La Bisbal, the ceramics capital of Catalunya – spend a morning or an afternoon!

La Bisbal is a lovely town and one of the main centres for ceramics in the region. It is about 35 km from Sant Feliu de Guixols on a fast dual carriageway most of the way. If you are looking for things to do on the Costa Brava, this must be a contender.

You come in to La Bisbal down a long, straight hill with several antique shops on either side of the road. Then you come to a bridge over the dried up river bed in the middle of town and then another long straight road which is full of ceramic shops.

We have two favourite shops that we want to tell you about, but there is nothing better than to set out a bit early (remembering that shops in La Bisbal shut at about 14.00 if not before, and do not open again until 16.30. In addition, the street is not at all shady so we recommend a morning visit followed by lunch (possibly in our little haunt).

Going up the road on the right (for some reason we go for the shops on the right!), let’s have a bit of a diversion away from ceramics for a moment.

La Botiga is a bit of an everything shop. Bits of ceramic, household ornaments, lights, basket work etc etc.

But its claim to fame is its artisanal liquors. If you want a home made Crema Catalana Liqueur or a coconut confection similar to Malibu or a whole host of other home made flavoured liqueurs and sweet wines, this is the place to have a rummage through.

 

 

d’occ catalonia is another favourite. It has high quality pieces with a lot of originality.

We particularly like their pieces with glass glazes, their deeply coloured plates and their special glassware. They also sell a lot of perfumes and fragrances.

To see d’occ catalonia’s website click here.

 

 

 

 

The second ceramic shop we would like to introduce you to is Fang i Art, also on the right hand side as you go up the road from the bridge.

Again they have some more creative and unique pieces on offer. Very funky!

 

 

 

 

But please just have a wander around and take your time as there are so many things to see and enjoy (spot the Blues Brothers and a cow outside a shop…!) If you like ceramics or you just like art, then this is a must for you.

A friend of ours very nearly bought a really funky ceramic sink of bright colour but then thought the better of it after considering the transport issues!

There is also a museum of ceramics in La Bisbal as well as many other things.

 

Two important features on the foodie front are…

Just next door to the theatre in La Bisbal is a very fine bar and restaurant called el Teatret.

You can sit inside or in the shade, under the plane trees outside. If you sit outside, you also get a great view of the theatre next door, done in the Naturalist style of early 20th century Catalunya.

They do ice cold beer which is very good after a day’s browsing, and they have a small but beautifully formed menu of Catalan dishes with a sophisticated twist at times.

 

 

 

And finally… to cake! Something to take home and recharge yourselves with after a hard day.

If you cross the bridge to the South and walk up about 25m you will come to a La Bisbal institution – the famous Sans pastisseria. Apart from other gorgeous things, their speciality is “Bisbalenc” a confection made from rough puff pastry and a variety of sweet fillings. The pastry is scattered with pine nuts and the best, most traditional, filling is “Cabell d’Angel (cabbey danjel)” or Angel’s hair, made from a vermicelli of glace pumpkin. Once you have tried this, you will never look back!

 

 

 

To explore other pages regarding places to visit outside of Sant Feliu de Guixols, click on the pictures below, or scroll down a bit further to go back to main menu items…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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