Photographing the Costa Brava: Coves, Pines and a Cathedral Stairway

Cadaqués — the whitest place on the coast

Reached over a mountain pass and cut off from everything else, which is why it still looks like itself. White houses stacked around a bay of dark rock, black-and-white pebble streets, and boats pulled up on the shingle.

The whiteness is the technical point. It bounces light back up into faces, so this is one of very few coastal locations that works in the middle of the day rather than only at the ends of it. Dalí lived in the next cove at Portlligat, and the landscape he kept painting is the one you will be standing in.

The road in is slow and the village is small. It rewards half a day rather than a stop.

More on the spot.

Tossa de Mar and the Camí de Ronda

The Vila Vella is the only fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast: stone walls and round towers on a headland dropping straight into the sea, with the beach curving below.

What makes Tossa a session rather than a photograph is the Camí de Ronda, the coastal path running along the cliffs in both directions. Twenty minutes on foot and you are at small coves with pines down to the water and nobody else in them.

The walls take warm light late in the day, and the path faces east or west depending which way you walk — so you choose your light by choosing your direction.

More on the spot.

Girona, inland

Thirty-eight minutes from Barcelona by high-speed train, and it has two images a few minutes apart.

The cathedral: ninety broad steps climbing to a baroque facade, a staircase built to be walked up slowly and one of the most cinematic pieces of architecture in Catalonia — which is why film crews keep using it.

The Onyar: a narrow river through the middle of town with houses built down to the water and painted ochre, red and yellow. The footbridges give you the frame everyone photographs, with the cathedral tower behind the roofline.

Between them is the Call, one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Europe — narrow, stepped and shaded through the middle of the day.

More on the spot.

How it differs from the Balearics

People choosing a Catalan coast trip are often also considering Mallorca. The honest comparison:

The Costa Brava is closer to Barcelona, cheaper, quieter in season, and greener — pine rather than olive. The coves are smaller and the frames more intimate.

Mallorca has mountains. The Tramuntana puts peaks and sea in the same photograph, which the Costa Brava cannot do. It is also busier and more expensive in season.

If the trip is about the coast itself, the Costa Brava. If it is about scale and drama, Mallorca.

Practical notes

The coves are public and small. A session in one usually means very early or very late, and someone checking access rules beforehand.

The Camí de Ronda is a real footpath — uneven, with steps and no railings in places. Trainers, and not a section to attempt in a long dress without changing at the far end.

Roads are slow. The coastal road winds, and getting from Tossa to Cadaqués takes far longer than the map suggests. Pick one base rather than trying to cover the whole coast.

Season: May, June, September and early October. July and August fill the coves and the roads; winter closes a large share of the restaurants and hotels. More in the seasonal guide.

The photographers covering the Costa Brava know which coves are reachable on a given date and how long the drives actually take, which is what most trips get wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Which Costa Brava location works in the middle of the day?

Cadaqués. The whiteness of the houses bounces light back up into faces, which makes it one of very few coastal locations that works at midday rather than only at the ends of it. It is reached over a mountain pass, the road in is slow and the village is small, so it rewards half a day rather than a stop; Girona's Call, narrow, stepped and shaded, is the inland alternative for the same hours.

Costa Brava or Mallorca for a coastal photoshoot?

The Costa Brava is closer to Barcelona, cheaper, quieter in season and greener — pine rather than olive — with small coves that give close, intimate frames. Mallorca has mountains: the Tramuntana puts peaks and sea in the same photograph, which the Costa Brava cannot do, and it is busier and more expensive in season. If the trip is about the coast itself, the Costa Brava; if it is about scale and drama, Mallorca.

What should I wear for a session on the Camí de Ronda?

Trainers. It is a real footpath — uneven, with steps and no railings in places — and not a section to attempt in a long dress without changing at the far end. Twenty minutes on foot from Tossa de Mar and you are at small coves with pines down to the water and nobody else in them; the path faces east or west depending on which way you walk, so you choose your light by choosing your direction.