The Vila Vella — Old Town — of Tossa de Mar is the only intact fortified medieval town remaining on the entire Costa Brava. Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931, its walls, towers, and lighthouse hill form one of the most photographed silhouettes on the Catalan coast: a ring of honey-coloured stone rising directly from the cliffs above a deep-blue sea.
The fortifications were built in two main phases. The original walls and towers were constructed in the 12th century when Tossa was a prosperous fishing settlement under the lordship of the monastery of Ripoll. A major expansion and reinforcement took place in the 14th century, adding the distinctive round towers and the fortified gate that still marks the entrance to the old town. The result was a complete encircling wall with three towers — the Torre de les Hores, the Torre dels Homenatge, and the Torre en Joanàs — all of which survive largely intact.
Within the walls, the medieval street plan is almost entirely preserved. The ruins of the 14th-century church of Sant Vicenç stand at the highest point, alongside the lighthouse that has guided ships since the 18th century. Narrow lanes wind between stone houses, many dating to the 16th and 17th centuries when Tossa was at its most prosperous.
In the early 20th century, Tossa became a haven for artists — Marc Chagall famously described it as the “blue paradise” and several of his paintings depict the Vila Vella from the sea. The town’s small municipal museum holds works by Chagall, Picasso collaborator Olga Sacharoff, and other artists drawn to its light and landscape.
Below the walls, the Platja Gran — the main beach — is one of the finest on the Costa Brava, sheltered and clean, and the contrast between medieval towers and packed summer beach gives Tossa its distinctive character.