Platja d'Aro holidays

Holidays to Platja d’Aro are the ideal mix of lazy beach days, lively nights out and daytrips to Barcelona.

Right by the sea

Platja d’Aro is a popular seaside town plotted in the heart of Spain’s Costa Brava region. Its biggest attraction is Platja Gran – the main beach. The sandy shore stretches out for just under two-and-a-half kilometres, all the way from the town’s iconic rocky outcrop to the mouth of the Ridaura River. Turn your gaze inland, and you’ll find a high street that’s lined with shops, bars and restaurants where you can expect to see seafood, tapas and steaming pans of paella on the menu. After dark, things stay up tempo thanks to the town’s lively clubbing scene.

Long sandy stretch

Restaurants, bars and high-rise apartment buildings sit along Platja Gran’s promenade, which spans the width of the whole town. The section by the harbour, meanwhile, takes on a more natural look, with a backdrop of pine trees. You’ll see plenty of sea swimmers flock to this spot, as a sloping underwater shelf makes the water get deep quite quickly. If you want to go somewhere shallower, Cala Rovira beach is less than a five-minute drive away – it has a couple of small rocky coves, and if you walk through the rocks, you’ll reach a secluded sandy spot.

Family fun

Platja d’Aro’s waterpark is less than five minutes’ drive from the town centre. It’s got flumes for the whole family, including sheer drops for thrill-seekers or swirly tubed numbers if you want something a little slower-paced. There are also lots of places to grab a bite inside the park, as well as a couple of pools to relax beside.

Daytripping distance

This small seaside town puts you within ideal day-tripping distance of Barcelona – you can drive there in less than an hour and a half. That means plenty of time to tuck in to tapas along Las Ramblas or snap picture in front of the Sagrada Familia. Platja d’Aro is also only an hour from Figueres, if you want to visit the birthplace of Salvador Dali and mooch around his self-created museum. Girona’s in reach, too – about a 40-minute drive away – and you might recognise the old quarter from scenes in Game of Thrones.