Lloret de Mar
Lloret del Mar is a resort city on the Costa Brava, Spain, northeast of Barcelona. Lloret is famed for its "young crowd", late nightlife, and the beach.
Understand
[edit]Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]From Girona Costa Brava airport (GRO IATA): there are buses to Lloret from the airport (4 times a day from 10:00 till 14:00, travel time 35 min, €10). You'll find the schedule on the Girona airport Web site.
From Barcelona El Prat airport (BCN IATA): by direct bus (travel time 1 hr 35 min, 9 times a day from 08:10 till 20:40, ticket €13.15) or by train (with the connection at Barcelona Sants main train station, from 05:42 till 22:08, train travel time at least 2 hr, single-ride ticket €6.30) to Blanes, then by city bus to Lloret (another €1.85), the bus schedule is synchronized with regional trains.
Because of the narrow streets, coaches will often drop people little walk from their hotels. A little more expensive at just over €10 is the (shared) ShuttleDirect or Hoppa.com, which is direct and will drop you off and pick you up at your accommodation. There are also a number of official pick up points round town for bus (shuttle coaches) which you will probably leave from rather than your hotel. You must confirm pickup with the shuttle service up to 72 hours before going home.
By bus
[edit]- 1 Lloret de Mar bus terminal, Av. Just Marlés Vilarrodona 68.
By boat
[edit]- 2 Club Nàutic Canyelles, Avinguda Canyelles s/n, ☏ +34 972 368 818. Services: phone, VHF, ramp, crane, shower, garbage collection, weather information, medicine chest, water, electricity, bar, restaurant, PRM access, DEA, parking, WC.
Get around
[edit]
The central part of town is very easy to walk around with a long shopping precinct and other shopping areas. Many streets in the central area are one-way and with pavements just a yard wide on either side with traffic going by at speed. Be careful crossing roads, even on crossings where cars do not always stop. Not many toilets about but there is one in the bus station, in McDonald's and bars. Taxi stand on D'Oliva, opposite McDonald's Express on Av Just Marles.
By car
[edit]Don't. Lloret has many small one way streets and some pedestrian precincts. Where cars are allowed to park in the main part, as soon as a car moves out of a space, another moves in in less than a minute. You are not allowed to park with a wheel on a pavement (even though it differs from the road in colour only). Often there are no signs to tell you where not to park. The police patrol the area, photograph an offending car and hand out tickets, then the tow truck comes and takes the car away. Some hotels however do have underground car parks for their patrons. There are several (underground) paid parking lots, under the bus station, at the new casino, under the market square, even at the end of the main beach (can be full though). You pay around €2 per hour, but it's relatively safe and pretty close to town center and main beach.
By bus
[edit]There are 5 urban bus lines in Lloret de Mar. All of them connect the bus station with town's districts: Fenals, Lloret de Dalt, El Molí - El Rieral, Lloret Residencial, Cala Canyelles. The single ride costs €1.35, the ticket for 10 rides that allows connections between several main lines within the 30-min period, costs €10.60. Monthly ticket €23.85.
See
[edit]
Many good beaches. The bigger ones are Lloret main beach and just south of that, Fenals beach. But many other beaches offer you a great day out as well: Canyelles beach, Sta Christina beach and many more small ones. Most of them can be reached by car only, since they're not on walking distance of downtown Lloret. Half of Sta Boadella beach is an official naturist beach.
The Verdaguer Cultural Centre has excavated relics from the Puig de Castellet Iberian settlement dating back to 250 BC (open Sa Su, 11:00- 18:00 only). Also naval models, paintings and photographs. Museum of the Sea. €4 but has very little in it other than a collection of model boats.
At the far end of the Lloret beach is a castle structure. It's a nice walk, but thousands walk quite some distance to it every day only to find it is private property and does not allow visitors.
There are extensive cycle lanes in parts of Lloret on the pavement. Not many use them and tourists wander through them. These can be very dangerous as a collision between a speeding cyclist and a walker is an accident waiting to happen and will result in an injury or worse.
In 2010 a new big casino was built, as a part of one of Lloret's 5-star hotels: Meliá Lloret De Mar. It's one of the biggest casinos of the Costa Brava. There are a number of slot arcades ready to relieve you of any excess money.
Botanical gardens
[edit]- 1 Jardins de Santa Clotilde, Passeig Jardins, s/n, ☏ +34 972 37 0471. €6.
Do
[edit]Kart racing west of town just past Water World, tennis, horse riding and bowling. Mini and professional golf. Europe's biggest water park nearby with a free bus from the bus station. Gnomoland for infants and young children at the Blanes end of town. South of Blanes is Marineland. Free transport from the centre of Lloret to both places. There is also scuba diving with equipment hire and dives from a shop at the far end of the Lloret beach. As well as cars, cycles and motorbikes can be hired (Fenals area). There are internet cafes (from about one euro an hour) and some areas and hotels have wifi. In weak areas, sitting outside on a balcony can mean the difference between a good signal and no signal inside your room.
- Sea kayaking and Snorkeling (Sea kayaking and Snorkeling), Lloret de Mar beach (Nautical club), ☏ +34 682173225. This activity is accessible for beginners or simply for someone that wants to paddle around without taking a specific course. However we can adapt each program to your experience skills. On this trip, you will paddle from the Bay of Lloret, which is the departure to the excursions. You will head towards the small coves near our base. It's passing through the small beaches, the different caves you will find on our way, like Frares, Trons, the Gran (for snorkeling), Canyelles, ses felices until you get to Cala Morisca, quiet surrounding where you will find plenty of marine life, and different class of fishes to explore.
- 1 Museu del Mar, Passeig de Camprodon i Arrieta, 2, ☏ +34 972 36 44 54. 09:00-13:30, 16:00-18:00. The local maritime museum in the 19th-century building at the seafront. €4 adults, €2 reduced.
- 2 Teatre Municipal de Lloret de Mar, Plaça Germinal Ros, s/n. The town's only theatre.
- 3 Santa Clotilde Gardens (Jardins de Santa Cliotilde), Paratge de Santa Clotilde. April–October daily 10:00-20:00, November–January 10:00-17:00, February–March 10:00-18:00. A picturesque botanical garden that was designed in the manner of Italian Renaissance gardens. Breath-taking views over the sea. full ticket €5, reduced €2.50.
Beaches
[edit]4 Playa de Lloret (Lloret beach). 1.6 km (0.99 mi) by 40 m (130 ft) wide is the busy town beach with 3-mm pebbles that look and move like sand. 
5 Sa Caleta. 
6 Platja de Canyelles (beach of Canyelles), Avinguda de Canyelles (3 km (1.9 mi) east of Lloret de mar next to Port de Cala Canyelles). 450 m (1,480 ft) long white sandy beach with palm trees.
7 Platja de Fenals (Fenals beach), Passeig de Ferran Agulló. Lloret de Mar's second largest sandy beach 700 m (2,300 ft) by 50 m (160 ft) with the Blue Flag - a lot quieter than Playa de Lloret.
8 Platja de sa Boadella (Cala Boadella) (near the Santa Clotilde Gardens; follow a narrow steep path down for 200 m (660 ft)). A beautiful secluded sandy Blue Flag beach shielded by a thick pine forest.
9 Platja de Santa Cristina. A lovely beach, with 500 m (1,600 ft) of fine soft sand, located under a cliff and surrounded by forests and protected from the wind and waves.
Water parks & amusement parks
[edit]- Water world
- Arbre aventura in Lloret de Mar
- Sould park in Lloret de Mar
Pitch and putt
[edit]- * 10 Golf Lloret Pitch & Putt, Papalús s/n, ☏ +34 609132133.
Karting
[edit]- 11 Karting Formula Lloret, Avinguda de les Alegríes, Sant Pere del Bosc, ☏ +34 972 36 78 07, kartingformulalloret@gmail.com.
Hiking
[edit]Try the “cami de ronda” which follows the coast.
The GR 92 long-distance walking route crosses the city.
Buy
[edit]In the main shopping street St Pere, you'll find many famous fashion stores, like Mango, Cello etc. Also different stores selling brand clothes (Pepe, Replay, Desigual). Also many high-end jewellers can be found in the shopping area, selling Rolex, Cartier etc.
Just outside the main streets you can find many small, often Chinese or Pakistani-owned "bazars", selling many different items under €5. There are no big stores like El Corte Ingles to be found. Also many cheap and expensive supermarkets, so shop around. All the usual souvenirs at reasonable prices.
There is a medium-sized market (Av. de Rieral) several minutes walk west from the centre of town on Tuesdays. Like always in crowded areas, be careful as there are pick pockets in the market. There is a small municipal market open M-Sa but it sells just fruits, veg and meat.
Eat
[edit]The inevitable McDonald's and Burger King but for the same money as a meal there, you can get far better food at any one of the endless number of small cafes and eating establishments. It is often chips with everything but some good food just the same.
Three (large) Caprabo supermarkets for food and goods. One at Tossa end of town, one at Blanes end. Also at Blanes end are Consum and Dia supermarkets. Open all day Monday-Saturday and Sunday morning. Other options include Carrefour Express, Mercadona, the ubiquitous Lidl as well as Bonpreu-Esclat with broader choice of food in the commercial centre Porta Lloret, which opened in 2019. Ice creams and lollies around town are about €2 each. Buy them in a main supermarket and a box of 3, 4, even 6 can be a lot less than €2.
Ethnic food availability is rather limited, with several halal butchers, a couple of British and Russian shops scattered around town, and another one dedicated to products from Bulgaria and Romania.
Try to avoid all those tourist trap-type restaurants in the city centre and get some decent local meals like suggested below.
Budget
[edit]- 1 Restaurant Can Guidet, Calle Sra. de Rosell, 25 (in front of the Olympic Hotel). Family restaurant with Catalan cuisine. Spectacular snails, fresh food from the garden. Pleasant treatment by the waiters.
- 2 La Cova Lloret (Food & drink ), Passeig de sa Caleta, 16. On the beachfront and just below the castle. Very good paella. Friendly and helpful staff.
- 3 Can Borrell, Carrer de Miguel de Cervantes, 10. Family tapas bar with a good assortment of tapas and some very good sandwiches. A traditional place with a renewed pleasant atmosphere.
- 4 Iştanbul Döner Kebap, Rambla de Romà Barnés, 20. Mythical kebab in Lloret de Mar. The exterior and setting are humble and the quality of the food is very high. The owners make it an authentic place with their simplicity and the delicious durum.
- 5 Pizzeria Restaurante Trattoria, Carrer de Santa Cristina. Traditional trattoria that offers excellent pizzas and spaghetti arabiatta al dente. The pizzas and pasta are insanely good.
Mid-range
[edit]Splurge
[edit]Drink
[edit]Spoilt for choice with bars and discos, some of which will stay open to the early hours of the morning. A fair number of bars have large screen TV's for British and other foreign football matches. The locals are very passionate about the Barcelona football team and would not like them being insulted in any way (would you?) Because of the many bars and some all-inclusive hotels some of the youngsters drink too much, but local police is watching carefully.
Sleep
[edit]A number of hotels are in the centre of town near the bars so check reviews on them as they can be very noisy well into the night in the summer months. Some hotels are by busy roads and not for those who want to sleep past 08:00. Many hotels have satellite TV, some with BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, C4. Air-conditioning is good June to September as it can get very hot but some hotels only have A-C on at set hours. There is a camp site (caravans also) at the Blanes end of town as well as outside town on the road to Girona.
Between the second and third week of August, a lot of young people go home and a lot of older people arrive. Also some hotels start shutting for the year from about the third week of September (Maeva, Santa Ana, Florida Park). One day can mean the difference between staying at these hotels and not staying there.
Besides the hotels and hostels, you can rent a holiday villa in the surroundings of Lloret de Mar. These are usually located in one of the adjacent urbanisations, and are quiet, with stunning views over the town and Mediterranean Sea.
- 1 Hotel Fenals Garden, Avda. America, 41 (Fenals area), ☏ +34 972361000. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 11:00. 4-star hotel. Free Wi-Fi in all hotel facilities. Rooms from €50 (low season).
- 2 Hotel Copacabana Lloret, Avinguda Mistral, 40 - 48 (next to Gran Casino Costa Brava).
- 3 Hotel Santa Marta, Playa de Santa Cristina, s/n. 5 stars From €120 night.
- 4 Hotel Sant Pere Del Bosc, Paratge Sant Pere Del Bosc E. 5 stars From €260 night.
Connect
[edit]As of Jan 2024, Lloret de Mar and its approach highways have 5G from all Spanish carriers. Wifi is widely available in public places.
Go next
[edit]- Buses to Girona, Tossa de Mar, Blanes, Olot, Calella, Cadaqués, Palafrugell and Barcelona. Buses do tend to fill up, with people standing. If at a bus station, buy a return ticket if intending to come back as it saves queuing again.
- By car you can visit other beautiful areas in the Costa Brava, such as Begur and Cadaqués.
- From the beach in Lloret you can also hop on a boat that takes you to the nearby towns of Blanes and Tossa de Mar.
- Lloret also has a train station nearby in Blanes, the adjacent town at the distance of 10- to 15-min drive - from which you can go to anywhere in Spain.
| Routes through Lloret de Mar |
| Blanes ← | W  E |
→ Tossa de Mar |