Roses, the gateway to Cap de Creus
With nearly twenty thousand inhabitants, roses stands as the undisputed capital of the Cap de Creus . The most important city of the famous cape usually remains in the shadow of some other smaller towns.
We refer to the idyllic ** Cadaqués or Port de la Selva **. The first ones that one thinks of as soon as Cap de Creus is mentioned. Little fishing villages that have earned **being the flag of the entire Costa Brava**. We also meet the little Sea Jungle which, despite being a few kilometers inland, is worthy of a beautiful bucolic postcard.
In the middle of the fourth century B.C. Some ships from the Greek city of **Massalia, now Marseille**, reached this area of the Empordà. A large number of inhabitants arrived in them willing to settle in the region in search of better living conditions and greater natural resources, which at that time were beginning to be scarce in Massalia due to overpopulation.
Aerial view of Roses
Today the relationship between the city of the Cap de Creus with France. It is barely four hours by car that separate the French city of Marseille from Roses. Exactly 389km . Perhaps this is the reason why french tourism abounds . Who knows, it's probably some other reason, because the truth is that they come from all corners of France. The point is that most of the visitors, and even many of the business owners, come from the neighboring country.
After the arrival of these ships, the new inhabitants settled, initially, in Sant Pere de Rhodes -place of obligatory visit- and later they went down to the plane, to what they called Rhodes, Rhode or Rode , embryo of the current city of Roses.
As expected, the Romans later arrived with their legions to fight Carthage and the inhabitants of Rhodes joined the latter to repel the attack. The natives received a strong corrective from the cohorts of Cato the Elder. More than 40,000 Hispanic resisters lost their lives in the Battle of Rhode.
The waters that you will only find on the Costa Brava
It is clear then that Roses has been a disputed city , and it is not for less, the strategic position is indisputable, completely dominating the bay that bears the name of the city itself . This is precisely one of its greatest attractions; be able to reach see l'Escala at the other end of the gulf . This contemplative pleasure is increased if one arrives in Roses on foot, following the marvelous Caminos de Ronda, it is then that one can sit on a terrace have a cold beer and think ; I come from there, pointing to l'Escala.
At the other end of the gulf, before l'Escala but past the beaches of Castelló d'Empúries and Sant Pere Pescador , are the **ruins of Ampurias**, also controlling the bay. This time from the south. The Greeks knew very well where to set up their trading colonies.
Roses is not ugly, but no one expects to find anything like Cadaqués or Port de la Selva . They have nothing to do with it. In the middle of August the city can be insufferable due to the number of hotels and visitors, but things get much better in September and of course it is very interesting in May and June.
In winter only the neighbors remain and tranquility prevails . However, dips on the beach would have to be replaced by others in the indoor pools of some hotels. For example, although somewhat far from the center, the Hotel Montecarlo that has pool and spa with sea views. The feeling is that of being in the sand itself. If you request a room with a view, you can enjoy a impressive panorama of the entire gulf.
Another recommended hotel, in this case to go with the family, is the gigantic ** Hotel Mediterráneo **. It has three swimming pools, a spa, a large garden area, a park... ideal for relaxing with the family. If you are traveling as a couple, 1935 Hotel Boutique by Terraza will be your place, due to its charm, its breakfast of artisan sausages, its bistro, its live jazz... a jewel.
Perfect for a romantic getaway
During the summer months the city's beaches are usually very crowded, so we recommend move to other nearby points . get into the Cap de Creus It is always a very good option. There we will not find great beaches but yes beautiful coves . Among the quietest we highlight the Sa Sabolla, close to Cadaqués, which is no more than 100 meters long and is usually only frequented by those who come by sailboat, Well, to get there you have to walk about 4 km..
To do this, we park on the beach of Sa Conca, in Cadaqués (more crowded), and from there we can start the climb to the other lighthouse of Cap de Creus, the least known, Calanan's.
For three kilometers we can enjoy the beautiful views of the bay of Cadaqués. Afterwards, we will go down some stairs to this beautiful wild pebble cove , very much in the style of the Costa Brava.
Sa Sabolla, the hidden beach of Cadaqués
Coming here and not stepping on Cap de Creus is a sin. We can't stop visiting its lighthouse, the best known and which bears the same name as the cape. Here we will discover the power of the Tramontana wind. We can do it at sunset and take the opportunity to rest in the bar located in the same lighthouse.
Another of the recommended beaches if we do not want to walk so much is that of The Goals . It has a large extension, around three kilometres, is virgin and is located at the mouth of the Fluvià river. To get to it, we can park in a parking area near the sandbank, accessing from Sant Pere Fisherman ; Or, leave the car in the town and walk down the river, a walk that we highly recommend. Back in Roses, we focus on its downtown area, where most of the restaurants are concentrated, retains a large number of white houses that remind us that we are on the Costa Brava.
In this area, the new constructions that have been built are quite respectful of the urban planning of the area and most of the streets are pedestrianized. Thus, one can calmly walk the ten minutes that separate him from the famous Citadel of Roses , the first and most important cultural attraction of the city. Another must see.
August, perhaps, is the worst month to discover Roses
If what you want is to walk in a somewhat wilder way and one is not satisfied with the leisurely walks through the streets of the town, we can always continue walking along the promenade and enter the Cap de Creus in the direction of Cadaqués following the Camino de Ronda.
If we regret it halfway, we can call a taxi when we get to Montjoi cove , the place where we can see the remains of Ferràn Adrià's restaurant, El Bulli. Subject that leads us inexorably towards the last point: the gastronomy.
We will be clear: in Roses you have to be careful depending on which place, because there are not a few expensive establishments of questionable quality focused on tourism. They already know.
On the other hand, there are also plenty of places where satisfy the most demanding palates . Just to mention some, and taking advantage of the fact that we were talking about Ferràn Adrià, we propose what they say was his favorite restaurant in the city, Rafa's .
We can also highlight one of the most typical to enjoy a good rice or suquet de peix ; L'Ancora . Finally, a bistro that has gained well-deserved fame in recent years is the Hammer it , which we advise you to go and try as much as possible of its menu but, especially, the burrata . In Italy you don't eat a better one.