"Medieval Charm near the Costa Brava" Top 5 Page for this destination Besalú by surferob

Besalú Travel Guide: 35 reviews and 100 photos

Town square, Besalu, Catalan region of Spain

An hour or so from Barcelona by car and not far from the French border lies the remarkably quaint village of Besalu. I was lucky enough to have a semi-local (my French friend who lives in Barcelona) take me there on a day trip from the city, otherwise I'd probably never have found it.

The town is tiny and quiet, or at least it was in wintertime. I would imagine it gets a fair bit of tourist traffic in the high season. This timing worked to our advantage, as we had the town seemingly all to ourselves on our weekday visit. Just a beautiful little place. And old, very old.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Glimpse of village life in Spain
Cons:None that I know of
In a nutshell:Perfect for a day-trip visit

Last visit to Besalú: Jan 2004
Intro Updated Jan 23, 2004
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (5)

Another view.... Favorites (5)

In that last pic I held the camera up against a wall, pointed skyward. Here's a simpler take on these chairs, curiously... more travel advice

Art in the most unexpected places - Besalú

Art in the most unexpected places Favorites (5)

Had I not taken a wrong turn looking for the road to the bridge I wouldn't have found this little surprise. Someone in... more travel advice

What passes for a street in Besalu........ - Besalú

What passes for a street in... Favorites (5)

Coming from the U.S. it's easy to be taken aback by the compact nature of old towns in Europe. Reason is obvious I guess... more travel advice

A grand entrance, or exit Favorites (5)

This is the perspective as you head onto the bridge from town. The massive, heavy wooden doors, or gates, are still in... more travel advice

Comments (5)

Reply
- Report abuse
angiebabe Jul 8, 2008 at 12:12 PM

Hi nice to see yr page - id never heard of this place until I was visiting my friends in Blanes and was checking what was about for a day trip!so last month I blessed myself with a visit to this place....!
Reply
- Report abuse
Anjutka Oct 10, 2006 at 4:34 AM

No, I have been there too:) Yeah, it is a small, but very lovely and quite town...I liked it!
Reply
- Report abuse
lotharlerch May 10, 2006 at 2:34 PM

I liked it too!
Reply
- Report abuse
leffe3 Jul 16, 2005 at 12:53 AM

Not familiar with this place at all. Beauty of VT! Looks delightful - shall have to include it in the itinerary for the hols later in the year!
Reply
- Report abuse
matcrazy1 Jan 26, 2004 at 4:43 PM

Simply amazing village! Wonderful pictures!