Torroella de Montgrí: Medieval Town & L’Estartit Beaches

Torroella de Montgrí is a medieval royal town about 6 km inland, in a municipality of some 12,500 people that also holds the beach resort of L’Estartit and the Medes Islands. Stay in Torroella for the old streets, the Monday market and the walk up to Montgrí Castle. Stay in L’Estartit if the beach, boat trips and diving are the point. The two are separate places a short drive apart. It is part of our Costa Brava guide.

Quick facts

• Where: Torroella de Montgrí, Baix Empordà, province of Girona. The municipality covers the town, the L’Estartit coast and the Medes Islands.
• Residents: 12,570 (1 January 2025, INE) on 65.93 km² (Idescat).
• Beach: none in the old town. L’Estartit is about 6 km east in a straight line (measured from OpenStreetMap points); its Platja Gran is about 1 km of sand between the port and Griells, or 2.3 km by the council’s count.
• Airports: Girona–Costa Brava 50 km, Barcelona 150 km. High-speed trains stop at Girona (45 km) and Figueres (39 km) (Visit Estartit, how to arrive).
• Language: Catalan and Spanish; the official tourist site also comes in English.
• Market days: Monday in Torroella, Thursday in L’Estartit.
• Medes Islands: seven islets, about 23 ha, one mile off the L’Estartit beach.

Where to base yourself

The municipality works as two bases, not one. The town sits at the foot of the Montgrí massif, and the coast is a separate resort with its own port, beach and market.

Torroella de Montgrí (the town)

The tourist board describes Torroella as a former royal town at the foot of the limestone Montgrí massif, surrounded by fields and vegetable gardens watered by the last stretch of the river Ter. Its main streets meet at Plaça de la Vila, which is busiest on Mondays, market day. This is the better base for walkers, for museums and for a trip outside July and August, and the castle path starts from the town on foot. The trade-off is the sea: it is about 6 km away, so you need a car or a local bus to swim. Skip it if you want to walk to the beach.

L’Estartit (the coast)

L’Estartit is the coastal part of the same municipality, on a bay facing the Medes Islands where the Montgrí massif meets the sea, and the Costa Brava tourist board calls it a town with a seafaring past. It has the port, the long beach, the boat and dive operators and its own Thursday market. It suits families, swimmers and divers. Its old fishing quarter around Carrer de Santa Anna has a self-guided heritage route, but this is a seaside resort, not a medieval town. Skip it if old stone streets are the reason you came.

Things to do

History and walking are the town’s side of the municipality, and they are free to start on: you walk out of the old streets onto the massif.

Montgrí Castle and the massif

Montgrí Castle was built between 1294 and 1301 on the order of King Jaume II, as a fortress to counter the County of Empúries. It was never finished: only the outer walls and square towers stand. It is reached on foot from Torroella, and the tourist board says it gives a 360-degree view over the Empordà, from the Bay of Roses to the Bay of L’Estartit and the Medes Islands. OpenStreetMap puts the ruin just over 1 km from the town hall in a straight line, but it is uphill. Further into the massif, the Santa Caterina hermitage was founded in 1392 by three Benedictine monks from Montserrat; its rooms can be visited.

The medieval town and its museums

Walk the lanes between the Torre de les Bruixes (the Witches’ Tower) and the Portal de Santa Caterina, past the Església de Sant Genís and the 16th- and 17th-century houses on Carrer de l’Església. The Museu de la Mediterrània uses the massif, the Baix Ter plain and the Medes Islands as its themes, and doubles as an information point for the natural park. The Fundació Vila Casas runs the Palau Solterra and the Fundació Mascort the Casa Galibern, and the Auditori Teatre Espai Ter has a year-round programme. Each summer the town hosts the Festival de Torroella, an international music festival. Check the programme and ticket details with the organisers before planning around it.

Walking and cycling

The GR-92 / E-12 (Mediterranean Path) and the Ter route both pass through, and the area is on the EuroVelo 8 and Pirinexus cycle routes, according to the tourist board. The Empordà plain is mostly flat. The board also lists a circular walk called “A vista d’ocell” of about three hours with a local guide accredited by the park.

Beaches and places nearby

All the sea in this municipality is at L’Estartit and along the Montgrí coast to the north.

Platja Gran and the coves

The Costa Brava tourist board lists Platja Gran as fine sand, about 100 m wide, with water sports, a children’s club and amphibious chairs for people with reduced mobility. There is a large free car park next to the sand near Griells, the residential area at the end of the 1 km stretch. Counts of its length differ: about 1 km from the port to Griells, 2.3 km including Griells and La Pletera as far as the mouth of the Ter. For rock rather than sand, the board points to Calella cove and to Pedrosa cove, set among pines and rocks. A self-guided route from the Passeig del Molinet to the La Pletera wetlands covers the cliffs, the dunes and the Ter Vell.

Medes Islands and the natural park

The Medes are seven islets of about 23 ha, one mile off the beach, inside the Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park. The park covers more than 8,000 ha, 2,000 of them marine, and was declared in 2010 (Catalan parks service). The tourist board calls the islands one of the main marine reserves of the western Mediterranean. Glass-bottom boat trips, kayaking and diving are run by activity companies from the port, and the board says all of them follow the rules that protect the reserve. It also notes that the dive sites include the Reggio Messina, a ship sunk deliberately in 1991. Espai Medes at the port is the marine interpretation centre. Boats and prices change with the season, so check with the companies and the tourist office.

Inland, the wider Empordà is close: Empúries and the Iberian town of Ullastret are both a short drive away, and Begur is the next base down the coast.

Other town guides nearby: L’Escala (about 9 km in a straight line), Palafrugell (about 14 km in a straight line), Palamós (about 22 km in a straight line).

On CostaMap near Torroella de Montgrí: Iberian Town of Ullastret (5.5 km) · Empúries (10 km).

Food and drink

Markets are the easiest way in. The town market on Monday and the L’Estartit market on Thursday are long-standing weekly fixtures, and the tourist board lists fruit, vegetables, organic produce and clothing among the stalls. The board counts more than 80 restaurants across the two places and describes the cooking as home-style with local products. The harbour side of L’Estartit has its own food history: its self-guided heritage route covers the fishing boats, the taverns and the street of the old salting works.

We name no restaurants here, because opening dates change by season and we have no official list to quote. Ask the tourist office in either place for the current list.

Where to stay

The tourist board’s accommodation search covers four locations: Torroella de Montgrí, L’Estartit, Sobrestany and Cala Montgó. The types are hotels, tourist apartments, tourist-use homes, rural houses, campsites, motorhome areas, youth hostels and group houses. The search filters by location and type, so use it after you have chosen between the town and the coast in the base section above.

We give no nightly prices because there is no official figure to quote, and rates change with the season. Check that a seaside hotel or campsite is open before you plan a winter stay around it.

Getting there and around

Girona–Costa Brava airport is 50 km away and Barcelona airport 150 km. The tourist board lists regular SARFA and AMPSA buses from Barcelona, Girona and the main Costa Brava towns, plus on-demand public transport through Clic.cat, and taxis. The high-speed stations it names are Girona (45 km) and Figueres (39 km), so plan a bus or taxi on from there (Visit Estartit, how to arrive).

The park itself asks visitors to consider public transport before coming by car, and to move around by bus, bike, boat or on foot. Without a car, the town is the easier base for walking out to the castle; with one, the L’Estartit car park next to Griells beach is free. The board also lists secure bike parking and car-sharing meeting points in both Torroella and L’Estartit. Check current bus timetables with the operators before you travel.

Best time to visit

The tourist board says the area suits any time of year, with an autumn programme of sport and culture events. The old town, the museums and the castle walk do not depend on beach weather, so they work outside summer. Swimming, boat trips and the full L’Estartit services lean on the season, so confirm opening with the operators outside July and August. The Festival de Torroella is held each summer, and the Monday market runs weekly. Check forecasts on AEMET before the castle climb or a boat trip.

FAQ

Is Torroella de Montgrí on the beach?

No. The medieval town is about 6 km inland. The beach is at L’Estartit, in the same municipality.

Should I stay in Torroella or L’Estartit?

Torroella for history, the Monday market and walks to the castle; L’Estartit for the beach, the port and boat trips to the Medes Islands. A car or bus links them.

How far is Torroella de Montgrí from Girona airport?

Girona–Costa Brava airport is 50 km away and Barcelona airport 150 km, according to the tourist board. The nearest high-speed station is Figueres at 39 km or Girona at 45 km.

Which day is market day?

Monday in Torroella de Montgrí and Thursday in L’Estartit.

Can you walk to Montgrí Castle?

Yes. The castle is reached on foot from Torroella, uphill on the Montgrí massif. Wear proper shoes and allow time for the climb back.

Sources and freshness

Last checked: October 2026. Sources: INE, population of Girona municipalities; Visit Estartit, Torroella de Montgrí; Visit Estartit, Medes Islands; Visit Estartit, natural park; Visit Estartit, how to arrive; Visit Estartit, where to eat; Visit Estartit, where to sleep; Costa Brava, Torroella de Montgrí; Costa Brava, L’Estartit; Costa Brava, Platja Gran de L’Estartit; Catalan parks service, park data; Idescat, municipal data; AEMET.

Main photo: Davidpar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.