36 Hours in the Costa Brava, Spain: Things to Do and See

Start your day with a leisurely beachfront breakfast at Bar Casino, in a 19th century mansion with a facade adorned with portraits of famous explorers including Magellan and Columbus. The building never actually served as a gambling institution: “Casinos” were social clubs that sprung up across Catalonia in the 1800s, created to host all manner of public meetings and performances. Today, it’s a no-frills bar and cafe where €10 will get you a cup of coffee, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a crusty bread roll (entrepà) stuffed with Ibérico ham. Pull up a chair on the terrace to enjoy your breakfast with a view over the shimmering bay and its gently bobbing wooden fishing boats (known as llauts).

In 1930, Salvador Dalí bought a small fisherman’s hut in the small village of Port Lligat, about a 15-minute walk from Cadaqués. He wrote about the Costa Brava’s distinctive beauty and depicted its craggy shorelines in his Surrealist scenes. Over the decades, he bought up various adjoining huts and linked them to create a labyrinthine network of elaborately decorated rooms — complete with taxidermied swans (once Dalí’s pets), a penis-shaped swimming pool and antique curios like ornate bird cages, Japanese paper parasols and an enormous lighthouse lamp. Today, the only way to see inside the property, called Salvador Dalí House Museum, is to book a tour. Guides lead small groups, offering insight into the eccentric furnishings in English, Spanish or Catalan. Tickets start at €15; reserve well in advance.

Time to hit the road. Drive about an hour south along the Bay of Roses, along the inland perimeter of Aigüamolls de l’Empordà Natural Park— an area of protected wetland where you might even spot the odd gaggle of flamingoes — to reach L’Escala, a seaside town famed for producing salt-cured anchovies. Sample these at Ultramar, a waterfront restaurant with panoramic views along the coast, where they’re served with pa amb tomàquet (crisp ciabatta-like bread topped with fresh tomato and olive oil) for €12.50. Between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. is l’hora del vermut (vermouth hour), when locals gather for a pre-lunch glass of this sweet fortified wine — served over ice and garnished with a slice of orange and an olive. Ultramar has more than 20 varieties of vermouth on the menu.

With its wide expanse of golden sand lined with pine-studded promontories, Sa Riera beach, about a 45-minute drive south from L’Escala, is a scenic spot for a refreshing dip. It also makes for a good starting point to pick up the Camí de Ronda hiking trail; a system of footpaths once used by local fishermen that have been linked to form a walking route that stretches almost 90 miles along the Costa Brava. The well-maintained path comprises a series of dirt tracks, paved walkways and stone staircases that snake up and down rocky cliffs. The section between Sa Riera and Sa Tuna beach is particularly easy on the eye — it’s an hourlong walk each way, winding past small pebble beaches and secluded coves that make for peaceful swimming spots.

It’s a short (but steep) drive uphill from Sa Riera to the town of Begur — a maze of narrow lanes, dotted with 19th century mansions known as casas indianas. These were built by residents of Begur who left Spain to make their fortunes in Cuba. Upon their return to Catalonia, they commissioned stately villas in the classic colonial styles popular in Havana — with brightly painted facades, grand balconies and lush interior courtyards. The most notable remnant of the town’s medieval past is the hilltop stone fortress (Castell de Begur), built in the 11th century to protect from marauding pirates. From the center of the town, a signposted path leads up to the ruins (free to visit). At the top are expansive views across the coast, all the way to the Pyrenees in the north.

For traditional Catalan cuisine, head to Begur’s Casa Juanita. The beloved local institution’s unassuming interiors, housed inside a 17th-century stone building, are largely unchanged since the restaurant opened in 1978. In those early days, a single oak-fired oven served just three tables, surrounded by wine barrels. Over time, the wine cellars were cleared out to make room for more diners, and the menu expanded beyond simple seafood dishes to include grilled meats, fresh salads, and escalivada (vegetables slow-roasted in the ashes of the fireplace). Second-generation owner Jordi Barreda changes the menu seasonally and according to the local daily catch — still prepared in the oven Mr. Barreda’s father built by hand back in the 1970s. Expect to pay about €80 for dinner for two (including wine).