Free walking tours in Calella and what to see

Must-sees

Calella is a town on the Maresme coast, north of Barcelona, with a long beach of coarse sand and a lively promenade. Passeig de Manuel Puigvert, with its tall plane trees, is where locals and visitors gather. The historic centre has pedestrian shopping streets and the church of Santa Maria i Sant Nicolau, with a Baroque façade.

Up on the rocks stands Calella lighthouse, which is also a small museum and has good views over the coast. Nearby are the Torretes, two old 19th-century optical telegraph towers. Parc Dalmau is a good place to rest in the shade. To the south, Sant Pol de Mar is a small village worth a stroll.

Free tours and guided visits

Free walking tours are rare in Calella. Trips leaving from the town itself are the norm here. If you are looking for a pay-what-you-like free walking tour, Barcelona is about an hour away by commuter train, with tours of the Gothic Quarter, El Born and the Modernisme of the Eixample. Girona also offers guided walks of its old town.

Among the paid trips, the most popular are day trips to Barcelona with entry to the Sagrada Família, to Montserrat and to Girona. There are also outings to the Costa Brava, with towns such as Tossa de Mar, and tours of Montseny Nature Park, with beech and holm oak forests a short drive away.

How long to spend

You can explore Calella in a morning: the promenade, the centre, the lighthouse and the Torretes. The rest of the time is for the beach. A week is a good plan if you want to combine rest and trips: two or three days for Barcelona, one for Girona, another for Montserrat or Montseny and an outing along the Costa Brava.

Where to stay

Most hotels are near the promenade and in the surrounding streets, a few steps from the beach and the centre. It is the best area for getting around on foot. If you plan to go to Barcelona often, look for somewhere near the train station, which is by the sea. Areas further from the centre are quieter, but you will depend more on transport.