24 hours in Pals

If there is one place that combines all of the charms of the Empordà, it is Pals. Spending a day there is a gift for your senses.
It has one of the best preserved Gothic walled enclosures in the region and a large beach where you can stroll, swim, do water sports or simply relax in the sun. From next to the sea, you can climb the Quermany, a hill with two peaks where old mines, remains of quarries and old paths are hidden that let you walk while admiring the landscape.
In the springtime, flooded with beauty, the mirrors of the rice fields that form part of the Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park, where the best rice in the country is grown.
You should not leave Pals without trying its most important product: rice; whether in the traditional arròs a la cassola or in innovative ways as there are options for all tastes, all of them of extraordinary quality.

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Photo: Ajuntament de Pals

Natural park: rice fields and Basses d’Es Coll

We suggest starting this visit by getting to know the rice fields and their landscape and going to the beach.

The Baix Ter is home to a large number of protected species of flora and fauna. Exploring it on foot, by bike, by Segway, or in the tourist road train opens the doors to discovering the cultivation of rice up close. In the road train, you can visit the old mill: a space that has been converted into a museum which shows visitors the rice milling process. The sheet of water of the rice fields, the streams, channels and rivers, ponds and marshes are very important elements for small mammals, rodents, birds of all types, especially birds of prey, water fowl and migratory birds; this is why this space is interesting at any time of year. There is less activity in the winter, but we are increasingly finding colonies of migratory birds like storks that are spending longer here.
Photo: Ajuntament de Pals

The beach

Link the rice fields to Platja del Grau by the Basses d’en Coll, and follow the coast on a compacted trail behind the dunes.
The dunes have a front of sparse vegetation, a crest rich in plants that are adapted to sandy environments, some of which have spectacular flowers and the area behind the dune has reeds and vegetation that grows on uncultivated land. They are also a nesting area for water birds among which the Kentish plover stands out, a migratory bird that is threatened owing to the degradation of the beaches. These dunes are protected and a wooden fence and rope on their perimeter regulates access to the beach.

At Platja de Pals, you can practice water sports all year round, such as surfing, windsurfing, paddle surfing and kitesurfing from October to May. It forms part of the Vies Braves wild swimming network for swimmers, triathletes and swim-runners to swim in complete safety. This is a beach where you can also enjoy leisure swimming, sunbathe or relax with the sound of the waves.

For golf lovers, Platja de Pals is also home to the first golf club on the Costa Brava. We talk about Platja de Pals in general, but it has traditionally always been divided into two sectors: Platja del Grau and Platja Gran de Pals.
Photo: Ajuntament de Pals

Delicious food and drink

You have now covered the beach from north to south and are probably starting to feel hungry. In Pals, food and drink are a fundamental pillar. Rice dishes stand out, but we should not forget other local and seasonal produce such as mushrooms or elvers among others.
The Rice Cuisinegastronomic campaign is one of the oldest in the Empordà and offers visitors a chance to enjoy rice cooked in a wide variety of ways: puffed as snacks, as a main courses ranging from dry to soupy, and also as dessert, either traditionally with milk, ice cream or in puffed rice bonbons.
Pals has a wide range of restaurants that open their doors to visitors, who can enjoy anything from the day’s set menu to a tasting menu with the knowledge that they will find excellent quality in all of them.
Photo: Ajuntament de Pals

The Gothic town

After eating, we suggest a gentle stroll around the walled enclosure. Lose yourself in time in the cobbled streets, visit the Gothic church of Sant Pere, where Romanesque elements of the old church can still be seen, both in the façade and in the interior, and later elements, such as the bell tower and the baroque portal. Climb to the top of the majestic 12th-century Torre de les Hores, with its circular floorplan, and 15 m height; this is the best preserved Romanesque tower in the Empordà and offers splendid panoramic views featuring the Quermany, the rice fields, the beach, the Medes Islands, the Montgrí, the Gavarres and the Pyrenees where the Canigó stands out. In winter it is open on weekends and public holidays from 10:30 to 14:30 and from 15:00 to 18:00. In the summer it is open from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. It is closed all day on Mondays and on Tuesday mornings. From the tower you can enjoy a magnificent sunset.
As the day draws to a close, a stroll by the soft lamplight shows us the warm and romantic Pals that leaves the imprint of the charming towns.
Photo: Ajuntament de Pals

Pals is always a good plan

Spending a day in Pals is always a good plan. All of the activities suggested can be enjoyed all year round, but there are also interesting occasional activities: guided tours on foot and by road train of Sant Jordi, the Rice Planting Festival in June, the Candle Night on the last Saturday in July, summer guided visits in July and August, the Wine in Pals Festival in the second fortnight of August, the Traditional Rice Harvest and the guided visit that forms part of the Guided Visits of the Medieval Spaces of the Empordà in October, the Nights of Fear in Pals for All Saint’s Day and in the Christmas festivities the living nativity.
A visit that coincides with one of these activities will make your stay in Pals truly unforgettable.