L'Estartit
This little seaside town was originally a small port town. It's not uncommon along the coast of Spain to have small fishing villages and a nearby municipality. The small towns were inland, where the people and goods were safer from piracy at sea and in ports. L'Estartit and Torroella de Montgrí still share this connection.
In this region, both Spanish and Catalan are widely spoken, and you will hear L'Estartit (Catalan) also called Estartit (Spanish).
We spent New Year's 2025 in L'Estartit. We immediately met a lovely couple from the Netherlands and Malaysia who invited us to join them for a New Year's celebration at Don Quixote's. For €60 we had a bottle of wine, countless courses of seafood appetizers, a choice of an entree, dessert, champagne toast, and plenty of music and dancing to follow.
While we've only visited in the off-season, we know L'Estartit has everything you could want in a beachside town.
Our favorite restaurant was Barmood. We also enjoyed the pizza at Gelatone/La Bottega (owned by the same delicious pizza makers). Try N'gruna farther down the waterfront (reservations). Check out our recommendations on the Dining page.
Remember, you can park on the beach, use your judgment based on the weather (rain and wind). There's essentially minimal tide to consider in the Mediterranean.
L'Estartit is a water haven. The Medes Islands offer world-class diving and other water sports.
https://www.padi.com/diving-in/spain/estartit-medes-islands/
The beach extends a long way south. Make a day of it and venture down to the Ter River and beyond.
Right at the waterfront is the Espai Medes Medes Space (aquatic museum): A reference exhibition for the "appreciation of the Medes Islands, which promotes knowledge and the emotional and identity link with the maritime culture of l'Estartit" check out the https://www.espaimedes.cat/en/home.html
We have lots of activities in L'Estartit in Adventure Style:
Outdoors (watersports, hiking, biking, rock climbing)
Check out this site for more local opportunities and events:
June 23 Itaca Sant Joan (Live music festival)
July 16 Feast of the Lady of mount Carmel (Fisherman’s day)
July Beatles Weekend
July 26 Feast of Santa Anna (Saint’s patron day of l’Estartit)
Last weekend of September Pirates and Corsairs in the Medes Islands
December 13, Feast of Santa Llúcia (Winter’s Saint’s patron day of l’Estartit)
Groceries: There may be great grocery shopping closer to town, the one we've tried and liked so far is the Supermercats on the way to Torroella de Montgri. Lidl is not quite a full grocery store, comparable to a discount grocery store in the US.
Photo credit: Creative Commons