Guide to Palamós

AD Find accommodation in Palamós
HOTELS | HOLIDAY RENTALS | CAMPSITES

The picturesque town of Palamós is an ideal holiday destination for those looking for a mix of beach holiday and culture. The town is known for its fishing industry and its beaches, making it a great spot for those who love seafood and water-sports. Palamós prawns are renowned throughout Catalonia.

The seafront at Palamós. Photo by Bocachete.

The town was founded at the end of the thirteenth century when Pere el Gran decided to found a new port town after the Royal Port at Torroella de Montgrí silted up. Like many Costa Brava towns, Palamós came under attack by pirates during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including by the renowned Turkish corsair Barbarossa – AKA Red Beard.

While there are a number of hotels in the town and its surroundings, the majority of accommodation available to holidaymakers is rental apartments and villas. Palamós is renowned for its seafood, particularly the prawns – you’ll find a wide range of restaurants and cafes that serve up dishes prepared with locally caught seafood. Visitors can also find a variety of international cuisine options.

The town also offers plenty of activities for visitors to enjoy. There are many water-sports available, including kayaking, sailing, wind surfing and and scuba diving. Visitors can also take boat tours to explore the surrounding coast, or hike in the nearby hills. For those who are interested in history and culture, the town is home to several historical sites such as the 14th century church of Santa Maria del Mar, the lighthouse and the ruins of Sant Esteve castle.

Palamós is renowned throughout Spain for its prawns and remains one of the few towns on the Costa Brava to still generate income though fishing; the other main industry was cork. As with everywhere else in the Costa Brava, since the 1960s tourism has become the dominant industry and while that has been focused on the local beaches surrounding Palamós more recently it has become a major stop off for cruise ships going into and leaving Barcelona.

Port de Palamós

​The port at Palamós. Photo by Kippelboy.

The town also hosts many cultural events throughout the year, such as the traditional Sardana dance in the summer months, the annual prawn festival in June, a habanera concert in August and numerous other street celebrations. Visitors can also take a trip to the nearby medieval village of Peratallada, Girona, or the famous Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres, which is less than an hour away by car.

Overall, Palamós is a charming and vibrant town with something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing beach holiday or an action-packed adventure, you’re likely to be able to find it in Palamós.

You can zoom in or click on the icons for more info

Beaches

The town’s main beach, Platja Gran, is 575 metres of medium golden sand and has full tourist facilities including a red cross point and showers as well as anchorage, but has a fairly steep shelf. Platja Gran is also home to several beach bars and restaurants, as well as water sports rental facilities. It’s extremely popular though and busy during the summer months. Platja des Monestri lies beyond Platja Gran, closer to Sant Antoni de Calonge, and has a more gradual shelf with similar sand.

Also nearby is Platja de la Fosca, which friends with two year old found perfect for the shallowness of the beach and the facilities available, although parking in the height of summer can be a little tricky to say the least. This 500 metre sand beach is located about a mile northeast of Palamós, and it’s less crowded than other beaches, making it ideal for those who want to relax and enjoy the natural surroundings. It has basic facilities and it’s perfect for swimming, sunbathing and relaxing and the gentle shelf makes it an excellent option for small children.

Platja de la Fosca

Platja de la Fosca.

Located around 3 km from Palamós, Platja de Castell is the only sandy beach on this part of the coast to have escaped development almost entirely. This beach is smaller than Platja Gran but offers a more secluded and quieter experience. It has a mix of sand and small pebbles and has basic facilities such as toilets and showers. Platja de Castell is good for swimming and absolutely perfect for snorkelling. Nearby is the picturesque Cala s’Alguer, with its row of fisherman’s huts.

Cala s’Alguer. Photo by David Leigh.

Overall, Palamós offers a variety of beaches for visitors to choose from, each with their own unique characteristics and amenities.

Where to stay

Palamós has a variety of accommodation options available to suit different needs and budgets. The majority of accommodation is apartments and villas, which offer more space and privacy compared to hotels. Many villas have private gardens with pools. And there are several campsites in the area, offering a range of camping and caravanning options.

AD Find accommodation in Palamós

Casa Vincke Hotel (Carrer López i Puigcerver, 38) has one nine rooms in a converted old house just a couple of streets away from the beach. There is a pool in the gardens but no restaurant, but there is plenty of choice nearby. If you’re on a tighter budget then Hotel Marina (Avinguda Onze De Setembre, 48) is also near the beach with comfortable rooms and a restaurant serving dishes prepared from local ingredients. Out of town is the 5-star Hotel la Malcontenta (Platja de Castell, 12). The traditional stone house has fourteen rooms with a restaurant serving exquisite cuisine from  local ingredients. Read more about Palamós hotels here.

There are some camping options available in Palamós, such as the tree shaded Càmping Palamós (Carretera la Fosca, 12) in the vicinity of the port. A little more out the way is Camping Benelux (Paratge de Castell) but it is close to Platja Castell and you’ll find just about everything you can wish for within the campsite’s grounds.

Overall, Palamós offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and preferences. Whether you’re looking for a hotel, apartment, or villa rental, or a camping spot, you’re sure to find something to suit your needs in Palamós. And regardless of the type of accommodation you choose, you will be able to enjoy the town’s beautiful beaches, delicious cuisine and vibrant nightlife.

Eating in and eating out

If you’re eating out in Palamós you have to try some of the local seafood on offer and, the particular speciality of the town for which it is famous, the prawns. They are highly prized for their flavour and texture, and they are considered to be some of the best prawns in the world.

Renowned for their sweet and delicate flavour, grilled Palamós prawns can be served as a main course served with garlic and olive oil. They are also used in a variety of other typical dishes, such as paella, soups, and stews.

The key to eating well is finding out where the locals go, so use your eyes and ears as well as your sense of smell when choosing a restaurant. When there is fresh food on offer for such low prices it’s hard to go wrong. L’Espardenya (Avenida 11 de Setembre, 97) serves a variety of seafood dishes, while  La Selvatana (Carrer de l’Allada, 5) is well regarded for seafood and paella in a typical old style restaurant.

For a more casual dining experience Bar la Plaça (Carrer Major, 58) is a good option for a coffee, a beer or a delicious seafood lunch. La Terrassa dels Pescadors (Avinguda Onze de Setembre) is located in the port of Palamós and offers a variety of seafood dishes. It has a great atmosphere and is a great place to enjoy a meal with a view of the sea. Nearby towns like Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc also offer with many great dining options if you’re interested in exploring further afield.

For self catering, Palamós has a variety of food shops where you can buy ingredients for your meals. There are numerous supermarkets in the town, including a number of major chains such as Mercadona, Esclat, Bonpreu and Lidl. There is also a covered market that sells fresh produce open every morning except Sunday and a fish market in the port. That opens for three hours at 4:30pm each weekday.

The town also has several bakeries, butcher shops, and speciality food stores where you can buy local products like olive oil, cheeses, and wines. There is also a weekly street market every Tuesday morning on Avinguda Catalunya where you can buy food, clothing, footwear and various other products.

What to see and do

While the beaches are certainly a highlight of Palamós, there are many other things to see and do in the town.

With a working fishing fleet, one of the highlights of any visit to Palamós has to be waiting quayside for the fishing boats to come in and unload their catches, before auctioning the fish in the early evening (see the video below). Interesting to watch for a while, it’s also free to do.

The fishing fleet operates out of the commercial port, which is also used by cruise ships to dock as they come from Barcelona and other Mediterranean ports. There is also a sports marina offering berths for privately owned boats and from where numerous rental companies operate.

The Museu de la Pesca (Calle del Muelle) is a museum focused on the fishing industry. It opens every day from May to September but closes on Mondays between October to April. Opening times vary quite a bit depending on when you visit so best to check the museum’s website.

History lovers will want to visit the Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar, which was finished in the sixteenth century, and near to Platja Fosca you’ll find the ruins of thirteenth century Castell de Sant Esteve de Mar. The narrow streets and traditional houses of the old town are also a pleasant way to lose yourself for an hour or two.

Other activities include the usual water-sports found up and down the Costa Brava, including sailing, scuba diving, water-skiing and jet ski and kayak hire and to the north of Palamós is a rugged stretch of coastline good to explore via car for its coves and pine covered cliffs. Along here you’ll find the seaside towns of Llafranc, Tamariu and Begur.

There are several hiking trails and bike paths that run through the town, as well as horseback riding and kayaking excursions. Visitors can also take a boat trip to explore the nearby coves and beaches.

Overall, Palamós offers a wide range of activities and attractions for visitors to enjoy, from water sports to cultural and historical sites, from outdoor activities to entertainment options. With so many options to choose from, visitors are sure to find something that interests them in Palamós.

How to get to Palamós

Palamós is around 40 minutes by road from Girona-Costa Brava Airport on the C-25/C-65/C-31 and there is a frequent bus service from Girona station to Palamós, although you may need to change at Palafrugell or Caldes de Malavella. From Barcelona airport take the train from Barcelona-Sants to Girona, then transfer to a bus for the final leg to Palamós.

To reach Palamós by car from the French border there are a number of possible routes. Probably the easiest is to take the AP-7 towards Girona, then take exit 7 to join the C-65 and past the exits for Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Platja d’Aro as the road becomes the C-31. From Barcelona, take the AP-7 towards Girona, then take exit 9A onto the C-35 in the direction of Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Platja d’Aro. The road becomes the C-65 and the C-31 before arriving in Palamós.

AD Find accommodation in Palamós
HOTELS | HOLIDAY RENTALS | CAMPSITES

Costa Brava Lifestyle

Receive our monthly newsletter for free


No thanks, I'm not interested in the Costa Brava