Aiguablava Beach

Coordinates: 41.9341080000, 3.2162190000 (map)

The Aiguablava cove (Cala Aiguablava), the southernmost beach in Begur, is also quite possibly the most populated, not just in the municipality, but in the central region of the Costa Brava coast in general. Partially due to the limited size of its "usable" space (75 m long and 25 m wide), the beach of Aiguablava owes a lion's share of its popularity to the striking landscape that surrounds it.

"Aiguablava" means "blue water" in Catalan, and it couldn't be truer here: the sea is crystal-clear and the sand has a golden hue. On the cape Punta d'es Mut to the right stands the only parador hotel in the Costa Brava, a part of the national hotel chain Paradores de Turismo de España. It was built in the 1960s, cementing Aiguablava's reputation as a luxury destination that was specially chosen to house such an exclusive hotel, giving the owners of nearby villas an easy advantage in the popular debate of which cove or beach is the best in the Costa Brava.

The Aiguablava beach, of course, has obligatory outdoor showers, washrooms and a café at the service of visitors. Parking is also available but it can rarely accommodate everyone, so the curbs of the roads leading down to the beach become spillover, if not strictly legal, parking.

The cape Punta d'es Mut would be of interest not just to tourists but also to archaeologists, as in the mid-20th century, fragments of ceramic cauldrons, glasses and amphorae were discovered here. The cape was home to an ancient Iberian settlement, estimated to peak in the 7th century B.C.

Traces of lively activity may be seen underwater as well. In the vicinity of Aiguablava, which a long time ago had evidently served as a natural port, the specialists of the Centre of Underwater Archaeology of Catalonia (Centre d'Arqueologia Subaquàtica de Catalunya) discovered three shipwrecks that have been resting on the seabed since the 2nd century B.C., the 1st century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D., respectively. The amphorae containing wine and oil discovered among the wrecks became notable museum exhibits, while their copies were thoughtfully arranged in the shallow waters nearby in a nod to numerous divers visiting here.