Holiday cottages in Portbou

To the north of Alt Empordà and on the border with Vallespir, we find the small municipality of Portbou. A border town, between France and Spain, which grew parallel to the arrival of the railway.

The cove and the Portbou valley were, at least since the 10th century, uninhabited areas of the parish of Sant Miquel de Colera . Although it is assumed that at the end of the 17th century some fishermen's huts began to be built on the beach, it is not until the arrival of the railway, in the 19th century, that the great expansion of Portbou takes place. The toponym, by the way, derives from the Latin name Portu bovis and refers to the oxen, fishing trawlers that were saved from storms thanks to the shelter provided by the town's bay.

If you're staying in a holiday cottage in Portbou, you can't help but wander through the village's steep alleyways and discover its stately homes, which are now quite dilapidated. You can also choose to swim in one of its coves and beaches with crystal clear waters, such as Pi beach or Claper beach. If you like history, we encourage you to go to his cemetery and see the grave of the philosopher Walter Benjamin. And, if you feel like walking, you can follow the Walter Benjamin Route, an itinerary that starts at the foot of the station stairs and traces the footsteps of the German philosopher through the village and climbs up to the Coll dels Belitres, where you will find a memorial and a photographic exhibition in memory of the republican exiles of the Spanish Civil War.

If you like active tourism, you can walk around the natural surroundings of Portbou and enter the Albera Natural Park, where you can do different itineraries: the megalithic monuments, the Camí de France, which crosses mountains or the one that visits the monastery of Sant Quirze de Colera .