Palamos, Spain info please

[LSUkat]

I will be on the Oceania Marina visiting Palamos, Spain for the first time on April 20, 2024. Can anyone who has experience with this port give me recommendations for sites and their experience with transportation around the area. I know Game of Thrones was filmed near there, but I have never see the show and don't believe this is a must see for me. I would like to visit the Dali museum and know the beach is beautiful, but it will more than likely be too cold to swim. Your input and information is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[alserrod]

Hi

 

Palamos is a small port northern Barcelona.

I will not recommend you to swim in April. Waters are still cold (even in Southern Spain it is not enough warm but surely not in Palamos).

 

That area is known as "Costa Brava" and it has some rocky bay quite peaceful.

 

I am afraid, you will need to rent a car or to do a ship excursion for almost all destinations

 

Girona is only 45 km away. Despite being so small (100.000 inhabitants), it offers enough for a day visit (even for a 2 day visit).

 

Cadaques, the small shore village where Dali was born and where museum is located, is 85 km away. Bus (excursion) or car is mandatory.

 

 

 

 

[edinburgher]

10 hours ago, LSUkat said:

Can anyone who has experience with this port give me recommendations for sites and their experience with transportation around the area.

We visited once on a port stop but were unlucky with very heavy rain that day.  We had plans which included using a local bus one way and following a scenic coastal walk but had to change due to weather.  That part of the Costa Brava is really quite scenic and Palamos is actually famous for "gambas"/prawns should you want to lunch ashore and try them.

 

There have only been a few past threads for Palamos, some of which have information in them and  I think it would be worthwhile you reading them for ideas.  Here;

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=palamos&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=465

 

 

And even should you not want to book one. you could also look at the shorex being offered by your cruiseline for ideas.

 

Edited February 20 by edinburgher

[LSUkat]

Thank you 🙂

 

[Seminole1975]

I would like to recommend a website called whatsinport.com    

It says "it is your cruise guide to 1200 ports of call". It was very helpful to me in planning our Mediterranean cruise on the NCL Getaway last August.

Palamos is one of the ports listed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alserrod]

First activity to do in Palamos:

 

Eat prawns!!!!

 

They have "gamba de Palamos" (Palamos prawn) and have a look. It is well-known in the Mediterranean and not cheap at all

 

https://gambapalamos.com/

 

(I am afraid, webpage is only in Spanish, Catalan and French, you may use Google translator)

 

 

Official tourism page seems to know they have to focus in touristm.

 

This is the complete lists of cruises for 2024

 

https://visitpalamos.cat/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CALENDARIO-CRUCEROS-2024.pdf

 

 

and you can have a look to their tourism webpage.

It is in English too (I found more information in Spanish but enough in English)

 

 

They offer a full list of activities based on local tourism, gastronomy and adventure (bikes, snorkel, sea activities, etc...)

 

https://visitpalamos.cat/en/experiencies/

 

 

 

 

[LSUkat]

Thank you! I love food and live in New Orleans, so seafood is my life.

[thatbloominplace]

we will be heading to palamos on our seaborn cruise in october. unfortunately they just cancelled the one excursion we wanted. other than the gambas, any thoughts on other things to do or is this one of those just walk along the port and old town and grab an order of the famous gambas.

 

thanks

steve

[alserrod]

48 minutes ago, thatbloominplace said:

we will be heading to palamos on our seaborn cruise in october. unfortunately they just cancelled the one excursion we wanted. other than the gambas, any thoughts on other things to do or is this one of those just walk along the port and old town and grab an order of the famous gambas.

 

thanks

steve

 

 

Hello:

I am not an expert on Palamós, far from it.... but I can tell you that it is a small port, the only one north of Barcelona, and there is really nothing compared to other large cities where cruise ships stop .

If you visit its official tourism website

https://visitpalamos.cat/en/

You will see that the visiting experiences are based on nautical activities (boats, scuba diving and practically whatever you want) as well as gastronomy (the typical shrimp but they offer more things)

Maybe on this website you can find ideas

[marazul]

2 hours ago, thatbloominplace said:

we will be heading to palamos on our seaborn cruise in october. unfortunately they just cancelled the one excursion we wanted. other than the gambas, any thoughts on other things to do or is this one of those just walk along the port and old town and grab an order of the famous gambas.

 

thanks

steve

Steve- we took the Seabourn tour to Dali's house and a winery. It was very good. Afterwards, we walked around Palamos.

[alserrod]

It's about 1h30m to Cadaques.

 

I do not know how much does a taxi cost, even if affordable but it it fits.... I would go to Cadaques

 

[edinburgher]

20 hours ago, alserrod said:

any thoughts on other things to do

I had posted further up this thread but wanted to add something new.

 

This section of the Costa Brava is one of the most scenic in the area and if you enjoy walking, Palamos has a number of scenic coastal walks which start, finish or pass through.  If you enjoy scenery and walking, try searching for some of these online.

 

Our plan had been to either walk to Cala s'Alguer (look it up) and take a local bus back, or take the bus to the closest stop to Cala s'Alguer and walk back. Cala s'Alguer is a bit of a hidden gem, but  it wasn't the only walk to tempt us and we were surprised at the number of possibilities.

 

Unfortunately it was pouring rain that day, too heavy to even consider a walk so we only mooched around town and tried the gambas. They are not inexpensive, even in Palamos, but probably cheaper than elewhere.  You will see them on menus in eg Barcelona,  always indicating when they are from Palamos, presumably to highlight the quality and justify the higher prices..

 

There is also a fish market with auction after the boats return in the afternoon but we didn't see that as by then we were drying off back onboard.

Edited Monday at 01:44 PM by edinburgher

[marazul]

On 5/19/2024 at 2:46 PM, marazul said:

Steve- we took the Seabourn tour to Dali's house and a winery. It was very good. Afterwards, we walked around Palamos.

@thatbloominplace

The excursionis to Dali's wife's house in Púbol, not to his house in Cadaqués. It is very close to Palamós.

[alserrod]

Another option for a cruise day at Palamos is visiting Girona

 

It is main city in North Catalonia and Palamos is just nearest port to Girona. It is not so known but it deserves a visit too