Where is Tamariu?

Tamariu Costa Brava

Tamariu is a small coastal town on the Costa Brava. One of three coastal towns within the municipality of the larger town Palafrugell which is located a few kilometres inland. The other two towns are Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell.

Where is Tamariu?
Tamariu on the Costa Brava

Things to do in Tamariu

Tamariu is pretty small and in 20 minutes you will have walked all the streets and seen everything in the town. However this does not mean that it is boring, not by any stretch of the imagination. Of course the main feature is the beach itself. Along this stretch of the Costa Brava beaches are mainly small coves and bays. At around 200m in length it is one of the biggest sandy beaches in this region.

The promenade of Tamariu has a good selection of restaurants, great for family meals on balmy summer evenings. There’s also a small supermarket, good for picking up essentials however we recommend our clients to do their main grocery shopping in Palafrugell.

The Cami de Ronda

The Cami de Ronda is the name for the coastal path which runs the whole length of the Costa Brava. The Tamariu section of the coastal path is a little hilly so probably not ideal for little children. To the north the beach of Aiguablava is a 45 minute walk and to the south the little hidden bay of Cala Pedrosa is again around 45 minutes. The small bay of Aigua Gelida (sometimes spelt Aiga Xelida) close to Tamariu is another beautiful beach worth a visit. Read about the Costa Brava coastal path in more detail on our blog.

Aigua Gelida beach
The cove of Aigua Gelida

The area around Tamariu

With the exception of the bays and coves, the general geography of the area is rugged pine covered cliffs. The contrast between the deep blues of the ocean and the verdant greens of the pines is breathtaking. However this also means that a lot of the Tamariu holiday villas and vacation rentals in the area are built into the coastal cliffs. For families with young children some of the villas in the area may not be ideal due to the nature of the terrain.

Costa Brava holiday villas

At Charming Villas Catalonia we have an extensive portfolio of high standard vacation homes in and around Tamariu. Please browse our selection of luxury Costa Brava villas and farmhouses. We have visited all of the properties on our website on multiple occasions. Our aim is to offer un-biased opinions on each property and help our clients choose the best property for their needs.

Locally based we offer a free Costa Brava concierge service to all our clients and can help arrange extra services and activities. We can give suggestions of day-trips and put together bespoke days out including some of our off the beaten track favorites.

For more information about Tamariu and the surrounding area please visit the Visit Palafrugell website.

The Costa Brava coastal path

Cami de Ronda, the Costa Brava coastal path

From Port Bou at the north, all the way down to Blanes, the Costa Brava coastline is connected by a series of coastal paths. This network of paths, “Cami de Ronda” in Catalan, covers over 200 km of coastline linking all the major towns and villages along the way. It can take a total of nine or ten days walking at an average of 20/22 kms/day.

Cala Guillola
Cala Guillola, Cap de Creus, Cadaques

In October 2013 I spent four days walking between Port Bou and Sant Marti d’Empuries. In October 2014 i picked up again from Sant Marti and spent another four days walking to Sant Feliu de Guixolls. Traveling light with just a medium sized rucksack i booked hotels in advance. Usually arriving at my destination by mid afternoon after setting off in the mornings after breakfast at around 09.00am.

We live in the Girona province and i had already visited most of the main towns and villages along the Costa Brava. However i was really keen to explore some of the less well known areas and discover little hidden bays and coves. I chose October as this is a relatively quiet time for us at Charming Villas. The weather is generally warm and sunny but not the intense heat of the summer. Great tee shirt weather for us Northern Europeans!

I drove to the small station at Camallera, left my car and boarded the train to the frontier town, Portbou.

Walking the Cami de Ronda

costa brava cami de ronda Day 1. Port Bou – El Port de la Selva.

This stretch of the Northern section of the Costa Brava cami de ronda was relatively new to me. I had visited Llanca and Port de la Selva on various occasions but the rest of the coastline was a mystery. The train station at Portbou was huge and pretty quiet. This frontier town used to be an important hub between Catalonia and France. Now its glory days of commerce and movement are a distant memory. I didn’t hang around in the town long and quickly caught up with the red and white stripped markings showing me the way to follow.

Port Bou beach
The beach at the town of Port Bou, Costa Brava

Leaving the beach at Portbou behind me i followed the route which took me up and over a headland. I didn’t hit water again until reaching Colera. Similar to Portbou, Colera was a small coastal town which looked totally shut down on a week day in mid October. On I walked through fields and pine forests catching glimpses of blue to my left until I come to Port de Joan, a little bay just before Platja Garbet.

Port de Joan, Garbet
Port de Joan, Garbet

I got a bit stuck here as the red and white markings I had been following suddenly disappeared. I back tracked but could not find the way. Eventually i realized that the route took me around the base of the cliffs to the long sandy “Platja Garbet” beach. From here i passed through the town of Llanca and followed the well marked path to Port de la Selva.

costa brava cami de ronda Day 2, Port de la Selva – Cadaques.

I was really looking forward to this stretch through the Cap de Creus headland. Wild and wind beaten, this is where Dali spent a lot of his time gaining inspiration from the terrain. From the moment i left Port de la Selva behind me i didn’t see another soul until i reached Cadaques a few hours later. I took a little detour down to Cala Tavallera which is about a third of the way into the day’s walk.

Cala Tavallera
Cala Tavallera

The rest of the day was somewhat foggy and i couldn’t see very much but nevertheless i enjoyed the walk into Cadaques.

Costa brava cami de ronda Day 3, Cadaques – Roses

Another enjoyable day walking the Cap de Creus in relative solitude. Before arriving in Roses one passes a series of beautiful little bays, the first being Cala Joncols.

Cala Joncols
Cala Joncols, Cap de Creus

After crossing the headland of Cap de Norfeu I encountered a few more bays of which Cala Montjoi is the biggest and most well known. This is where the world famous chef Ferran Adria and his ground breaking restaurant, El Bulli. The walk into Roses was quite pleasant passing some nice little beaches on the outskirts of the town.

Costa Brava cami de ronda Day 4, Roses – Sant Marti d’Empuries.

The walk out of Roses was probably my least favorite stretch of the whole walk. There was some nice bits but i didn’t really start to enjoy it until i reached the natural reserve of the Aiguamolls De L’Emporda. The Aiguamolls is a famed wildlife reserve with many rare wild birds and wildlife. The route then takes you along the Fluvia river, crossing at Sant Pere Pescador and through farmland until reaching the charming coastal village of Sant Marti d’Empuries.

Sant Marti d'Empuries
The beach at Sant Marti d’Empuries

From Sant Marti i took a taxi back to the train station at Camallera and picked up my car and headed home to Besalu.

Continuing from where i had left off

Costa Brava cami de Ronda Day 5, Sant Marti – L’Estartit.

In October 2014 I was ready to go back and continue from where i left off the previous year. This time i drove directly to Sant Marti and left the car parked up.

Cala Portixol
Cala Portixol, Sant Marti d’Empuries

Once you arrive at Cala Montgo you leave the the hustle and bustle of L’Escala behind you until L’Estartit.

Cala Montgo, L'Escala
Cala Montgo, L’Escala

The terrain is pretty stony underfoot most of the day. There’s two little bays to stop off at before arriving at L’Estartit, Cala Ferriol and Cala Pedrosa.

Cala Ferriol
Cala Ferriol, L’Estartit

Day 6, L’Estartit – Begur

Day six starts off with a pleasant barefoot stroll along the sandy beach until reaching the river Ter which flows into the sea. The book i was reading stated that you could wade through this but upon reaching the river found that this was impossible. So the only option was to walk along the side of the river to the first crossing point at Torroella de Montgri then head back towards the beach and along to Begur. There is another option which takes you through the Emporda countryside and villages of Palau Sator and Pals before reaching Begur but i preferred to take the coastal route.

Sa Riera beach, Begur
Sa Riera beach, Begur

Day 7, Begur – Palamos


This is quite a long stretch of the Costa Brava cami de ronda but worth it for the breathtaking scenery along the way. First up is the view down to Platja Fonda and Aiguablava.

Platja Fonda, Aiguablava
The view of Platja Fonda and Aiguablava
The beach of AiguaBlava, Begur
Aigua Blava, Begur

From Aiguablava the route takes you inland and brings you out at the lovely little bay of Tamariu.

Tamariu, Costa Brava
The beach at Tamariu

After Tamariu the path takes you past the small cove of Cala Pedrosa, up to the lighthouse of El Far de Sant Sebastia then down again to Llafranc. For lunch you could either stop here in Llafranc or the next little coastal bay of Calella de Palafrugell.

The route now takes you through the Cap Roig headland where you will find the off the beaten track Cala Estreta.

Cala Estreta
Cala Estreta

As you approach Palamos the first beach you will come across is the great Platja Castell.

Platja Castell, Palamos
Platja Castell, Palamos

The coastal path takes you past a few more small bays before arriving on the main seafront of Palamos.

Day 8, Palamos – Sant Feliu de Guixols.

A pleasant, quite flat day of walking passing many lovely little bays.

Cala del Forn, Costa Brava
Cala del Forn, Costa Brava
Cap Roig, Costa Brava
Cap Roig, Costa Brava
Platja Sa Conca, Costa Brava
Platja Sa Conca, Costa Brava

I mean to get back and finish the last stretch down to Blanes so watch this space.

Further reading about the Costa Brava Cami de Ronda can be found at Costa Brava Patronat web page.