Castello de Ampurias travel information and video

Castello de Empuries

This small medieval town lies between Figueres and Roses, approximately 4 miles from the Gulf of Roses. The Muga river, one of the most important of the region, passes to the south of the town, watering the fields and vineyards and leads down to the beach near the Natural Park of Aigüamolls de l'Empordà. The aerodrome at Girona is approximatel 40 minutes drive.

The old town retains its medieval charm and shows the important historical influence in the region. The province of Empúries encompasses the entire valley including seven monasteries and enclaves as important as St.Martí d'Empuries.


Places of interest
The gothic church of Santa Maria, which has the dimensions of a cathedral, dominates the town. Built in 1236 on the site of an old Roman church, the old square bell tower comes from this original church.

The Gallarda Gateway, The Great House and the Count’s Palace, are all fine examples of medieval structures and the neighbourhood, which incorporates the old Jewish district, dates back to the 13th century when the Jewish community was an important one in the town.

Leisure & recreation
Castelló is an excellent holiday base, a beautiful Catalan town, with few tourists and just 4 kilometres from some of the best beaches in Spain. Enjoy taking in the local life in the local plazas or head to the wonderful beaches, take in a round of golf, visit a Dalí museum; you could even go hiking in the nearby Pyrenees.

The town of Empuriabrava, whose residential neighbourhood is built around a system of canals, is just 4 km from Castelló, and has one of the largest waterway system in Europe; many of the houses have moorings in their back garden, which lead out to the Mediterranean via a series of canals. You can hire a small boat in the marina and explore the canals for an hour or two.

There are many more outdoor attractions in and around Empuriabrava also, including: sky diving, trip to a water park, glass bottom boat trips, boat charter, fishing trips, go karts, butterfly park and bird sanctuary, amongst others. There are nature protected zones on either side of the resort, with traffic free paths for walking, jogging and cycling.

Beaches
There are two long sandy beaches that never get too crowded and have water sports, beach bars showers and other facilities.

Market
Saturday morning is market day in Empuriabrava and Sunday you can visit the markets at L'Escala & Roses.

Cuisine
Some traditional Catalan dishes to try include, Escudella I Carn D'olla consisting of a vegetable broth with pork, veal and chicken; Pa Amb Tomàquet, simply rustic bread, which can be toasted, rubbed with tomato pulp and dressed with oil and salt; this delicious breakfast can also be served with ham, sausage or tortilla.

Coca is a very thin dough baked with onions, peppers and other vegetables served with and meats, or fish (especially sardines).

Climate
The area is enjoyably sunny and warm through spring, summer and autumn; the winters are mild with some rain.