collaborative post
We had a wonderful family holiday to Tossa de Mar, Spain in September 2022. I'm delighted to share our experiences with you and give you some tips and tricks for fun things you can do with the kids! I'll be sharing everything from where to stay, where to eat, and the best beaches and activities!
How to Travel
We book assigned seats on the plane so we can all sit together. We also bring one carry-on-sized wheelie bag and one backpack each. This way we don't need to wait for our baggage and it makes the airport process much smoother!
We each have our own style, I prefer a sleek travel backpack for women for myself, as everything fits but it isn't bulky. I pack everyone their own snack bag and water bottle for the journey. The kids can use their backpacks to bring any activities and to bring home any souvenirs they purchase.
Time of Year to Visit
Tossa de Mar is located on the Mediterranean Sea in Catalonia, on the Costa Brava. It is 100km north of Barcelona and 100km south of the French border. Because of its more northerly location, it is not as hot as resorts on the Costa del Sol. It has a very modern and well-appointed airport in Girona which was a 45-minute taxi ride.
Depending on your family's personal taste, you can have a wide range of temperatures throughout the year to choose from. Travelling in May or October will bring high teens to 20 degrees celsius temperatures. For a warmer stay, look at later June or early September for the mid to high 20s for your holidays in Tossa de Mar. July and August would be peak temperatures hitting 30 degrees celsius and above.
For our family, we chose September for the slightly cooler temps but warm enough to still enjoy the beach and water park.
The beautiful Tossa de Mar castle & old town at night
Where to Stay
My husband and I had a trip to Marbella six years ago for our ten-year anniversary. But this was our first time traveling with kids to Spain so we took a lot of time and care into choosing where was the best location in Tossa de Mar to stay.
Tossa de Mar is a really beautiful resort. It is classy and attracts a really nice group of tourists. Being near the French border, there were a lot of French couples and families there.
There is an old castle which was built in 1187 and an old town on one side of the resort. Behind the castle is a beach called Es Codolar Beach that you access through a secret passageway in the Old Town (the kids loved that). Along the main beach, Plaja Gran, there are modern buildings with restaurants and places to stay. There is also a third beach, Plaja Mar Menuda. There are hotels and restaurants along the strip between those beaches as well.
Up from the beach, the landscape is quite steep. There are many apartments to choose from that would have a view looking down over the beaches and old town. For us, we didn't want to go up and down a hill every day so we looked for a location between Plaja Gran and Plaja Mar Menuda. We were very happy with that as we were only a short walk to several supermarkets, loads of restaurants and of course, the beaches!
However, if you didn't mind the hill, the options are less expensive and would certainly have the most stunning view. There are also options in and around the old town if you'd like to stay in the middle of the action.
Plaja Gran
Es Codolar Beach
Where to Eat
There are sooooo many good eating options in Tossa de Mar. This resort is known for its good food. And this was one point I was looking at when selecting which resort to stay in!
We used Trip Advisor to select restaurants and they were spot on for most of them! Here are our favourite places that we ate:
Sotavent - my favourite place, every dinner we had here was excellent and so was the service.
Restaurante Pizzaria Bello - the kids rated this one as the best pizza in Tossa de Mar.
Da Giovani Pizza - we ate here for my son's birthday and they were kind enough to sing Happy Birthday and light a candle in his desert, the meal was really lovely and they have gluten-free pasta options.
Bar Savoy - for a change we ate off the strip at a place where locals eat. The tacos were gorgeous, and they were showing a soccer game which my kids loved.
Braseria Pini Pizzeria - located near the Old Town, this stylish restaurant offered gluten-free pizza which my daughter and I enjoyed.
Restaurant Bar Lluis - near the old town, we stopped for a snack, it's reasonably priced, basic but good food.
Cocoa Beach Bar - for the most beautiful and fun drinks with a view of the beach.
Dinner at Sotavent
Braseria Pini Pizzeria, Gluten Free Pizza
Da Giovani Pizza, canolli
Family Friendly Activities
We found a lot of really fun things to get up to on our holiday both within Tossa de Mar and in the surrounding resorts. After seeing the other resorts, I was really pleased with our choice to stay in Tossa, it was by far the nicest one with the most chilled-out vibes, great food and a family-friendly atmosphere.
Here is my list of Family Friendly Activities Withinn Tossa de Mar:
Visit the 3 Beaches in Tossa de Mar: Plaja Gran, Plaja Mar Menuda & Es Codolar Beach. They are all easily walkable in Tossa de Mar. There is a train car that goes around the town from one end to the other that you can take as well.
Visit the Tossa de Mar Market Day: There are so many vendors, it was really fun to browse souvenirs and foods! It runs Thursdays from 9am to 1pm, at the Rambla Paul Casals and surrounding streets.
Shopping in Tossa De Mar Old Town: The Old Town is a must-visit, it's packed full of great vibes and character.
Walk up to the Castle and through the Old Town: The Castle walk is steep enough, but there is the option to buy tickets and take a train car up instead.
Shopping in the Old Town, Tossa de Mar
Family-Friendly Activities In Surrounding Areas:
Shopping Trip to Lloret de Mar: While I much preferred Tossa de Mar, it was fun to visit Lloret for a day to hit up the more touristy shops. We took the water taxi which made the trip extra fun!
Market Day in Lloret de Mar: If you time your shopping trip right, you can go to Lloret on its market day which is Tuesday from 8am to 2pm on the Avinguda del Rieral.
Water Park Lloret de Mar: Water World in Lloret was the absolute best day, we had so much fun! I was a little worried after reading the reviews saying the lines were horrific but thankfully it was not busy, we didn't have to wait long in any line. We were visiting mid-week in September so I'm sure that helped!
Glass Bottom Boat Trip: Fondo Cristal boat tours brings you along the coast to the North, exploring caves on the way and seeing fish through a viewing window at the bottom of the boat. You can get off in Cala Giverola and spend a few hours there, taking the next boat back. You get picked up and dropped off right on the Plaja Gran in Tossa de Mar.
Water Taxi: Dofi Jet Boats offers water taxis which run South down the coast to Lloret de Mar as far as Calella. We took the boat to Lloret for our shopping day and back again. Their boats also come straight up on the beach in Tossa de Mar!
Leaving Tossa de Mar on the Glass Bottom Boat Tour
Cala Giverola
I thoroughly recommend a family trip to Tossa de Mar, we enjoyed every minute of our stay here. If you have any questions for me or things to add, please pop them in the comments! Check out more family travel ideas on my friend's new travel blog!
.png)
