Tossa de Mar - Spain's Romantic Seaside Destination

Tossa De Mar is one of those places that instantly makes you relax, take a deep breath and realize that the best things in life are savored, slowly. And hopefully with a special someone to enjoy the day, walking hand in hand taking in the sights, smelling the sea and tasting regional cuisine.

If you do, you will arrive to sights like this:

Tossa De Mar Castle

View of the ferry landing at the beach in Tossa De Mar

Where is Tossa de Mar?

Tossa de Mar is a small coastal community of the Costa Brava Region of Spain. It’s an easy drive or bus ride from Barcelona (about an hour and a half), but you can also take a ferry ride from its larger neighboring town, Lloret De Mar.

Exploring Beautiful Tossa de Mar

The water in Costa Brava is remarkably blue and crystal clear. There are wooded paths along the shore and woods for hiking, a white sandy beach and a medieval castle to explore. As we explored the town, we were immediately drawn to the walled city. After crossing through the arched entry it’s one of those places where everywhere you look is like a postcard.

Tossa De Mar’s cobbled narrow streets

There are little doors to wander through leading to views of secluded stretches of beach that beckon you to linger.

Iron gate used as a short cut by fisherman in Tossa de Mar

Tossa beach seen through the ancient city walls

Add a guitar and the ingredients for an irresistible romantic day by the sea are there

Tossa de Mar Fisherman’s Stew – Cim I Tomba

There are quite a few restaurants in town where you can eat a lunch of fresh seafood with a view of the water and enjoy a glass of sparkling cava. We enjoyed a sampling of a many of the regional delicacies at the Victoria Restaurant and fell in love with this dish – Cim I Tomba.

Traditional Tossa De Mar Fisherman’s Stew – Cim i Tomba

Cim i Tomba is a traditional fish stew made by the fisherman who needed a way to cook up the parts of leftover fish that they caught during their multi-day voyages.

It’s a simple stew made more flavorful with the use of Spanish saffron and fresh garlic aioli, stirred in at the end of the cooking process. The resulting dish of fresh fish with local seasoning mixed with centuries of practice is fantastic.

Romance in Tossa de Mar

The romance of Tossa de Mar was also not wasted on film legend Ava Gardner, who filmed a movie here in 1951. She reportedly had an affair with one of her co-stars while filming here (while still married to Frank Sinatra). You can join the bronze statue of her gazing out at a stunning view overlooking the town on a stroll toward the ancient tour after lunch.

Bronze Statue of Ava Gardner in Tossa De Mar

Our day in Tossa De Mar went by more quickly than we wanted. A few hours wasn’t really enough to take in everything there was to see. But it did leave us looking forward to coming back and enjoying another day where we could appreciate the place, and each other, a little more.