The art of taking your time
Costa Brava, Spain
Just beyond Barcelona’s orbit, the Costa Brava trades polished Riviera energy for something quieter. As you linger over a long lunch by the sea, somewhere between grilled seafood and a second glass of wine, your thoughts begin to settle. Fishing boats drift past as they have for generations, while just beyond the coastline the landscape softens into olive fields and restored country homes. Expect excellent seafood, strong opinions on olive oil, your very own perfume and a gentle but persistent shift in your sense of timing.
Wander Cadaqués
Tucked into a fold of the coastline, Cadaqués feels gently removed from the rest of the world. Whitewashed houses catch the light, narrow lanes wind without much direction, and the sea is never far. Salvador Dalí lived here, which explains a certain artistic character. Allow at least one decision to be made purely based on where it looks good for lunch.
Explore the coast, off-script
One of Costa Brava’s better ideas: Slip out from the port of L’Estartit and follow the wild edge of the Montgrí coastline on a boat. Somewhere between sunset and “just one more cove,” the sea turns impossibly calm. Swim, snorkel, drift for a while and let stories surface. Shortly after, so does something fresh and unmistakably local on the table.
Follow your nose in Empordà
Leave the coast for Empordà, where vineyards and wild herbs set the tone. Walk it with perfumer Ernesto Collado, who treats wild herbs, dry grasses and sun-warmed leaves as something with a story to tell. By sunset, you’re distilling your own perfume, just as wine finds its way in. You leave faintly scented and quietly pleased.
Stay with Viu Empordà
Viu Empordà skips the idea of a hotel altogether. Instead, you get keys to carefully curated houses that belong to architects, winemakers, and families from l’Empordà with notably good taste. Days arrange themselves around what’s nearby: a vineyard, a ceramic workshop, a road worth cycling. It feels less like checking in, more like being let in for a while.
Essential Costa Brava
Running along Catalonia’s 200-kilometre coastline from Blanes to the French border, the Costa Brava wastes little time making you forget where you came from. Catalan leads conversations while Spanish politely follows. What began as a working coast of stone villages and trade routes now moves at its own pace. Lunch starts late, ends later, and plans tend to dissolve somewhere in between. Distances are short, decisions stay flexible, and the so-called wild coast reveals itself to be surprisingly calm.
Where it is
Catalonia, northeastern Spain (north of Barcelona)
When to go
May to June, September to October
Why go there
Understated coastline
Long lunches
Time that behaves differently
What to see
Cadaqués
L’Estartit
Montgrí Natural Park
Empordà
