Spain has many beautiful areas and the Costa Brava is one of them. It is located in the region of Catalonia in northern Spain and borders France. I have been on workation several times in this part of Spain. What I love about this region is that it is very diverse. Within an hour you go from the green mountains to the beautiful coast. With 300 days of sunshine a year, it is an ideal destination for remote work. This Catalan part of Spain has always been popular with the affluent traveler, read: pricey. Yet I haven’t experienced it that way myself. Spanish prices are lower than we are used to here. I think that is always the best way to travel, when it is cheaper than at home. In this blog I list my tips for a workation in the Costa Brava.
Top 3 best places in the Costa Brava
1. Tossa de Mar
I will start right away with a confession: I am secretly a little in love with Tossa de Mar. Perhaps precisely because my expectations beforehand were so different from what I found there. Everyone knows Lloret de Mar and Blanes, the party towns of Spain where you go when you are 18. Not exactly the place for a workation. But once you drive past Lloret de Mar towards the north, you enter another world. And it is beautiful! You’ll find small atmospheric villages, beautiful coastlines and idyllic beaches. The village itself is really worth a visit, with cute little streets, delicious small-scale restaurants and a beautiful castle on a cliff with insane views. Rarely was I so excited about a place as I was about Tossa. Nearby you can take insane walks along the coast, with one viewpoint even more beautiful than the next. The beautiful beaches remind me of Mallorca, relatively small and beautiful clear blue water.
2. Girona
This city is definitely worth a visit. Recently, Girona was the setting for Games of Thrones, so it now attracts many tourists. It has many nice squares where you can sit on the terrace and eat delicious tapas. You can wander around small streets and walk through the city via several bridges. Tip: Do you, like me, enjoy doing a city tour combined with good food? Then do the Girona Food Tour. Dutch owner Marc enthusiastically tells you the fun facts about his city. He takes you to the best restaurants in Girona and in the meantime you see different areas of the city.
3. Sant Feliu de Guíxols
This place is surrounded by hills and is by the sea. It has a nice harbor, cozy center and is not yet overrun by tourism. The reason it is in my top 3 is the Camins de Ronda, also called the Cami de Ronda. This beautiful hike runs along much of the Costa Brava. From Sant Feliu you can walk both ways. You walk right through nature with beautiful views of the ocean. Highly recommended!
Popular activities during your workation
With its beautiful nature and many beaches, there is more than enough to do during your workation in the Costa Brava, whether you feel like some relaxation after your workday or just want action. During a workation I like the variety. One moment I enjoy a relaxing dinner and the next I feel like some adventure. Here my favorite activities I did during my Spanish workation in Catalonia:
- Sea or river kayaking. Exploring the coastline from your kayak is a really cool experience.
- Go cycling. Both mountain biking and cycling are popular in this region. I went for the electric mountain bike and really loved it.
- Dive into the sea. You can go swimming, of course. Snorkeling is also great fun here and the enthusiast can also go diving.
- Visit a vineyard. Do a wine tasting at a beautiful vineyard, with guided tour. I really loved vineyard Mas Oller. Learn about local wines and taste delicious Spanish wines.
- Out on the water. There are more than enough options to go boating or sailing. I did a boat tour with sunset and tapas, highly recommended!
Travel to the Spanish region
Although a night train to Barcelona has been announced for some time, unfortunately it is not here yet. The expectation is now 2024/2025. Still you can travel by train, it will take you a long day from morning to night, but you can get there in a sustainable way. Meanwhile, you will enjoy beautiful scenery and you can also get some work done. This way no working day is lost in travel and you make the most of the workation. There are 2 airports to choose from, Barcelona and Girona. The one in Girona is the closest and very affordable, unfortunately they just don’t fly between November and April. Then tourism there is at a low ebb and there are no direct flights, which will hopefully change in the future. You can, however, fly to Barcelona daily. There are often several flights a day and from different Dutch airports.
Taking your company on workation to Spain
It is becoming increasingly popular to go on a workstation with your entire team or company. The Costa Brava region is the perfect place for this. I already organized several workations for companies here. This glamping accommodation with wooden chalets is the perfect place for a company workation. Especially if the focus is on team building and doing cool activities together. It is right on the beach, has a swimming pool and is surrounded by forest, including wild boar if you are lucky.
If you want a little more comfort, these beautiful apartments, part of Van der Valk International, are the ideal place to go with your team. It was recently completely renovated and with sea views, the location scored high points with my clients. Again, there is more than enough fun to do in the area. In short, the Costa Brava is a very suitable place for your workation, whether you go alone or with your colleagues, if you are looking for relaxation or action. After your workday and on your day off, there is an awful lot to do in the area, from tasty tapas to an adventurous hike and/or sporting activity. Would you like to know more about the possibilities for your company workstation here? Then get in touch.
