SANT FELIU DE GUIXOLS COSTA BRAVA

This used to be the Costa Brava's busiest resort. It's an unexpectedly handsome and dignified town, where most of the building took place before the 1960s high-rise boom. Fishing and boat-building are important industries, and during the 19th century the town grew rich on the export trade in cork. The elegant Modernist buildings on the seafront are a reminder of this wealth: look out for Casino la Constancia, a Moorish style edifice with arches, mosaics and turrets and an old style cafe on the ground floor. Sant Feliu grew up around its Benedictine monastery, of which all that remains is the Porta Ferrada, a pre-Romanesque atrium with horseshoe arches. The same complex of buildings includes the parish church, built over the monastery ruins, and a small museum of local artifacts and archaeological finds. The main beach is a wide arc of sand with a fishing harbour at its north end. From the beachfront promenade, Rambla Vidal with its toy museum leads into the old town of narrow streets and squares. The market square contains an unusual 1929 market hall, with art deco touches and bright stained glass. From the southern end of the beach, a road climbs 2km to the chapel of Sant Elm. A tourist 'train' runs up here regularly in summer.