Escape to Tossa de Mar: A Day Trip from Barcelona
Let me share my experience in a beautiful small town in Spain: Tossa de Mar. If you're visiting Barcelona, definitely consider spending a day in this lovely coastal haven.
Beyond being a popular resort town, Tossa de Mar also served as a filming location for the Korean drama "Legend of the Blue Sea". It offers a unique opportunity for fans of Korean dramas to experience a piece of their favorite show.
A Relaxing Alternative to Barcelona
If you're looking for a break from the bustling crowds of Barcelona, Tossa de Mar offers a gentler, more relaxed atmosphere. The air is fresh, the pace of life is slower, and the locals are incredibly friendly, especially the older folks who were all smiles when they saw us taking pictures.
Getting There
To get to Tossa de Mar from Barcelona, we headed to the Estació del Nord bus station and bought tickets for a bus. The journey takes around 1.5 hours. The bus can get a bit warm and the road to the coast has quite a few curves, so be prepared if you're prone to motion sickness.
Dining at La Roca de Tossa
For lunch, we chose La Roca de Tossa, a well-known local restaurant. Luckily, we got a table right away, but it's popular, so I recommend making a reservation in advance.
The restaurant offers both lunch sets and a la carte options. Here's what we ordered:
- Mussels in Sauce (Vẹm xanh sốt): A generous portion of fresh, plump mussels in a rich, flavorful sauce. Absolutely delicious!
- Cogollos con Atún (Salad cá ngừ): Crisp, sweet lettuce hearts with tuna. The dressing was a bit heavy on the vinegar for my taste.
- Revoltillo de Huevos (Scrambled Eggs): A surprisingly tasty dish, perfectly seasoned with mushrooms, shrimp, and herbs. Very satisfying!
- Paella marinera (cơm chiên hải sản): Similar in flavor to the Paella from El Glop Gaudi in Barcelona, but the rice at La Roca was slightly moist, giving it a unique texture. The seafood topping was plentiful and the dish was flavorful.
- Costillar de cordo (Sườn heo nướng): Tender and juicy ribs that weren't dry at all, a huge plus! Well-seasoned and flavorful, even without sauce.
- Bistec a la Placha (Bít tết bò): Well-prepared with a perfectly cooked medium-rare. Simply seasoned with salt and pepper.
Dessert Highlights
The desserts were a standout feature of our meal:
- Homemade Cheesecake: Recommended by our server, this cheesecake was incredible. Rich and creamy with a hint of strawberry, it literally melted in our mouths. If you visit, you absolutely must try it!
- Crema Catalana: The famous Catalan dessert. Cracking the brittle caramel topping with a spoon revealed a smooth, creamy custard underneath. Perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Price: 21.90€ per set menu (including a drink). A great value for a filling meal!
The restaurant's atmosphere is simple, but the staff is friendly and attentive. Most importantly, the food is delicious and high quality!
Exploring Tossa
After lunch, we explored the town on foot.
We walked uphill, using Google Maps to locate the 📍Municipal Museum of Tossa de Mar, which marks the location of the famous "Hang chó" (Dog Cave).
We also visited the 📍Vila Vella castle, with its breathtaking sea views. This is another spot where "Legend of the Blue Sea" was filmed. From the top, you can see the sea and the beach. The beach was crowded, but the color of the water from above was stunning.
Later in the evening, we strolled down near the beach for some ice cream. We noticed that the beach wasn't sand but tiny pebbles. People were playing volleyball barefoot on the pebbles, I don't know how they did it!
Since we didn't swim, about 6 hours in Tossa was the perfect amount of time. If you plan to swim, consider arriving earlier or spending a whole day there!
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