Shopping in Tossa

• The Shops Directory
• A Morning at the Market
• Take a Virtual Tour of the Vila Nova and Weekly Market (Broadband) (Dial-up)

The Vila Nova (new town) blends harmoniously with the Vila Vella (old town) and offers a multitude of shops, bars and restaurants. Nestled within the narrow streets are tempting boutique style shops offering a variety of different styles of clothing: designer label junkies can indulge in Lacoste, Dolce & Gabanna and Armani at a fraction of UK prices. Those who favour natural fabrics are also well catered for with linen attire. Pay a visit to Pandora in the Carrer Pou de la Vila, for a beautiful collection of cool, roomy dresses, trousers and jackets. And try and resist if you can, the superb aroma of soft Spanish leather as you stroll past one of the specialist shops.

The clothes shop, Pandora, was once a bar and was the very bar featured in the well known 1951 film, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, starring Ava Gardner and James Mason. In the film it was known as Las Dos Tortugas – the Two Turtles – and was frequented by gypsy flamenco artists.

Browsing the shops, you will also come across an abundance of classy shoes, bags, jewellery, perfumes, exquisite gifts and much more. Of course, Tossa, as any Spanish town, has it’s share of ceramics sellers. One of the largest outlets can be found on the Avenida Ferran Agullo. This open fronted shop offers a huge range of ceramics in an array of different designs, shapes and sizes, and has a separate section dedicated to garden ornaments.

One of the most notable things about shopping in Tossa is the friendly, helpful attitude of the shopkeepers. And the more you go back, the more friendly they become, and if you go that step further and speak a little Spanish or Catalan, they’ll be your friend for life!

Art for Sale

At the birth of the tourist trade, Tossa became a highly esteemed resort thanks to it’s flow of select visitors such as artists, novelists and poets. Tossa de Mar, as well as other local beauty spots such as Olot and Sitges, offered a deeply attractive focal point for these creative masters, and still does to this day. Now many of the roads here are named after famous artisans.

There are several outlets displaying and selling local artist’s work and an early morning visit to the Vila Vella will give you a sneak preview of the next masterpiece that will grace the gallery walls – perched on a rickety stall, on a cobbled incline, sits one of Tossa’s painters, skin sun-blackened, humming, whistling away as his paintbrush sweeps over the canvas. So used to tourists admiring his work, he will even pause whilst your camera clicks away!

Further afield

If you are looking for a more bustling retail atmosphere, then head for neighbouring resort Lloret de Mar (see our Things to Do page for details on how to get there) where you’ll find streets and streets full of shops of all kinds. Or of course, if you want the ultimate shopping experience, then take yourself off to Barcelona which is 95km away, around two hours on the bus. There you’ll find a whole host of designer clothes shops and of course, the well known El Corte Ingles.