The Bay of Roses

The towns of Roses, Castelló d’Empuries and L’Escala are laid out almost in a line along the same bay on the coast of Ampurias, in the province of Girona. All together they form a curious arch-shaped route containing a wealth of natural resources. Visitors can catch a glimpse of an ancient past which does not turn its back on the future. Here boats, diving suits and small planes allow one to discover the heart of an enclave which is inextricably tied to the blue Mediterranean.  
Beaches and coves, nature reserves and mountains, fascinating prehistoric monuments and ruins left by ancient settlers along this Mediterranean coast, museums, exceptional cuisine and an infrastructure for leisure and active tourism are its calling card.  

The bay offers a coast of contrasts with more than six kilometres of beaches and coves and 50 kilometres of navigable canals. Its beaches offer shallow, clear waters.  

However, this part of the Costa Brava contains other natural spaces such as Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, with a large number of native species of flora and fauna; the Cap de Creus, in the northern part of the Costa Brava; and the La Albera Mountains, with an interesting collection of megalithic monuments.  

These monuments serve as a starting point for a historic journey along the bay. In the town of L’Escala we find other nearby ruins, those of the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ampurias, one of the most important archaeological sites on the peninsula. Equally outstanding is the Ciutadella de Roses, where you will find the ruins of the city of Rodhes (776 B.C.); the 11th-century monastery of Santa María, and Renaissance fortifications; the 7th-century Visigothic Castrum and Trinidad Castle, dating from the 16th century.

For its part, the town of Castelló d’Empuries has retained its cathedral, Jewish quarter, the city walls and convents, centres where documents chronicling the history of the bay have been preserved.