Blanes: attractions of the south coast of the Costa Brava

This is the southernmost resort of the Costa Brava undeservedly forgotten by tourists. Most of them immediately rush to Lloret de Mar - to where the casino, bus station, the darkness of entertainment and picturesque rocks. And after all, Blanes also has landmarks, and even what! Maybe it's not so conspicuous, but it's worth to get acquainted with them. Blanes is the only point on the Costa Brava, where the train stops. The rest of the resort villages are accessible only by road. So getting here is easiest. From the railway station to the city center there is a bus, and, as a rule, its schedule is "arranged" for the arrival of the train. So, let's go and examine Blanes.

Sights begin immediately from the sea. Along the coast stretches a huge boulevard Del Paseo Maritimo. It is beautiful in itself, as well as any embankment of Catalonia. But here it is immediately evident that the city is divided into two conventional parts - the old one, with narrow shady streets, and the resort - with a chain of hotels by the sea, with parks and gardens. It stretched to the very river, which serves as the border of the Costa Brava. In fact, at the intersection of these two urban areas, directly into the sea, there is a rock, which in former times served as a customs tower. There you can climb, take a walk, take a picture. The rock is surrounded by pebble beaches with clear water of deep blue. Blanes is visible from her. The historical sights of this town do not end at all on this rock.

Right above the resort you will see a rather high, almost two hundred meter high San Juan hill, on which there is something like the ruins of a castle. If you are on a car - nothing is easier. But if you go on foot, you have to sweat - a lot of steps, and they all are cool. But nothing, the reward to you will be a stunning view of the mountains, the sea and the Blanes, whose sights you are visiting, but also to the entire Costa Brava coast. Even Barcelona can be seen if you're lucky. Once upon a time there was a Roman fort, and then a fortified settlement with a castle built in the twelfth century by the freedom-loving Viscount de Cabrera - the local lord. Now from the castle there was a tower and the remains of the walls, and a small chapel (hence the name of the mountain) was attached to them.

The changes led to the fact that Blanes was not independent . Spain, whose attractions, as a rule, reflect the Castilian desire for luxury, left its imprint on the severe Catalan customs. Because here there were palaces and gardens. Lovers of all kinds of parks will have a walk in the city. Directly on the spurs of San Juan is the beautiful botanical garden of Marimutra, founded by Carl Schmidt. A little further from the city, towards Lloret de Mar, you can visit the real museum of cacti, the park Pinha de Rosa.

After taking a walk in the gardens, return again to the embankment. On Sundays, Catalan dances are organized here - the locals like to dance. And strolling along it from one end to the other, you will inspect all the beaches and choose the one that you like. From wide sixty meters in width and four kilometers in length - to small coves, rugged rocks and built-up white villas. But they are all perfect for recreation, and each year they are awarded "blue flags" for quality and cleanliness. By the way, if you decide to stop here, you can use Blanes map with sights. So ask her at your hotel. It's completely free.