WELCOMEBlanes with 4 kilometres of beach and quiet coves, is an ideal place for spending your holidays in a pleasant, peaceful atmosphere. Among its most notable attractions are two of Europe`s most important botanical gardens. In the ‘Mar i Murtra´ Botanical Garden, founded in 1953, you will find 3.000 varieties of flowers and plants in an incomparable setting. The `Pinya de Rosa´ acclimatisation garden specialises in tropical and succulent plants.
History has endowed Blanes-“Blanda” in Roman times-with notable monuments: the parish church of Santa Maria, the remains of the Palace of the Viscounts of Cabrera, the 15 th-century fountain in the civilian Gothic style-so rare that the fountain can be considered unique in Catalonia-the ruins of the castle and chapel of Santa Bàrbara, and, a few kilometres from the town, the sanctuary of Mare de Déu del Vilar, where many of the townspeople go in pilgrimage on her feast day.
Blanes currently has some 38900inhabitants. Its dynamic commercial centre attracts people from all over the area. In addition to the craft fairs which are held during the summer, the food-tasting fair “Sabors de Cataluña”- Firatast”(August), the “Fira de Sant Tomàs” (21 December) and Expodiver (also December). The town´s Annual festival of Santa Anna includes many activities, including the international fireworks competition (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27 July) This takes place in the rock Sa Palomera, a point which separates the coast of maresme brava.
Blanes also offers all kinds of attractions and activities, such as the fish auction in the harbour on weekday afternoons, the fruit and vegetable market, the weekly general market on Mondays, popular festivities, the possibility of doing all kinds of water and team sports, and of course a large number of places of entertainment, discotheques, bars, etc. And if you`re a lover of good cooking, you`ll enjoy the local cuisine with its excellent fish dishes served at the restaurants of the town.
Interesting Addresses
http://www.gencat.net/turistex_nou/home.htm
http://www.costabrava.org/
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanes
http://www.blanes.net/
http://www.bcn.net/
