Calonge travel information and video

Holiday information, facts, photos and video about Calonge

Calonge

Calonge is an essentially traditional Catalan town, with an interesting old medieval old centre with narrow streets and many remarkable old buildings.

The old maritime port, Sant Antoni de Calonge, has developed considerably since the area has developed its tourism offering; from Calonge to Palamos the area is very popular. There is a good choice of small shops, restaurants and bars in the labyrinth of streets surrounding the old church.

Calonge is approximately two kilometres from San Anton Beach. The town itself has several satellite urbanisations and coastal areas. Calonge is served by Girona airport, which has an excellent choice of flights from European destinations. The drive from the airport takes approximately 45 minutes.


Beaches
The charming coastline close to Calonge with its sandy beaches and beautiful bays, make this whole area simply delightful. The unspoilt beach of Castells, the long wild stretch of beach at Pals, the beach of St Antonio de Calonge, S'Agaro beach, Palamos beach and St Feliu beach. Immediately north of St Antonio is a series of spectacular rocky coves and a breathtaking walk along the headlands above them.


Excursions
Close by are the cities of Girona, Barcelona and Figueres, all well worth a visit for their architecture and historical interest. The French border is approximately one hour's drive away and the spectacular Pyrenees can be reached in around an hour and a half.

The area is dotted with unspoilt mediaeval villages such as Pals, Monells and Madremanya; a recommended drive is through the Gavarres National Park from Calonge to La Bisbal, and then on through the fields of sunflowers between Monells and Madremanya.


Golf
There are a number of excellent golf courses in the area and five of them have been voted as amongst the top 50 courses in Europe by Golf World.

Leisure & recreation
Walking and cycling are popular activities with a wide range of trails and tracks. Water sports, including diving are freely available at many locations within a few minutes drive. Hacking and fishing are also available locally. Runners too will enjoy the miles of tracks and paths.

Eating out
There are so many wonderful restaurants with fresh fish caught every day at very accessible prices. Many of the restaurants serve local Catalan specialties. There are a multitude of bars from the highly sophisticated to the local fisherman's tavern.

Cuisine
The gastronomy of Catalonia is rich and varied; principally it is the typical Mediterranean diet of fish and seafood, with fresh vegetables, olives and olive oil rice and pasta.

Some traditional Catalan dishes to try include, Escudella I Carn D'olla consisting of a vegetable broth with pork, veal and chicken; Pa Amb Tomàquet, simply rustic bread, which can be toasted, rubbed with tomato pulp and dressed with oil and salt; this delicious breakfast can also be served with ham, sausage or tortilla.

Coca is a very thin dough baked with onions, peppers and other vegetables served with and meats, or fish (especially sardines).

Nightlife
The nightlife at both Palamos and Playa d' Aro starts at midnight until dawn with enough nightclubs to cater for all tastes.

Climate
The area enjoys a Mediterranean climate of hot summers, tempered by sea breezes, and mild winters with some rain.