Beaches and coves

The municipal area boasts about 15 km of long, varied coastline, with 5.4 km of beaches and 9.7 km of rocky shores. Visitors to l’Estartit will find shallow, sandy beaches with a wide range of services for families on holiday. The small coves around the Montgrí coast, accessible only by foot or boat, are ideal for enjoying a quiet diving in peaceful surroundings.

Long beach divided into three sections: the main beach 1 km, Platja dels Griells 0.5 km and Platja de la Pletera 1.8 km. Swimming areas and sports areas are well cordoned off with buoys. The beach has fine sand and shallow waters.

Main beach

The most popular bathing place, situated just opposite the main residential area in l´Estartit.

Plane

Platja de Griells

Quieter beach situated between Els Griells housing estate and the pleasant surroundings of ter Vell Natural Reserve at the lower end. The major water sports companies operate from this beach.

Plane

Platja de la Pletera

The least developed and least crowded stretch of beach. Together with the Ter Vell Natural Reserve, it is included in the Baix Empordà Wetlands dunes and lagoons restoration project. Difficulty of access makes this a peaceful, uncrowned spot, in a site of great natural beauty. natural.

Plane

Platja amenities
· Showers, litterbins, beach cafes, deckchair and sunshade rental, pedal boats and pleasure boats
· Water sports: water skiing, ski bus, kayaks, sailing school, windsurf...
· Esplanade and car park
· Marina
· Beach cleaning
· Supervisors, lifeguard and rescue service, first aid, amphibian chairs
· Medical care

Platja de Mas Pinell

5 km as the crow flies and 13 km by road from l’Estartit. Access by car to this 1,3 km sandy, standard depth beach.

Plane

Cala Montgó

The main geographic feature along the whole of the Montgrí coast, with a round shape suggesting the existence of an original sunken dolina, flooded and enlarged by the sea. Archaeological excavations have shown that the Romans used Cala Montgó as a landing place. The cove is situated 20 km by road from l’Estartit and 12 km by mountain tracks. Access on foot, by car, bicycle or boat. Swimming area and sports areas marked by buoys. Cala Montgó is 600 meters long.

Plane

Cala Ferriol

Second largest cove on the Montgrí coast after Cala Montgó. 45-minute access by foot, after leaving the main track.

Plane

Cala Pedrosa

Small sheltered cove set in heavenly surroundings among rocks and pine trees that invite bathing in summer and peaceful contemplation of nature in the winter months, with the picturesque Pedrosa islet completing the beauty of the scene. 30-minute access by foot, after leaving the main track.

Plane

Cala Calella

Small rocky cove situated at a 30-minute walk from L’Estartit harbor along a track with magnificent vistas of the Medes Islands from the viewpoint at Els Arquets. The track leads past a curious geological sea well called Pou de la Calella.

Plane

The Montgrí coastline

One of the most rugged, unspoilt parts of the Costa Brava, running from Cala Montgó to L’Estartit past the Montgrí Massif cliffs, past the Ferriol, Falaguer, Pedrosa and Calella coves and the Milà, Castell and Barra promontories. The highest cliffs are 100 meters tall; Roca Maura and Torre Moratxa spurs stand at a towering 200 meters each. The coast is full of interesting nooks and crannies, such as La Foradada rock, and the rich, protected seabed is a divers’ paradise.

Plane

Medes Islands

Plane

Some history
The islands are uninhabited today but shipwreck remains testify to ancient Greek ships navigating these seas in classical times. Findings of lachrymatory phials and human bones suggest that the islands may have been used as a necropolis. In the 15th century, a fortress was constructed on La Meda Gran , and inhabited by the knights of St. Sepulcher. The monks eventually left and the fortress partially caved in after numerous pirate attacks in the 16th century. Throughout the 18th century wars the fortress was used as a prison and later as a military garrison until 1890. Today the Medes Islands are uninhabited.

The lighthouse

The first lighthouse was built on La Meda Gran in 1866, during the reign of Isabel II and was tended by a resident lighthouse keeper until 1930. The new automatic lighthouse is now powered by solar energy.

Vegetation
The Mediterranean climate includes long periods of drought often coinciding with the heat of the summer. The dry land cannot then easily absorb water and, when it rains, a lot of the water slips away through the cracked earth. In response to this, plants like the prickly pear and the rest harrow contain water reserves that enable them to survive in the driest places. The prevailing Tramuntana north wind and Garbí south west wind carry drops of salt sea water to the islands, where the vegetation includes shrubby sea-blight plants that eliminate excess salt through their leaves. Caucus gingili and rock sapphire are other salt-resistant plants.
On the other hand, the island flora was modified by man by the introduction of exotic species such as agaves and the tree of heaven. Another factor is the huge quantity of gull-produced dung that fertilizes the islands and allows abundant mallows and other wild species to thrive.

Faune
 

The yellow-legged gull is undoubtedly the most common species on the Medes Islands, home to the largest colony in the Mediterranean. However, the sheer numbers of gulls may mask the presence of other interesting bird species, such as the large colony of ardeidae (cattle egrets, little egrets and night herons), the second largest of its kind in Catalonia. On the islands we also find peregrine falcons, pallid swifts, alpine swifts and blue rock thrush, among other bird species, and in the rock pools there is a small colony of common European shag. Nevertheless, it must also be said that the true inhabitants of the islands are the many different species of insect, with the mallow bug as the most significant.
The Medes Islands and the Montgrí Massif are both part of the same geological unit.

The Montgrí

Three mountains make up the Montgrí Massif, the emblematic backdrop to the town of Torroella de Montgrí and epicenter of the two Empordà counties: Puig Anill (or Ullà Mountain) with an altitude of 309 meters; the Montgrí Mountain with an altitude of 303 meters, crowned by a 13th century castle overlooking the whole Empordà region; and Montplà with an altitude of just over 300 meters. The Massif covers an area of over 2,300 hectares, and has a total length of about 8 kilometers, with spurs reaching right down to the 200-metre Roca Maura and Torre Moratxa rocks at L’Estartit.

Plane

Santa Caterina hermitage
The hermitage was founded in the 18th century by three friars from Montserrat monastery called Tarascó, Desgell and Cabotes (1) and is situated in Santa Caterina valley in the heart of the Montgrí Massif. There is a small chapel on the ground floor, living quarters formerly occupied by the hermit’s family on the first floor and old storerooms in the basement. Local children used to believe that babies came from the well in the courtyard of the hermitage.

An outdoor gathering is held here every year on 25th November in honour of Santa Caterina who, according to a 17th century tradition, is attributed with saving Torroella from a year of hunger and plague. Local people walk up to the hermitage from Torroella following the Path of the Chapels, up to a large cross on the shoulder of the mountain and from there down on into Santa Caterina valley. Access by car is from a track opposite Bellcaire village.

(1)An illustrated tale on Santa Caterina hermitage written by Joan Pericot in 1955 and republished in 1980 evokes a spring with cool, clear water called Aribosa and recalls a popular verse in homage to the saint:

"En tempesta marinera,
en naufragi o malaltia,
oh, santa d’Alexandria!
sou la millor remeiera."

Plane

The path of the chapels

The path up to Montgrí Castle leads past three ruined chapels, two on the right and one on the left, used as a resting place by pious devotees on their way up to Santa Caterina hermitage and by local shepherds as a shelter from inclement weather conditions. The chapels are stone constructions with vaulted roofs.

Plane

Cau del Duc cave

The cave is situated 200 meters above sea level on the south face of the Montgrí Massif and was formed by water filtrations dissolving the limestone. "Cau del Duc" means "Cave of the Eagle Owl", a bird of prey that formerly nested in the Montgrí.
Probably due to its strategic situation and the shelter afforded from the Tramuntana north wind, the cave was inhabited by man some 300,000 years ago during the Lower Paleolithic age.

Plane

The Montgrí castle

Construction of Montgrí Castle, the symbol of Torroella, was ordered in 1294 by King Jaume II as the result of a confrontation with the Earldom of Empúries, but work was interrupted in 1301 and the building left unfinished. Four walls were raised forming a square, with a tower built into each corner. Restoration work was carried out in 1988.

Access on foot is from Torroella, along a signposted mountain track (GR 92).

Plane

Santa María Palau hermitage

This ruined 13th century Romanesque hermitage overlooks Sobrestany, on Muntanya Gran.

Plane

The Dunes

Sandy dunes situated on the path leading to the summit of Muntanya Gran. The dunes were planted with grasses and pinewoods in the early 20th century in order to stabilize the sand blown in from Roses Gulf by the Tramuntana north wind, and thus protect the surrounding vineyards and vegetable gardens.

Plane

Caves, rock pits and shelters

Some fifty caves and rock pits are known to exist throughout the mountain range, notable among them being Cau dels Ossos, where archaeological remains from the Neolithic period were found, Avenc de l’Hostench, La Carnisseria system, and so on. We also find dry-stone walls and huts used for sheep and as shelters for shepherds, of which the best preserved is Aixart d’en Vidal. A whole cultural heritage is there to be explored.

Plane

The castle of Montgrí

Symbol of Torroella, Montgrí Castle is situated at the summit of Montgrí Mountain, commanding a magnificent panoramic view of Canigó, Gavarres and Montseny mountain ranges and of the Mediterranean Sea with the Medes Islands in the foreground.

In the year 1272 Torroella de Montgrí was proclaimed a royal town thus providing the crown with a major possession very near the Earldom of Empúries, with which it had been at war for many years.

In 1294, as a result of the confrontations, King Jaume II ordered the construction of a castle at the summit of the Montgrí as a fortress to protect his dominions from Empúries. The conflict continued until 1325, when Count Hug VI of Empúries exchanged lands with Pere, the infant son of Jaume II.

Construction work was carried out on the castle between 1294 and 1301 and was then discontinued. Four 31-metre long perimeter walls were built around a square floor plan, with a cylindrical tower in each corner. The four wings of the castle were never completed. The walls are 13 m high and are surmounted by square, pyramid topped battlements with loopholes at the base.

Plane

Situation: Summit of the Montgrí Massif, at an altitude of 302 m.
Walls: 31 m long and 13 m high, surmounted by square, pyramid topped battlements with loopholes at the base.
Towers: Cylindrical, with three levels in the northwest tower and two levels in the other three.
Façade: South-facing, with arched voussoir entrance gate.
Interior: Square-plan, stone-paved central courtyard constructed over a large water cistern.
Restoration works: Consolidation of parts of the wall, addition of a spiral staircase inside the northwest tower, construction of a walkway around the battlements, with safety handrail.
Other constructions: Remains of walls on the south façade, water cistern on the north façade.
Architectural style: Transition period between Romanesque and Gothic.

Wetlands

Geographic situation

The Baix Empordà wetlands are situated near the coast on the delta of the Ter and Daró rivers, between L’Estartit and the Montgrí Massif in the north and Pals and Begur Massif in the south. The wetlands comprise the Ter Vell, La Pletera , La Gola del Ter, La Fonallera and Les Basses d´en Coll marshes.

Plane

Excursions

Walks

Cala Calella, Cala Pedrosa, Cala Ferriol, Cala Montgó, Les Maures, La Resclosa, Montgrí Castle, Santa Caterina hermitage and the Dunes, left bank of the River Ter and the beach

Bike trips

Baix Ter plain, right bank of the River Ter, Muntanya Gran, L’Estartit and La Gola, Torroella - L’Estartit old road.

Excursiones marítimas

An ideal activity for the whole family! On some of the local boat trips you can stop and have a dip in the sea.

Nautical activities

In L’Estartit you will find a wide range of nautical options to choose from.
Individual activities plus activities for the whole family, suitable for all ages and skills.

Scuba diving

L’Estartit is a scuba-diving paradise. In the Medes Islands natural reserve and off the Montgrí coast there are over twenty dives for both professionals and absolute beginners.

Snorkelling

Snorkelling is another underwater activity to explore the seabed in a different way, guided by a professional monitor.

Kayaking

Boats to rent

Boat hire is another nautical activity that will make your holiday all the more enjoyable.

Sailing

Take the opportunity to go sailing in L’Estartit and to learn sailing techniques from professional instructors.

Windsurf

Make the most of the gentle summer breezes and enjoy a different type of sea experience.

Kitesurf

Make the most of the gentle summer breezes and enjoy a different type of sea experience.

Land activities

Another way to spend an enjoyable holiday is to partake in activities that will bring you into closer contact with the land itself.

There is a wide range of sports on offer that will enable you to explore and get to know the local surroundings during your holiday

Horse riding

Enjoy our landscape in a different way.

Golf

It is easy to get a game of golf and to learn to play this sport in an area that is well known to golf-lovers.

Tenis

Enjoy a game of tennis on top-class courts in peaceful surroundings.

Ciclismo

An ideal place for cycling, both road and mountain.

Go-Karts

For those who want something different, go-karting is the sport for you.

Other sports

You will also find different sports to enjoy your free time differently.
Bowling, football, gym ...

Air activities

What about going flying up there in the blue sky? Try something different and explore the area from another, exciting perspective.

Torroella y L'Estartit todo el año es un programa de visitas para grupos y en fines de semana que engloba

- Descubre el Mediterráneo a través de los cinco sentidos: visita al Museo del Mediterráneo 
- Las islas Medes, el tesoro del Mediterráneo: Visita al museo del Mediterráneo, excursión a las islas Medes y descubrimiento del fondo marino 
- Torroella de Montgrí, mil años de historia y leyenda: visita al Museo del Mediterráneo y recorrido por el casco antiguo de Torroella de Montgrí 
- El emblema del Montgrí: Excursión al castillo medieval del Montgrí 
- El paisaje de una arquitectura humilde: Ruta a pie por el macizo del Montgrí descubriendo el patrimonio de la piedra en seco 
- El valle rodeada de Sol soledad. Excursión al valle y la ermita de Santa Caterina recreando la novela de Víctor Catalán 
- Donde la flora acoge la fauna: Visita a los humedales del Baix Ter
 

Las visitas se pueden hacer en diferentes idiomas: catalán, castellano, francés e inglés.

Museums

CAN QUINTANA-MUSEU DE LA MEDITERRÀNEA

Can Quintana, one of the most noteworthy historical buildings in Torroella, now houses a new museum dedicated to the human space of the Mediterranean area, based on local territories: the Montgrí Massif, the Baix Ter plain and the Medes Islands.

A hands-on museum for all ages that brings us closer to the aromas of the Mediterranean, invites us to listen to its sounds and its music and to explore the history of the area. A panoramic audiovisual brings us in touch with the reality of the Mediterranean today.

The centre has an interesting agenda featuring temporary exhibitions, as well as a programme of cultural, social and musical events. Guided visits around the museum and outside are available all year round

PALAU SOLTERRA – FUNDACIÓ VILA CASAS

Exhibition of contemporary photography from the collection. Temporary monographic exhibitions. Lectures, concerts, guided visits by appointment.

PALAU SOLTERRA – FUNDACIÓ VILA CASAS

MICHAEL DUNEV ART PROJECTS
An international contemporary art gallery with monographic exhibitions by well-known artists, located in a restored 17th century house in the historic centre of Torroella.

ATRIUM
ATRIUM displays the works of visual artist Joan Carles Roca Sans in exhibition rooms surrounding the gothic courtyard of the former Casa Quintana-Badia, in the historic centre of Torroella de Montgrí. ATRIUM is a space for critical reflection.

Exhibition rooms

SANT ANTONI CHAPPEL
Temporary exhibition room.

HOSPITAL CLOISTER
Monthly photography exhibitions.

LOCAL COUNCIL
Temporary exhibition room.

The international music festival

International music festival

One of the major summer musical events in Catalonia and well-known all over Spain, the International Music Festival annually hosts some twenty concerts and recitals performed by prestigious soloists and groups. The programme offers chamber music, in formations ranging from duets to full orchestras, symphonic and sacred music, jazz and world music.

The concerts usually take place in the Church of Sant Genís, which is acoustically equipped for each different event.

Some Festival concerts are held in the open air on the Plaça de la Vila, as are the concerts performed by students taking part in the international music summer school held alongside the Festival. Classes are conducted in a former Augustinian convent in Torroella, now the Anselm Viola International Music Academy

Fairs and markets

Every Monday morning, a huge market sprawls over the streets in the old town of Torroella de Montgrí, with stalls selling fruit, vegetables, clothes and many other products. The traditional weekly market is also a gathering place for local farmers and stockbreeders who meet to buy and sell goods and exchange information.

In L’Estartit there is also a weekly market every Thursday between the Passeig Marítim and the Avinguda de Roma, with a large and varied display of goods for sale.

Torroella de Montgrí also hosts one of the main agricultural, stockbreeding and trade fairs in the area. The Saint Andrew’s Day Fair is held annually on the last weekend in November.

The Medes Island Image and Environment (MIMA) Festival in L’Estartit has become one of the best-known underwater image festivals in Catalonia. This year the festival will take place from 6th - 10th June.

Events

     view upcoming events