Costa Brava lifestyle

Wherever you're staying in the Costa Brava, you'll have a good range of souvenir shops and boutiques to keep you happy. Throughout all the resorts, you'll find shops selling typical souvenirs like cheerful ceramics, embroidered goods and leather so you can stock up with reminders to take home. Bustling Calella offers excellent boutiques along its main pedestrianised street, whilst in Malgrat and Pineda de Mar there are fewer shops, but still enough for leisurely browsing. Don't miss the area's colourful street markets selling crafts and foodstuffs and for heavy-duty shopping, take a trip to Barcelona's high fashion stores.

Unsurprisingly, the Costa Brava's food centres on the fish and seafood caught in its local waters, with most delicacies char-grilled or oven-baked in salt. Treats to watch out for include sarsuela, a spicy stew, mouth-watering seafood paellas laden with fresh shrimps, and fish and meat dishes in romesco sauce, a tasty fusion of almonds, tomatoes and garlic. For dessert, indulge in crème catalana - crème-brulee infused with cinnamon - and when you're sitting in the sun, sip on Catalonia's home-produced cava or everyone's favourite, sangria - a chilled-out combination of brandy, wine and lemonade.

Nightlife in the Costa Brava varies from resort to resort, although you'll always have the opportunity to relax over dinner watching a glorious sunset or the moonlight playing on the waves. In quiet resorts like Pineda de Mar, most entertainments come courtesy of hotel shows and in Malgrat de Mar, you'll find a number of discos and bars along the seafront. In livelier spots like Calella, lots of music bars and nightspots tempt partygoers as do weekly displays of the sardana, Catalonia's traditional dance.