Costa Brava

The Costa Brava, the 'wild coast', runs from just north of Barcelona to the French border, a line of pine-covered headlands and small coves of clear water. Tossa de Mar has a walled medieval old town on its headland, and Cadaqués is the white fishing village where Salvador Dalí made his home.

Spend a day swimming, snorkelling or diving, as Indian travellers often do after seeing the scuba scenes in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, or take a boat along the cliffs between the coves. Inland, the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres is a surreal treat.

The coast is about an hour and a half from Barcelona by road. Beaches are busiest in August; June and September are calmer and the sea is still warm.