Find information on Roses in our Travel Guide covering sights, foods and nightlife plus more...
Roses lies only thirty kilometres from the border with France on the eastern coast of Spain and is the largest resort at the northern end of the Costa Brava. It is a town with a long history, having had a settlement there for over twenty five centuries. Until the advent of mass tourism, Roses was a fishing port and it still possesses the largest fleet on the Costa Brava. It has a number of sandy beaches and rocky coves and offers a variety of water sports. There are many hotels accommodating all budgets and restaurants catering for all tastes. Roses lies in an area of great natural beauty with two nature reserves nearby. It also has much to interest those with a passion for ancient history.
A Roses holiday offers a relaxing summer break on a sandy beach with good amenities and plenty of leisure activities. The Costa Brava is a beautiful area with long swathes of sand, rugged cliffs and shingle coves. Although having a long history, Roses is a modern resort with all the amenities that the twenty-first century holidaymaker has come to expect.
Roses is popular with a wide a variety of ages and interests. The sandy beach attracts families with young children and the water sports are popular with young adults. Couples find there is much to interest them both in and around Roses with its ancient ruins and its sixteenth century citadel. The Salvador Dali museum is only a short distance from Roses.
April to October is the best time to visit Roses when the temperature ranges from 20 degrees rising to 30 degrees in the summer months.
Roses sits at the northern end of a large bay on the Costa Brava, very close to France. Although it is a large resort, popular with a wide variety of holidaymakers, it remains a relaxed and peaceful development. With the Pyrenees forming a backdrop, and with nature reserves surrounding the town, Roses is a very attractive resort. It has a very busy fishing port and a large modern marina. The brilliant blue waters of the wide bay gently wash long stretches of sandy beaches and sheltered coves. The beach shelves gently into the sea providing safe conditions for children and less confident swimmers. Water sports enthusiasts will be delighted by the wide ranging activities found there. These include water skiing, surfing, sailing, para-sailing, snorkelling and diving. There are many bars and restaurants along the promenade offering day long refreshments to those who like to spend their days on the beach.
Roses has also has many leisure activities on dry land. These include golf, cycling, horse riding, sightseeing, rambling and mini-golf. Sightseeing tours should include the Citadel, dating from the fifteen hundreds, where the remains of the original town are also found. Those with an interest in ornithology should visit the Emporda Nature Reserve.
Roses has accommodation catering for most budgets from high rise hotels and apartment blocks to villas with pools. Similarly, Roses restaurants cater for all tastes, even the most pernickety of British palates. There are also a good number of supermarkets and shops providing all your holiday needs.
Although Roses has some lively bars with music and discos, it is not known as a party resort. Evenings are spent wandering around the harbour and along the promenade enjoying a meal or a drink under the stars.
There are a number of supermarkets supplying the day to day needs of the holidaymaker with a good range of well known branded goods. Gift and souvenir shops are found in their usual numbers and here you can purchase your holiday mementoes. Popular buys include leather goods, ceramics, basketwork, embroidered linens and jewellery. There is a market on Fridays where you can practise your bartering skills in your search for holiday bargains.
Roses has a wide variety of bars and restaurants catering for most tastes. There are a number of English style pubs as well as fast food outlets where those with a timid palate can eat familiar food. Menus include traditional local dishes such as paella, tortillas, tapas and chorizo and an extensive choice of international cuisine. A good way to try Spanish food is to order a plate of tapas which consists of a medley of bite-sized dishes. Tapas are also ideal for filling the sometimes long gap between lunch and dinner, which is served later in Spain than at home. Spanish wines are pleasant and inexpensive. Children are always made welcome and their tastes and portion sizes are usually accommodated.
