Alt Empordà isn't one coastline: it's twelve very different towns, each with its own character, buyer type and price level. People who come looking for a second home, retirement or a life change without understanding those differences often end up buying in the wrong place. This guide reviews the 12 towns we know best — the ones we've worked for years — with real data, typical buyer profiles and price ranges updated for 2026.
The criterion for including a town here isn't touristic — it's practical. Each has a dedicated page on gc-grup.com with active listings and specific FAQs, so this guide also works as a map for anyone starting their search.
Alt Empordà as an area in 2026
Some useful numbers first. The Costa Brava remains the most expensive price-per-square-metre segment in the entire province of Girona. The coastal average stands at €3,113/m² as of March 2026, with Roses (€3,752/m²) and Empuriabrava (€3,369/m²) above it. The buyer is international: in Girona over 27% of purchases are made by foreigners, and in areas like Empuriabrava that figure exceeds 80%. French and German buyers lead, followed by Belgians and Swiss.
Connectivity is good: the Barcelona-Figueres-Perpignan high-speed line covers Figueres-Perpignan in 42 minutes and connects to Paris in a few hours. Girona-Costa Brava airport is 50-60 minutes by motorway, with Barcelona airport around 1h45. The French border is 20-30 minutes by car from most northern towns.
The main coastal towns
Roses — the most complete, ideal for year-round living
Around 20,000 inhabitants in winter, 120,000 in summer. A bay ranked among the most beautiful in the world, beaches ranging from Almadrava (family-friendly) to Canyelles (quiet, residential) via Punta Falconera. Real town services: large supermarkets, medical centres (nearest hospitals are Figueres, Palamós and Girona), markets, cinemas, libraries and year-round cultural life.
Who buys here: families wanting a primary home with real off-season life, European retirees seeking coastal quality of life, and investors after summer tourist rotation. Average price €3,752/m². Zone-by-zone details, active listings and FAQs on the Roses real estate page.
Empuriabrava — Europe's largest residential marina
Empuriabrava belongs to the municipality of Castelló d'Empúries but operates as a town in its own right. Over 30 km of navigable canals, 5,000 private moorings, a Venice-inspired development where you can sail straight from home. 84% of purchases are by international buyers — mainly French and German — with average prices around one million euros for canal houses with mooring.
Who buys here: boating enthusiasts, investors targeting high-value holiday rentals, premium European second homes. Average price €3,369/m² (much higher for front-canal properties). More on the Empuriabrava page and our houses with mooring.
Cadaqués — exclusive, small market
Dalí's town. Privileged geography and strict planning protection make Cadaqués a small market with very little turnover: a few dozen properties change hands each year, and those that do attract strong international demand. White houses, seafront properties, villas in areas like Es Pianc or S'Alqueria Vella. Here, local knowledge — knowing what's coming before it's published — is what opens doors.
Who buys here: wealth-preservation profiles, buyers from France, the UK and the US, prestige second homes. From €600,000 for small old-town houses and easily €1.5-3M for properties with views. Real estate in Cadaqués.
El Port de la Selva — Cadaqués with fewer tourists
A small fishing village north of Cap de Creus, inside the Natural Park. Its big difference from Cadaqués is calm: far less crowded in summer, original architecture respected, coves reachable only on foot or by boat (Cala Robert, Cala dels Vaquers, Port de la Vall). A tiny market: 30-60 transactions a year in total, with strong international demand of a cultural and nautical profile.
Who buys here: people who value tranquility over services — Swiss, Dutch and French buyers with retirement plans. Prices typically 10-20% below Cadaqués for equivalent properties. Real estate in Port de la Selva.
Coastal towns with their own identity
Llançà — the authentic north
A town of about 5,000 inhabitants in two parts: the historic old town (with Plaça del Pi and its century-old pine) and the port area with a good dining scene. It sits on the Mar d'Amunt, the coastline above Cap de Creus. Quiet beaches like Grifeu, La Farella and Cau de Llop. Steady French demand thanks to the border being 15 minutes away. A more stable, less speculative market than Roses, with prices 15-25% lower for comparable properties.
Who buys here: Catalan families seeking an uncrowded second home, French buyers who want to stay close to home, people looking for summers "like they used to be". Real estate in Llançà.
L'Escala — family beaches and ancient heritage
Known for its anchovies, the Greco-Roman ruins of Empúries and the family beaches of Riells and Sant Martí d'Empúries. A more mature coastal market, less speculative than Empuriabrava, with strong family-profile French demand. Good services, connections to Figueres (25 min) and Girona (45 min), shops open all year. One of the liveliest coastal towns off-season.
Who buys here: international families planning intensive summer use plus Easter getaways, remote-working residents. Front-line apartments from €250,000. Real estate in L'Escala.
Castelló d'Empúries — the county's historic capital
A medieval town anchored by the Basilica of Santa Maria and the best-preserved old quarter in the area. Five minutes by car from Empuriabrava (its parent municipality), but with its own identity: primary housing, not touristic, and prices 30-40% below the coast. Bus line 12 connects to Figueres every 2 hours, a 15-minute ride, tickets €2-4.
Who buys here: residents who want heritage property in a historic centre (houses to renovate at €1,200-1,800/m²), young families who value real-town quiet with real services, investors betting on value uplift through restoration. Real estate in Castelló d'Empúries.
The capital and the inland villages
Figueres — the economic capital of Alt Empordà
Over 45,000 inhabitants, the comarca's capital and its economic, cultural (Dalí Museum), administrative and educational centre. High-speed connection via Figueres-Vilafant station: 42 minutes to Perpignan (from €29) and 50 minutes to Barcelona. Markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays along La Rambla. A different market from the coast: primary housing dominates, prices are steadier, transaction volumes higher.
Who buys here: families buying a main home, investors seeking stable residential rentals (4-6% yields), remote workers needing fast transport to Barcelona or France. Flats to renovate from €1,300/m², renovated in good areas €2,000-2,800/m². Real estate in Figueres.
Palau-saverdera — sea views without coastal prices
On the Serra de Rodes, looking over the bay of Roses. A quiet village of mostly family homes and country houses, with no tourist crowds. Its big advantage: buildable plots with bay views at far more reasonable prices than the front line. Ten minutes from Roses, fifteen from Figueres.
Who buys here: couples looking for a house with a garden, European retirees who value the views, people wanting to build their own home with a 5-10 year horizon. Real estate in Palau-saverdera.
Pau — the traditional village
Small, rural, keeping the character of inland Empordà. A tiny market with little turnover: when a stone house comes up, it usually finds a buyer quickly among those seeking an authentic project. Close to Roses (12 km) and Figueres (15 km). Empordàlia, a major DO Empordà cooperative, produces its Pau olive oil here from century-old olive trees.
Who buys here: life-change profiles, families relocating from Barcelona or abroad in search of rural authenticity. Real estate in Pau.
Vilajuïga — vineyards and the French connection
In the heart of Alt Empordà's wine country, with historic DO Empordà wineries (built on grenache and carignan, the two native varieties forged by the tramontana wind). A regular train line towards Figueres and Portbou makes the French border and Barcelona easy to reach. A market of village houses, farmhouses to restore and rustic land tied to vineyards.
Who buys here: wine lovers, wealth investors with a small-winery project, rural second homes. Real estate in Vilajuïga.
Garriguella — cooperative, vineyards, calm
One of Alt Empordà's best-known wine villages. Its agricultural cooperative is active in wine tourism (tastings of 4 wines with tapas, pairings with chocolate or artisan ice cream). A landscape of vines and olive trees, traditional stone houses. Growing demand from Barcelona and France. Small houses to renovate from €100,000-180,000, renovated houses with a patio between €250,000 and €400,000.
Who buys here: European retirees seeking rural authenticity, big-city life-changers, long-term wealth investors. Real estate in Garriguella.
How to choose your town by profile
These are the recommendations we repeat in real buyer consultations. Not rules — patterns we see confirmed:
- Family with children, primary home: Roses (full services), Figueres (capital with good schools) or L'Escala (real off-season life and family beach).
- Quiet retirement with sea views: Llançà, Palau-saverdera or L'Escala. Relaxed atmosphere, quality of life, similar European buyers.
- Wealth-preservation second home: Cadaqués or El Port de la Selva. Small markets, preserved value, singular properties.
- Boating and life on the water: Empuriabrava, no contest. Europe's only option for living with your boat literally moored at home.
- 5-10 year investment: Castelló d'Empúries (old-town restoration), Roses (tourist rotation), Figueres (stable residential rentals).
- Rural life change / authenticity: Pau, Vilajuïga, Garriguella. Small villages, wine country, real community.
The towns we leave out, and why
This guide covers the 12 towns where GC Grup actively works. It doesn't include Pals (too far south, already in central Baix Empordà) or Alt Empordà villages where we lack a consolidated local network. When we're asked about an area we don't know deeply, we say so: honesty first.
Next step
If you know what kind of property you want but not which town, the most useful thing is a 15-minute conversation by WhatsApp or phone. Tell us your profile (use, budget, timeline) and we'll tell you — no obligation — which 2-3 towns fit best and what's currently active in each. We work in English. And if you'd rather we searched the whole market for you, see our property finder service.