Hostalric is a small walled town of 4,493 people in the La Selva comarca of Girona province, inland from the Costa Brava and roughly 15 km in a straight line from the sea at Blanes. It suits a half-day or full-day stop built around a hilltop castle and about 600 m of surviving town wall, not a beach holiday. Most visitors come by car or train from the coast, Girona or Barcelona, and stay on the coast or in a city. It is part of our Costa Brava guide, and this page tells you what is worth the detour and what to check before you go.
Quick facts
- Where: Hostalric, La Selva comarca, Girona province, Catalonia. The tourist office is at Carrer Raval 45 (Costa Brava tourism site).
- Residents: 4,493 (1 January 2025, INE). The municipality covers about 3 km² and is the smallest in La Selva (Costa Brava tourism site).
- Beach: none. Hostalric is inland. Blanes is about 15 km away in a straight line and Lloret de Mar about 17 km (our calculation from OSM coordinates); the town’s own tourism page puts the main Costa Brava resort areas about 30 minutes away by car.
- Distances by road: Girona 40 km, Barcelona 60 km, Girona–Costa Brava Airport 30 km (Hostalric tourist office, “how to get here” page). Barcelona–El Prat airport is about 68 km in a straight line (our calculation).
- Train: a stop on the Barcelona–Portbou line, served by R2 Nord and R11 (Hostalric tourist office).
- Language: Catalan and Spanish are the local languages; the official tourism website is also in English.
- Market day: Tuesday morning, on Avinguda Fortalesa (town council announcement; confirm before you plan around it).
- Big dates: the Medieval Fair on Easter weekend and the Sant Miquel Fair on the last weekend of September.
Where to base yourself
The honest answer is that most people do not sleep in Hostalric. It is a compact place that you see in a few hours, and the choice that matters is where you spend the nights around it. There are three realistic options.
In the walled town
Staying in the old town makes sense if you want the quiet hours after the day visitors leave, or an early start at the castle. The tourist office, the key visit to the walls and the castle entrance are all within a short walk of each other. We have not verified the current accommodation in town, so ask the tourist office or check booking sites for what is open on your dates.
On the coast at Blanes or Lloret de Mar
If you want a beach each day and Hostalric as an outing, base yourself at Blanes, about 15 km away in a straight line, or Lloret de Mar, about 17 km. The town’s own tourism page puts the resort areas about 30 minutes away by car.
In Girona or Barcelona
If your trip is built around a city, Hostalric works as a stop on the way between them, since it sits on the old route between Girona and Barcelona. Girona is 40 km away and Barcelona 60 km, according to the Hostalric tourist office. The train makes it possible without a car, but check the timetable first.
Things to do
Hostalric’s sights are close together and mostly outdoors. A comfortable visit covers the walls, the castle and a slow walk through the streets, and fits in half a day. Add a trail or a fair date if you want more.
The walls and towers
The town grew inside a wall that runs for about 600 m and is almost intact, with eight surviving towers, according to the Costa Brava tourism site. The line of the wall follows the old Camí Ral, the main road between Girona and Barcelona. You can walk the medieval site on your own with the “visit with a key” offered by the tourist office: you collect a key and open and close the spaces along the route, which include the wall walk, the Torre dels Frares (the Friar’s Tower) and the Torre d’Ararà (the Hostalric tourist office). The Torre dels Frares is 33 m high and takes its name from the convent of the Minim friars, now the town hall (Turisme a Catalunya). The same source describes a bombproof gallery 300 m long.
Opening days change by season, and the key visit and the castle have different calendars, so check the tourist office before you travel.
The castle
The castle stands on the hill above the town. A fortification is recorded here as early as 1145, and the castle controlled the Camí Ral. It was reworked in the 17th century and again in the 18th, so what you see is mostly a later military fort, not a single medieval keep (Turisme a Catalunya). The town’s walls and towers are listed as a Bé Cultural d’Interès Nacional, Catalonia’s highest heritage category (Costa Brava tourism site).
Entry is through a castle information point where the ticket office is, and the visit is built around support material, audiovisuals and an interactive model (Hostalric tourist office). Hours and ticket prices are seasonal, with more days open in summer and fewer in winter, so use the official castle page to confirm the day you want. The same page says tickets are paid by card only. Themed and guided visits exist as separate offers; their language is not stated on the pages we read, so ask if it matters to you.
Walks around the town
The tourism office lists signposted walking routes from town, including the Via Augusta Trail, Tourdera, the Parc de les Rieres trail and La volta al Castell, a circuit of the castle hill. The town sits where the Tordera river meets the Arbúcies stream, on flat ground, and is described as an entry point to the Montseny and Montnegre-Corredor parks (Hostalric tourist office). We did not find trail lengths in the official pages, so ask for a map at the office.
The two fairs
The Medieval Fair is always held on Easter weekend, with guided visits, archery, fire shows, horse tournaments, knight fights and a medieval dinner on the programme (Catalan Government culture agenda). The Sant Miquel Fair takes place on the last weekend of September, with craft and food stalls, children’s activities, a correfoc fire run and exhibitions; it was revived in 1990 after decline during the Civil War (Turisme a Catalunya). Both fill the streets, so expect crowds and book ahead if you plan to sleep in town. Check the programme for the year you travel.
Beaches and places nearby
There is no beach in Hostalric. The nearest sand is on the coast at Blanes, about 15 km away in a straight line, and our Blanes guide covers the beaches there. Lloret de Mar is about 17 km away, and Tossa de Mar is farther up the coast. By road, the town’s tourism page says to allow about 30 minutes to reach the main resort areas.
Inland, the same page describes Hostalric as an entry point to the Montseny and Montnegre-Corredor parks. Girona is 40 km away.
Other town guides nearby: Tordera (about 8 km in a straight line), Pineda de Mar (about 14 km in a straight line), Malgrat de Mar (about 14 km in a straight line).
Food and drink
The official tourism site says the town is famous for its cold meats, made by local butchers following family traditions, and that pastry shops and bakeries sell traditional handmade sweets and desserts. A “Hostalric, producte Ric” label groups products made in the town or representative of it. The restaurant offer is described as running from traditional dishes to more creative cooking, with a particular focus on seafood. The pages do not name specific dishes or restaurants, so we do not either.
The practical advice is to eat in town after the castle, and to buy cured meats to take away. Food is also central to both fairs, so the Sant Miquel weekend is the one to choose if eating is your reason to come. For a Tuesday visit, the weekly market is held on Avinguda Fortalesa in the part of town known as La Conna, but the announcement we read is several years old, so confirm it is still running.
Where to stay
We found no sourced figures on accommodation in Hostalric, so we will not describe prices here. The pattern is simple: if you want choice and a beach, stay in Blanes or Lloret de Mar and drive in for the day. If you want the town without day visitors, ask the tourist office what is available and book early around the two fairs. If your trip is built around a city, Girona is the more natural base, with trains on the same line.
Getting there and around
By car. The Hostalric tourist office gives two main approaches: exit 10 off the A7 motorway, or the C-35 road between Granollers and Girona. From the Eix Transversal, take the exit toward Arbúcies and then the GI-552, about 20 km from town. Distances given by the tourist office are Girona 40 km, Barcelona 60 km and Girona–Costa Brava Airport 30 km.
Parking. The municipal car parks are free, and the tourist office recommends parking and exploring on foot. To go straight to the castle, use the school car park at the foot of the fortress; you reach the castle information point by a gallery with stairs or by a paved path. Choose the paved path if stairs are a problem.
By train. Hostalric is a stop on the Barcelona–Portbou line, served by R2 Nord and R11, according to the tourist office. The R11 links Barcelona with Girona, Figueres and Portbou (Rodalies de Catalunya). Check the timetable on rodalies.gencat.cat before you plan the day.
Flights. Girona–Costa Brava Airport is the nearer airport at 30 km by the tourist office’s figure, though in a straight line the two are closer (about 20 km from OSM coordinates). Barcelona–El Prat is about 68 km in a straight line. We did not find a direct public transport link to either airport from Hostalric in the sources we read, so plan on a car or a change in Girona or Barcelona.
Best time to visit
For the fairs, come on Easter weekend for the Medieval Fair or the last weekend of September for the Sant Miquel Fair. For quiet streets, choose a normal weekday outside those weekends and check the castle calendar, because it is open on fewer days in the colder months. We do not give temperature figures here; use AEMET for a forecast before you go.
FAQ
Is Hostalric on the coast?
No. It is an inland town in La Selva. The nearest Costa Brava resorts are about 15 km away in a straight line at Blanes and about 30 minutes by car, according to the town’s tourism page.
How long do you need in Hostalric?
Half a day covers the walls, the castle and a walk through the streets. Add time if you plan one of the signposted trails or a fair weekend.
Can you reach Hostalric by train from Barcelona or Girona?
Yes. Hostalric is a stop on the Barcelona–Portbou line, served by R2 Nord and R11 according to its tourist office. Check rodalies.gencat.cat for the current timetable.
Is parking easy?
The municipal car parks are free, according to the tourist office, and there is a school car park at the foot of the castle. Fair weekends will be busier.
When are the town’s fairs?
The Medieval Fair is always held on Easter weekend, and the Sant Miquel Fair on the last weekend of September. Check the programme for the year you travel.
Is it a place for a beach holiday?
No. Hostalric is a heritage stop. For sand and swimming, base yourself on the coast and visit Hostalric as an outing.
Sources and freshness
- Hostalric tourist office – castle entrance
- Hostalric tourist office – visit with key to the medieval site
- Hostalric tourist office – home page and trails
- Hostalric tourist office – how to get here
- Hostalric tourist office – gastronomy
- Costa Brava tourism – Hostalric
- Turisme a Catalunya – Hostalric, castle and medieval town
- Turisme a Catalunya – Fira de Sant Miquel
- Catalan Government culture agenda – Medieval Fair
- Hostalric town council – weekly market notice
- Rodalies de Catalunya – line R11
- INE – municipal population figures
- AEMET – Spanish weather agency, forecasts
Distances marked as straight-line are our own calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates. Last checked: October 2026.
Main photo: Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Nearby on the Costa Brava
Hostalric on the map
Places worth knowing near Hostalric
How this page is maintained. CostaMap is written and maintained by an AI editorial system built by ebizapple. Facts are drawn from primary sources — town halls, museums, port and heritage authorities and the Spanish archaeological record — and where sources disagree, we say so rather than smooth it over. Photographs marked as ours are taken on location. This page was last reviewed on 30 October 2026. Opening hours, prices and transport change; check the official source before you travel.