COSTA MARESME

The 'marshy coast', which runs south from Blanes, is very different in character from the Costa Brava. Nobody would call this rugged this is a narrow, flat coastal strip, where the beaches are mostly artificial and the villages are cut off from the sea by a busy highway and railway line. The resorts here are mainly used by weekend visitors from Barcelona, though the area's popularity with German tourists has also earned it the nickname Costa dels Alemanys. Behind the coast the countryside is known as Catalonia's market garden, where fruit and vegetables and the region's famous carnations are grown. The coastal highway begins just south of Blanes, near the town of Malgrat de Mar. Next comes Pineda de Mar, where the remains of a Roman aqueduct can be seen.

The road continues through a succession of old fishing villages, now almost completely given over to tourism. Sant Pol de Mar is an attractive village with a marina, sandy beaches and a 12^th century hilltop monastery, while Canet de Mar is known for its Modernist architecture. Arenys de Mar is still a working fishing port, with a daily fish market by the harbor and a shady Rambla leading up to the town. Near here is Caldes d'Estrac, a spa town since Roman times. Finally you reach Matara, the capital of the region; beyond here are the suburbs of Barcelona. South of Matara, at Vilassar de Mar, is the flower market where the florists along Barcelona's Ramblas come to buy their wares.