Reconnect with Tossa de Mar

Population: Tossa de Mar

Tossa de Mar is recognized worldwide as one of the icons of the Costa Brava. But despite that popularity, few know all the treasures it hides.

The postcard of Cape Tossa, with its walls, is one of the most repeated photographs of the Catalan coastline. The pictorial beauty of the landscape, a source of inspiration for artists and the setting for Hollywood movies, has made other attractions go unnoticed, both cultural and historical and those of its natural environment.

Tossa de Mar... and mountains

Tossa is the only municipality on the Costa Brava that has sea and mountains at the same time. The town is protected within a valley that ends with its bay, but behind it we find the protected natural area of the Macizo de Cadiretes or Ardenya, which reaches an altitude of 520m. The municipal area offers numerous hiking trails both by the sea and through interior forests. At the same time it is an ideal destination for mountain biking or mountain biking and also for cycling.

The GR92 - Sendero del Mediterráneo - crosses the municipality offering a diversity of alpine landscape and Mediterranean forest that ends up merging with the coastal path that runs along the coast.

Source of artistic and cultural inspiration

Tossa still preserves the charms of when it became the temporary residence of the most representative figures of the European avant-garde of the 1930s. Intellectuals and artists of the stature of Marc Chagall, Jean Metzinger, Georges Bataille, Francis Picabia or André Masson were seduced by Tossa. Here they found refuge and also inspiration.

Baptized by Chagall as " the blue paradise", Tossa was key in the introduction of the avant-garde in Catalonia. The museum, opened more than 85 years ago, was the first in the state to exhibit works by contemporary foreign artists. Today Tossa and its museum continue to preserve the cultural residue that so many creators have left behind.

A Hollywood movie set

The definitive jump of Tossa de Mar as a global icon of the Costa Brava landscape is undoubtedly from the passing through the town, in 1950, of Ava Gardner, James Mason, Marius Cabré and Frank Sinatra during the filming of the film “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman” directed by Albert Lewin. The walls, the fishermen, the beach and the town of Tossa formed part of the natural setting of the film and served as a set for several scenes already immortalized on celluloid.

In 2021, the 70th anniversary of the premiere of “ Pandora and the Flying Dutchman ” was celebrated and Tossa still has a thousand anecdotes from those moments. At Vila Vella, in a viewpoint with beautiful views of the beach, a bronze sculpture by Ava Gardner looking out over the Mediterranean Sea reminds us of her stay.

Fishing village, history and gastronomy

Vila Vella, with its walls by the sea, the Sa Roqueta neighbourhood, with fortified houses on the bedrock and the rest of the town, with witnesses from the time of the Indians, make up a group of special interest.

Tossa has the distinction of “ Villa Marinera ” awarded by the Catalan Tourist Board. The streets hide corners full of Mediterranean character, with old facades, hanging clothes and flowers in the windows. Walking through it is a pleasure for the senses and an experience full of authenticity. The different guided routes allow you to learn about their stories, legends and traditions, as well as the glorious overseas past.

To highlight your stay in Tossa, you must also know how to enjoy its gastronomy. You can find a good variety of quality restaurants, specializing in seafood cuisine, Catalan cuisine, creative cuisine and traditional Tossen cuisine. The campaign of " La Cocina de la Cumbre y Tumba " stands out, the typical Tossense dish, and an excellent fish cuisine.