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Tossa de Mar – Spain’s Romantic Seaside Destination

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

Tossa De Mar Castle

Tossa De Mar Ferry

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.

Cobbled Narrow Tossa De Mar Streets

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 in Tossa de Mar

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

Tossa de Mar Beach Costa Brava Spain

Tossa beach seen through the ancient city walls

Tossa De Mar Beach

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.

Cimi 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

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.

Quiet side street in Tossa de Mar Spain

Quiet side street in Tossa de Mar Spain

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Abigail Slater

Monday 29th of May 2017

The photos in this post are absolutely stunning! I've never had Spain on my travel list before but I think I may have to add it.

Erica

Friday 6th of May 2016

Wow - this looks like a really magical spot.. I'll be adding it to my bucket list! Thank you!

Vanda

Tuesday 23rd of February 2016

Love the place and the post expresses the essence of Tossa. Congrats!

Ben

Monday 29th of June 2015

Tossa de Mar sure looks beautiful. I have only been to Tenerife so far in Spain but I can't wait to explore more of this awesome country.

chrysoula

Monday 29th of June 2015

It looks like a really romantic little town. I love the small alleys and the sandy beach. I will love to go when I visit Barcelona.