GR92 Stage 3: Map

Stage 3: Route description

  • If the weather is good, it's worth getting up early: Cadaqués in the morning light

Beautiful coastal hiking trail to Roses or Empuriabrava

The area around Cadaqués is one of the most beautiful and natural parts of the Costa Brava. It is therefore well worth spending either two nights in Cadaqués, or an overnight stopover at the Hotel Cala Joncols (Hotel Cala Joncols). This hotel is located in a lonely bay in the middle of the nature reserve approximately in the middle of stage 3, which would then be divided into two days. So if you can and want to take your time, we recommend - in addition to a visit to Cadaqués itself - a detour to Portlligat, the neighbouring village of Cadaqués.  A museum has now been set up there in Salvador Dalí's former residence..

If you are planning stage 3 without a stopover at Hotel Cala Joncols, it is worth setting off early, because the route is long.  There are two different places to spend the nightThe harbour town of Roses (20,000 inhabitants) or Empuriabrava, which is also the starting point of our stage 4 and is completely geared towards tourism and is criss-crossed by artificial canals. No matter what you decide in the end: both places clearly lack charm compared to Cadaqués. If you want to spend the night in Empuriabrava, it is best to take a taxi from Roses (costs between 17 and 25 euros depending on the departure point, see www.costabravataxi.de or  www.taxisroses.com/de), as the whole route to Empuriabrava is almost impossible to do in one day (as an alternative to the taxi, there are also a bus connection from Roses).

The path leads us out of Cadaqués, first along the harbour basin, then there is an ascent where the view back to the white houses of Cadaqués is very worthwhile. In the following, the path runs through the beautiful nature reserve and soon meets the coast again. Until Roses, we walk directly along the coast and pass numerous picturesque bays with clear water. As soon as the first houses of Roses are visible, the beautiful part of the stage comes to an end. We recommend ending the hike here and having something to eat in one of the restaurants by the sea, refreshing yourself in the Mediterranean Sea, and then continuing the tour by taxi - either to the accommodation in Roses, or straight to Empuriabrava, from where the next stage continues.

Advice for hikers with a fear of heightsWe have received the following feedback from Patric:

Between Cala Calitjàs and Roses, the path leads directly along the slope. For some dreamlike, for some less so. We therefore walked along the Carretera a Montjoi from Cala Montjoi to the turn-off Carretera a Falconera. At the top we had a beautiful view of the bay of Roses. Via the Carretera a Falconera we came back to the recommended path before Roses at the beach Platja de l'Almadrava.

 

Facts about stage 3

Altitude metres: 550 m ascent / 550 m descent
Route: 21.5 km
Duration: 8:30 h (without breaks)
+ additional travel time to Empuriabrava if necessary (overnight option B)!
Overnight stay: Hotels and guesthouses in Roses or Empuriabrava

Route download - GR92 stage 3 (GPX file)

All other downloads can be found at Map material.

Picture gallery for stage 3


Recommended hotels and guesthouses

Additional stage (between stage 3 and 4)

Note on the optional additional stage

The official GR92 circles the retort town of Empuriabrava and leads from Roses through the flat, agriculturally used hinterland. This is also worth seeing, but it would take a whole day to go around Empuriabrava. And in the evening you would be in no-man's land with no place to stay.

We therefore recommend skipping this part of the official GR92 and instead taking a taxi from Roses to Empuriabrava and joining stage 4 there. Since the last part of stage 3 leads mainly through urban areas and past the harbour, you should even consider calling a taxi at Platja Almadrava (e.g. at www.costabravataxi.de, owner speaks German).

For those who absolutely want to walk the "real" GR92, we have drawn the map for the additional stage here: Map for the additional stage. Overnight accommodation is only available at the stage destination during the high season with your own tent at the Almata campsite, or you can branch off to Empuriabrava in good time (Link: Camping Almata). We therefore recommend skipping the additional stage!