Torre del Castell

Torre del Castell is the surviving fragment of a medieval defensive tower standing at the highest point of Vila Vella, the walled old town of Tossa de Mar, in Girona province on Catalonia's Costa Brava. The stone remains rise above the bay next to the town's lighthouse and form one of the most recognisable silhouettes on the local skyline.

Where does the tower come from?

The castle and walls of Vila Vella date back to the 12th century, built as a response to the pirate raids that repeatedly struck this stretch of coast. The fortifications were extended and reinforced in the 14th century, creating a defensive system of curtain walls linked to several round towers. Three of them survive intact today — the Codolar, Joanes and Hores towers — while the castle's main and tallest tower, which once crowned the summit of the hill, did not make it through in one piece.

Why is only a fragment left?

In 1917 the castle's main tower was taken down, and the stone recovered from it was used to build the lighthouse that still operates on the same spot today. Torre del Castell is what remains of that dismantled structure — a modest relic that marks where a much larger defensive tower once stood. Its closeness to the lighthouse is no accident: both share the same strategic position on the headland, with sweeping views over the whole coastline.

What should you know before exploring Vila Vella?

Vila Vella is the only fortified medieval town still standing on the entire Catalan coast, listed as a historic-artistic monument in 1931. A walk along the walls passes several towers and opens up views over Platja Gran beach, the harbour and the cliffs beyond. Despite its modest, fragmentary size, Torre del Castell is one of the stops along that route, and arguably the spot where the layers of the town's history show most clearly: medieval defence, a 20th-century demolition, and today's role as the base of a working lighthouse.

How do you get there?

Vila Vella sits right above the centre of Tossa de Mar and is reached on foot, either up through the narrow streets of the old town or along the path from Platja Gran beach. The area around the walls and towers, including Torre del Castell, can be visited freely, with no ticket needed, by following the marked walkway along the top of the fortifications.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside Torre del Castell? Only a fragment of the tower survives, so it is seen from the outside, as one stop along the walking route around the walls of Vila Vella.

Is there an entry fee? No, walking the walls and towers of Vila Vella, including the area by Torre del Castell, is free and open at any time of day.

Why is the tower so much smaller than descriptions of the original castle? What remains today is only a fragment of a larger 12th-century tower; its upper, main section was demolished in 1917 to provide stone for the town's lighthouse.

What else is worth seeing nearby? Besides Torre del Castell, the other surviving towers along the walls — Codolar, Joanes and Hores — and the nearby lighthouse, built partly from the stone of the dismantled castle tower, are worth a look.