Tossa de Mar, Spain

Arriving by boat at TOSSA DE MAR is one of La Selva's highlights, the medieval walls and turrets of the Vila Vella rising pale and shimmering on the hill above the modern town. Caught on the brink of becoming a full-blown tourist trap, Tossa is still very attractive and makes a much more restful base than Lloret.

Founded originally by the Romans, Tossa has twelfth-century walls surrounding an old quarter, the Vila Vella, a maze of cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and flower boxes, slowly climbing the headland and offering terrific views over beach and bay. At the top, the nineteenth-century Far de Tossa (summer daily 10am–10pm; winter Tues– Sun 10am–6pm; € 3) is home to an exhibition on Mediterranean lighthouses. Just below here, not far from the ruins of the town's fifteenth-century Gothic church, stands a statue of Ava Gardner, who made the town famous in the 1950 film, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. Back in the old quarter, the Museu Municipal, at Plaça Roig i Soler 1 (June– Sept Mon– Sat 10am–2pm & 4–8pm; Oct– May Tues– Sat 10am–2pm & 4–6pm, Sun 10am–2pm; € 3), features some Chagall paintings, a Roman mosaic and remnants, including ceramic vases, from a nearby excavated Roman villa.

Tossa's best beach (there are four) is the Platja de la Mar Menuda, around the headland away from the old town, and is very popular with divers; look for a natural pink cross in the granite, supposedly marking where Sant Ramon de Penyafort gave a dying man his absolution in 1235. The central Platja Gran, though pleasant, gets crowded; if you have your own transport, the tiny coves north and south of the town are much more rewarding. Booths on the main beach sell tickets for boat trips (which operate from Easter to October) around the surrounding coastline; the trip to Sant Feliu is especially good.