Empuriabrava doesn't look like anywhere else on the Costa Brava, and it isn't trying to. While every other town here grew slowly around a fishing harbor, this one started on a drawing board: in the late 1960s, the old marshland at the mouth of the Muga river was turned into a town built entirely around water, with more than 24 kilometers of navigable canals, thousands of private moorings, and the largest residential marina in Europe. It could easily read as artificial, but spend a day here and the appeal becomes obvious: where other towns park the car, this one moors the boat. And while one half of the town lives with its eyes on the canals, a few meters away begin the Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, a wetland landscape where flamingos, herons and storks take to the air. Engineering and nature rarely sit together this comfortably.
The canals: Empuriabrava's real heart
The best way to get to know Empuriabrava isn't on foot — it's by water. Small boats can be rented with no license required, and you can drift through the canals at your own pace. From the water you pass villas with private jetties, gardens that run down to a pontoon, and bridges connecting neighborhoods where the boat is simply part of daily life.
Our advice is to go early. At that hour there's almost no boat traffic, the water mirrors the houses like glass, and Empuriabrava shows its quietest side. Even without a boat, it's worth getting lost among the inner bridges. Most visitors stay on the seafront, but the town's real character lives further off, along silent canals where almost nobody but the neighbors walks.
Empuriabrava's sky
Empuriabrava is also worth looking up for. It's home to one of Europe's most important skydiving centers. Every day, dozens of small planes take off, and minutes later the sky fills with colored parachutes drifting down over the Bay of Roses.
You don't have to jump to enjoy the spectacle. One of our favorite habits is breakfast near the airfield while the first flights of the day take off. It's a simple plan, and one that surprisingly never seems to make the guidebooks.
The beach and La Rubina
Empuriabrava's town beach is wide, comfortable, and perfect for anyone happy to spend the day by the sea. With over a kilometer of fine sand, it runs straight into the promenade and the marina. But we tend to keep walking a little further.
To the north lies Platja de la Rubina, probably Empuriabrava's wildest corner. No buildings face the sea here — only dunes, vegetation, and the open landscape of the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà. It's also one of the best spots in the bay for kitesurfing and windsurfing when the tramuntana blows. At dusk it changes completely: the wind usually drops, the beach empties, and the sun disappears behind the Cap de Creus.
The Aiguamolls de l'Empordà
A few minutes away, the canals vanish and another world begins. The Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà protects one of the most important wetlands in the western Mediterranean. More than 300 bird species live here or pass through on migration, and trails wind past lagoons, hides and wooden walkways through the reed beds.
Most people rush through the park. We'd recommend the opposite: bring binoculars, sit in one of the hides, and wait a few minutes in silence. A heron always turns up eventually, or a stork, a kingfisher, or — with a little luck — a flock of flamingos.
Places that rarely make the guidebooks
Renting a boat early in the morning changes the whole experience. The canals are still empty, and Empuriabrava feels like a different town altogether.
A largely flat route runs through the Aiguamolls all the way to the mouth of the Muga river and Platja de la Rubina. It's a route locals use often, on foot or by bike.
You don't need to be an adrenaline junkie for this one. Sitting by the airfield while dozens of skydivers land over the marina is one of those small spectacles that make Empuriabrava what it is.
The quieter canals barely see a visitor. Getting lost among the inner bridges is the real way to understand what it means to actually live in a town designed to move by water.
