Property on the Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is situated to the north of Spain’s second largest city, Barcelona, and is notable for its rugged and pretty coastline. Its proximity to France has meant that it has been an easy place to drive to from the UK; however although the summers are truly Mediterranean, the winters can be hard and it’s comparatively expensive for property.
With buzzy Barcelona down the road — now reached by a fast train link from Girona that takes 36 minutes — and a landscape of pine forests leading to quiet coves and unspoilt fishing villages, it’s idyllic, upmarket Spain that appeals to lovers of Mallorca or France’s Languedoc region.
Among the coast’s most popular locations with foreign buyers — for obvious reasons, given its charming old town and beautiful beaches within walking distance — is Begur. Another of the coast’s upmarket seaside villages is Llafranc, loved by Dali and Hemingway. Few properties come on the market here, and even small seafront houses can cost millions, but expect to pay €600,000 plus for a well-located villa, and similar prices for popular Tamariu and Palafrugell.
The fashionable and LGBTQ friendly resort of Sitges is often top of people’s lists but property is expensive when compared to the Costa Blanca or inland Andalusia, for example, where they often end up buying instead.
Where to Buy Property in the Costa Brava
Prices didn’t fall dramatically in this area as building has always been strictly controlled, and this is not really a region for those with less than €100k to spend – you can buy properties for this budget, but there just won’t be as much choice as elsewhere – and certainly not all the cookie-cutter new-build apartments.
But there are two key buying areas – the most northerly section around the Bay of Roses, part of the Alt Empordà, and an area known as the Golden Triangle, part of the Baix Empordà.
The Bay of Roses
Bordering the lunar-like Cap de Creus Natural Park at the northern end of the Bay of Roses, life in Roses centres around its sandy beaches, lively town and marina. The hotels that fringe a section of beachfront accommodate its all-inclusive holiday market, so second homeowners tend to head to quieter residential areas, including Canyelles Petites on the coast, or to a hillside community, such as El Grecs, Mas Fumats or Mas Boscà, which offer stunning views across the bay. Apartments starting from around €80,000, while villas can be anything from €300,000 to €1 million-plus.
Roses has its own waterfront community at Santa Margarida but next door to this is Europe’s largest residential marina community, Empuriabrava, comprising 24 km of navigable canals lined with waterfront properties.
A three-bedroom, three-storey ‘fisherman’ style house with a mooring, is around €330,000.
In the Pyrenean foothills old farming villages such as Rabós, Palau-Saverdera or Sant Llorenc de la Muga are popular too, but many of the old character properties are sold by Catalans who don’t like to advertise.
At the southern end of the Bay of Roses is L’Escala, an old fishing town centred around two bays with a newer residential district at Riells, home to a large beach and L’Escala’s marina. A series of sandy coves and a shady walkway through the pines connect the town with the Empúries ruins and ancient village of Sant Martí d’Empúries. Round the headland to the south is Montgó Bay, where some of the area’s most desirable villas drip down the hillside – the views alone can sell a property there.
A three-bedroom villa with private pool in Riells might be around €290,000, or in Montgó, a refurbished two-bedroom apartment might be circa €155,000.
The Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle is formed of the medieval hilltop town of Pals, a few kilometres inland from the beach at Platja de Pals. Along with neighbouring - and equally pretty – Begur, Pals is popular with British buyers looking for a tucked-away villa or character home. The two golf courses are also a draw.
In this area, two-bed apartments start from €150,000 to €250,000 and villas from €250,000 to €500,000, but luxury cliff-side pads will be more.
Snaking southwards from Platja de Pals is a string of idyllic, picture postcard coves, including Sa Riera, Aiguafreda, Sa Tuna, Aiguablava, Tamariu and Llafranc, some not much more than a beach, others more developed with waterfront restaurants. Calella de Palafrugell, the unspoilt coastal resort linked to the town Palafrugell, is especially sought-after.
Apartments in this area typically start from €200,000, with the bulk of villas between €500,000 and €1million, and the most desirable cliff-side properties upwards of this. From here, the coastline opens up a bit with a collection of larger resorts south of Palamós. Other popular locations include Platja d'Aro, Calonge, S'Agaró, Santa Cristina. Typical two-bedroom apartments in the Platja d’Aro area start from around €170,000.
Also of note in this region, near Girona, is the PGA Catalunya Resort that combines a solid-gold name in golf (the course is voted the best in Spain) with a property developer with a stellar history — Denis O’Brien, who owns the Algarve’s Quinta do Lago resort. The resort continues to evolve, adding sports and lifestyle amenities to its offerings, and you can get a new two-bed property for around €380,000.
Buyers Need to Know
Purchase process – as per Spain.
* ITP (purchase tax) on resale properties is 10 per cent in the region of Catalonia (Catalunya)
* Beware of licencing rules on short term (holiday) rentals, as some areas such as Barcelona, are implementing restrictions.
