Getaways with Mediterranean Views
Discover El Far's experiences and getaways to enjoy the Costa Brava.
Summer on the Costa Brava is made for enjoying the Mediterranean, but on the hottest days, spending hours under the sun isn’t always the most appealing option.
The good news is that the area around Llafranc and Palafrugell offers plenty of other ways to enjoy the day: cultural attractions, markets, Empordà villages, gastronomy, late-afternoon walks and activities to enjoy once the temperature begins to drop.
If you’re spending a few days in the area and wondering what to do on the Costa Brava when it’s very hot, here are seven ideas for discovering the region beyond the beach.
The middle of the day can be the perfect time to swap the seaside for a cultural visit.
Palafrugell has several museums, foundations and interpretation centres where you can learn more about the history and identity of this part of the Empordà. Highlights include the Museu del Suro de Catalunya, dedicated to an industry closely linked to the municipality’s economic and social development, and the Fundació Josep Pla, which introduces visitors to the life and work of the writer born in Palafrugell.
The town’s cultural offering also includes other spaces and activities, providing plenty of ways to spend a few hours away from the sun while discovering a different side of the destination.
Ideal for: the hottest hours of the day, culture lovers and anyone interested in local history.
Another option is to head into the centre of Palafrugell.
Its streets reveal a much more everyday side of the municipality than the one you’ll find in Llafranc, Calella de Palafrugell or Tamariu.
You can wander through the centre, browse local shops and visit the market, perhaps combining your visit with a gastronomic or cultural stop.
It’s a particularly good option if you’d like a break from the beach without devoting an entire day to an excursion.
Ideal for: combining local life, shopping, gastronomy and culture.
The coastal paths are one of the Costa Brava’s most characteristic features, but in the height of summer there’s no need to walk them during the hottest part of the day.
On particularly warm days, a better option is to save your walks for early morning or when the sun begins to go down.
This way, you can enjoy the coastal landscape, pine forests and Mediterranean views while avoiding the middle of the day.
You don’t need to plan a long route either. Choose a section close to Llafranc or Calella de Palafrugell, walk for a while and return before temperatures climb too high.
If you’d like to explore different options, you’ll also find a guide to the best sections of the Camí de Ronda near Llafranc on our blog.
Ideal for: anyone who wants to keep walking during their holiday while choosing the most pleasant times of day.
As temperatures begin to drop, it’s a good time to leave the coast for a few hours and discover some of the villages of the Empordà.
Pals, Peratallada and Begur offer three very different experiences, combining history, architecture and atmospheric streets and squares.
Visiting them in the late afternoon also makes it easy to organise your day at a relaxed pace: enjoy the sea in the morning, rest during the hottest hours and head inland later in the day.
Our article about charming towns and villages near Llafranc offers more ideas to help you choose the excursion that best suits your stay.
Ideal for: combining the coast and countryside in a single day.
Summer also brings an extensive programme of cultural events.
During the 2026 summer season, Palafrugell has a programme running from 1 July to 14 September, with a variety of cultural and leisure activities.
Exhibitions, guided tours, concerts, theatre, cinema, sardana dancing and family activities all feature in the programme across Palafrugell and its coastal villages.
Before planning each day, it’s therefore worth checking the latest programme: you may find an activity, concert or special visit that fits perfectly into your stay.
Ideal for: discovering something different every day and making the most of summer afternoons and evenings.
When it’s very hot, not every plan needs to involve walking or travelling somewhere.
A leisurely meal can be an experience in itself and another way to discover the region.
The cuisine of the Empordà is closely connected to the Mediterranean and seasonal produce, with fish, seafood, rice dishes and recipes rooted in seafaring tradition among its highlights.
At El Far Hotel Restaurant, this cuisine can be enjoyed in a particularly distinctive setting, beside the Sant Sebastià Lighthouse and overlooking the Mediterranean.
During July and August, the restaurant also offers its special Summer Nights experience, created specifically for summer evenings. It includes a welcome by the sea followed by a selection of dishes inspired by seafaring cuisine, with fish and seafood taking centre stage.
A wonderful way to make dinner one of the highlights of the day.
Ideal for: enjoying summer at a leisurely pace and discovering the Costa Brava through its gastronomy.
Some places are particularly enjoyable as the day begins to wind down.
The surroundings of Sant Sebastià de la Guarda, on Cap de Sant Sebastià, are one of them.
Here you’ll find the lighthouse, watchtower, hermitage and Iberian settlement, all in an elevated setting overlooking the Palafrugell coastline.
Arriving in the late afternoon allows you to experience the area in a different light, take in the Mediterranean views and end the day in one of Llafranc’s most emblematic locations.
And if you’d like to extend the experience, you can finish the day with dinner at El Far Hotel Restaurant.
Ideal for: ending the day with scenery, heritage and gastronomy.
There’s no need to stop exploring the Costa Brava. Sometimes, all you need to do is change the rhythm of the day.
A good option is to use the early morning for walking or heading to the sea, reserve the hottest hours for a cultural visit, a rest or a leisurely meal, and leave villages, walks and viewpoints for the late afternoon.
This way, you can continue exploring without spending every day for hours under the sun.
The location of El Far Hotel Restaurant offers a particularly special way to experience summer.
Located in the Sant Sebastià area, on the clifftop overlooking the Mediterranean, the hotel occupies a former 18th-century inn and has nine rooms.
Staying here allows you to begin or end the day in one of Llafranc’s most recognisable settings, combine excursions through the Empordà with quieter moments beside the sea and enjoy the restaurant’s cuisine without having to travel anywhere after dinner.
During July and August, Summer Nights also provides an experience designed specifically for those hours when temperatures fall and you feel like extending the evening overlooking the Mediterranean.
A stay at El Far Hotel Restaurant therefore allows you to adapt each day to the rhythm of summer, combining culture, scenery, gastronomy and rest.
You can use the middle of the day to visit museums and cultural attractions, explore central Palafrugell, enjoy the local gastronomy or rest before heading out again in the late afternoon.
Palafrugell has several cultural attractions, including the Museu del Suro de Catalunya and the Fundació Josep Pla, as well as other foundations and interpretation centres.
Yes, but on particularly hot days, it’s best to walk early in the morning or late in the afternoon, carry enough water and adapt your route to the conditions.
Yes. The summer programme includes cultural activities, exhibitions, guided visits, concerts, cinema, theatre and other events in Palafrugell and its coastal villages. The 2026 summer programme runs from 1 July to 14 September.
You can stroll through the coastal villages, check the cultural programme, visit Sant Sebastià de la Guarda or make gastronomy the focus of your evening. During July and August, El Far Hotel Restaurant also offers its special Summer Nights experience.
Summer doesn’t have to mean spending the entire day at the beach.
Changing the timing of your excursions, discovering Palafrugell’s cultural side, exploring villages in the late afternoon, enjoying the local gastronomy or looking for evening activities allows you to experience another side of the Costa Brava.
From El Far Hotel Restaurant, you can combine all these plans with the landscape of Sant Sebastià and the Mediterranean as both your starting point and the place you return to.
Because when the weather is hot, sometimes the best way to enjoy summer isn’t to do less, but to do things at a different pace.
Discover El Far's experiences and getaways to enjoy the Costa Brava.