadaques and Sant Feliu de Guixois particularly abundant in quality fish restaurants.

Each locality boasts its own specialities, with Pilota, a combination of beef, bread, eggs and white beans, and Zarzuela, a seafood dish with cuttlefish, mussels and prawns, typical of what to expect.

Lloret de Mar is the undisputed nightlife capital of the Costa Brava. If karaoke, all-night discos, Brit bars and German beer kellers are your thing, you won't be disappointed.

The Hollywood Dance Club, Bumper's Disco and Tropics are some of the best known nightspots. There's also a casino for gamblers and some of the larger hotels organise flamenco and dinner shows.

Europe's biggest water park Water World is on the outskirts of Lloret de Mar. If you're staying in Blanes there's Marineland with dolphin, sea lion and parrot shows, plus water slides, a zoo and a boating lake. Free transport to both parks is available from the resort.

Kids will also enjoy the glass-bottomed boat trips from L'Estartit to the Iles Medes enabling them to see colourful fish and coral. On the island, coaches transfer passengers to the hilltop town of Pals for its panoramic views.

Along the coast or in the foothills of the Pyrenees, walkers are spoilt for choice in the number and type of routes to try. Local holiday tourist offices can also supply details on signposted trails, which are colour-coded according to length.

Universal Studios Port Aventura theme park is 150 kilometres south of Lloret near Tarragona. This Disney-style adventure park is a good sojourn if you're staying in one of the resorts.