Llafranc () is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of
Palafrugell
Palafrugell () is a municipality in the Mediterranean ''Costa Brava'', located near Palamós in the ''comarca'' of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. With 22,365 inhabitants it is the largest city of its comarca. Several c ...
,
province of Girona
Girona (; es, Gerona ; french: Gérone) is a province of Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest by the province of Barcelona, on the ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, the other two being
Calella de Palafrugell
Calella de Palafrugell is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell in the province of Girona, Spain. The other two towns are Llafranc, only to the north, and Tamariu, some to the north. All three towns are part of ...
and
Tamariu
Tamariu (, Catalan for ''tamarisk'') is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell, province of Girona, Spain, the other two being Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc. It is part of the Costa Brava, the coastal region ...
. It is part of the
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava (, ; "Wild Coast" or "Rough Coast") is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Whilst sources differ on the exact definition of the Costa Brava, it can be regarded as stretching from the town of Blanes, northeast o ...
, the coastal region of northeastern
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
, in the comarca of
Baix Empordà
Baix Empordà in Catalan (; en, Lower Empordà, italic=yes) or Bajo Ampurdán in Spanish () is a ''comarca'' (county) in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is one of the two ''comarca'' into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal d ...
.
Many domestic tourists come from nearby
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, while the international tourists come from a whole range of countries, especially the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and more recently the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The ''
Hotel Llafranc'' dominates the main sea promenade and was popular with artists such as
Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...
,
Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
,
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
,
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
and
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
. The English writer
Tom Sharpe
Thomas Ridley Sharpe (30 March 1928 – 6 June 2013) was an English satirical novelist, best known for his '' Wilt'' series, as well as ''Porterhouse Blue'' and ''Blott on the Landscape,'' all three of which were adapted for television.
Life ...
was also a resident of Llafranc.
The town is overlooked by the historical site of
Sant Sebastià de la Guarda
The historical site of Sant Sebastià de la Guarda is replete with echoes from the past. This monument is located in town of Llafranc in the Baix Emporda region of Girona
Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in ...
, located on a headland to the north, and above, Llafranc beach. It comprises the ruins of a settlement of the
Iberians
The Iberians ( la, Hibērī, from el, Ἴβηρες, ''Iberes'') were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula, at least from the 6th century BC. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (among ...
from the 6th-1st centuries
BCE
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
, a 15th-century watchtower and the 19th century . The lighthouse, which is still operational, has a range of and is the most powerful on the Catalan coast. The residential district of El Far, which takes its name from the lighthouse, lies below the headland.
The
GR 92
The GR 92 is part of the extensive GR footpath network of paths, tracks and trails in Spain. It will eventually run the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, from Portbou, on the border with France to Tarifa, the most southerly point of Spa ...
long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, passes through the town. To the north the path follows the road up to the lighthouse and then uses an in places rough, track above the shore line to the beach at and the town of
Tamariu
Tamariu (, Catalan for ''tamarisk'') is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell, province of Girona, Spain, the other two being Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc. It is part of the Costa Brava, the coastal region ...
. To the south the path follows the coast the short distance to
Calella de Palafrugell
Calella de Palafrugell is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell in the province of Girona, Spain. The other two towns are Llafranc, only to the north, and Tamariu, some to the north. All three towns are part of ...
, passing the 16th century on the way.
[
Commerce and civic organizations gather under the ''Associació d'Amics de Llafranc'',] which elects a president every 4 years in order to represent this small town in the City Council of Palafrugell, its main municipality.
The beach
Llafranc is one of the most popular beaches in Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
, ideal for families and sport enthusiasts. It is the largest beach around in the Palafrugell zone, though small if compared to nearby Pals PALS may refer to:
* Patient Advice and Liaison Service
* Pediatric Advanced Life Support
* Periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths
* Portraits of American Life Study
* Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy
* Pouch Attachment Ladder System
* Prag ...
(Platja Gran) and Palamós
Palamós () is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the ''comarca'' of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Palamós is located at the northern end of a large bay. The town is by-passed by th ...
(Platja Gran, Castell). At the North end of the beach is the port, home to Club Nàutic Llafranc. At the South end of the beach is rocky land separating Llafranc and Calella.
With a sandy seabed it is welcoming for the average visitor, with an aquatic channel following the rocky right end of the beach. This channel follows the ''Passeig de Ronda'', a promenade connecting Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell with some iconic views.
Gallery
File:Costa Brava-Llafranc-Calella de Palafrugell.JPG, Panoramic view of Llafranc
File:Platja de Llafranc des de el Far Sant Sebastia 2.JPG, The beach
File:Llafranc 2022-10-26 12.40.01.jpg, The port
References
Populated places in Baix Empordà
{{Girona-geo-stub