Lloret de Mar (Spain, Catalonia) is a resort town on the Costa Brava with more than a thousand years of history. A pioneer of European tourism since the early 1950s, it continues to develop into a modern, dynamic city and resort center on the Costa Brava. Getting there is simple and comfortable with transfers from Barcelona Airport to Lloret De Mar with Kiwitaxi, allowing you to start your vacation stress-free and enjoy the beauty of this Mediterranean gem from the moment you arrive.

Throughout its development, Lloret de Mar has become a major tourism center. It is a meeting place of different cultures that maintain their own traditions, customs and identities, incorporating the innovations of modern times, as befits a cosmopolitan city.

Lloret is located in a very convenient, privileged area on the Costa Brava in the south of the European Mediterranean. Located 75 km from Barcelona, ​​30 km from the provincial capital, Girona and 100 km from France, the city has road, sea and air connections.

The beaches and coves of Lloret de Mar are marked with the Blue Flag (European Union quality standard) and the Spanish Tourism Association’s Quality System “B” class. 
Lloret also boasts not only its beaches, but also its rich cultural and natural heritage.

The city of Medieval origin testifies to its history with the presence of castles, fortresses, temples, hermitages, beautiful botanical gardens and is a paradise for nature lovers.

For lovers of active holidays - hiking, mountain biking, snorkeling, scuba diving, sea kayaking - these are just some of the many activities that will allow holidaymakers to explore every corner of the area around Lloret.

Among other things, Lloret offers an entertainment program of music, sports events, mainly from a mixture of modern and local Catalan traditions, folklore and festivals of various styles and trends.
Well-developed tourist infrastructure, modern equipment and always a wide selection of hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment centers, including nightlife, for leisure - makes the Mediterranean Lloret a modern, international tourist center.

A Brief History of Lloret de Mar
The history of Lloret de Mar is undoubtedly linked to the idea of ​​hospitality. Even in ancient times, in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC. e., the ancient Iberian tribes living in the settlements of Montbarbat and Puig de Castellet established commercial relations and contacts with other countries - cultures, mainly the trade in pottery from Greece and Rome.

Later, the Romans themselves settled in Lloret and created the trading post of Fenals (now the beach), with the aim of trading with neighboring coastal settlements such as Empurias and Barcelona.
To this day, numerous evidence remains of this distant period of history: the Iberian settlements of Puig de Castellet, Montbarbat, Turo Rodó and the remains of a Roman funerary tower.

The name of the settlement of Lloret first appeared in writing as Loredo in 966 AD. e. Various scientific studies explain the origin of this name from the Latin LAURETUM, which means place in the laurels.

Soon, in 1001, Count Ramon Borel and Countess Ermessenda of Barcelona marked the municipal boundaries of Lloret de Mar (formerly part of the Macanet district), and presented the city to the Viscount, ruler of the County of Girona.

During this period, two structures were built: the Castle of Sant Joan (on the top of a hill between the beaches of Lloret and Fenals), used as a watchtower and refuge, and the primitive Church of Santa Roma, now known as “Nostra Señora de Allegres” (translated from Spanish as our merry, joyful lady), which still retains its characteristic Romanesque style, despite repeated renovations. If you want to reach any of these remarkable sights with ease, the best option is to use Kiwitaxi, ensuring a comfortable and hassle-free journey to explore the historical gems of the region.

Gradually, over time, a coastal settlement began to grow around the Castle of Sant Joan, which provided reliable protection in the face of possible attacks from pirates, Turks, French or British.
Coastal settlers and families lived mainly from trade - firewood, timber, coal, etc., and fishing was also widely developed.

At that time, trade links were established with several Italian coastal cities, which had a lasting impact on the culture, traditions and even the ancestry of the families of Catalonia.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century, a new parish church was built in the city center, which is still the main symbol of Lloret de Mar and is firmly established on the coast.

The work was completed in 1522, and the total cost of construction was approximately £3,000. The church was built in the Catalan Gothic style, had fortifications, a deep moat and strong walls and served as a refuge for believers during frequent attacks by pirates. 

Around the middle of the eighteenth century, sailors from Lloret began sailing voyages to Central and South America.

In 1778, King Charles III promulgated free trade between Spain and its American colonies, thereby creating a labor boom in the Lloret shipyards.

The indicator is the number of ships built - 130 ships were built between 1812 and 1869, as well as a significant strengthening of the position of the local merchant fleet.

As a consequence, the development of imports and exports between continents enriched many family members of the local population.

The ships sailed to Santiago de Cuba, Havana, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, loaded with wine, oil, textiles, salt, flour and other local goods, and returned to Catalonia with cargoes of cotton, hardwood, hides, sugar, tobacco, coffee, rum, dried beef and other colonial products.

Nineteenth-century transoceanic trade also boosted Catalonia’s economy with goods from Central and South America.

Many interesting stories and legends arose at that time, which served as an impetus for the development of literary and artistic creativity.

Between 1880 and 1920, the physical layout of Lloret de Mar underwent radical changes, due to the development of the tourism sector of the city and the Costa Brava.

But in the 1930s, the development of tourism infrastructure was stopped due to the Spanish Civil War.

Lloret regained its glory as a European resort in the 1950s when the town was transformed to cater to the needs of tourists and holidaymakers.

Many of the old mansions were demolished and turned into hotels of various classes. New suburbs and housing estates were built on former vineyards, forests and fields.

Tourist development has endowed the city of Lloret de Mar with a wide range of hotels and shops, excellent sports facilities, athletics tracks, sports pavilions, football fields, etc., as well as numerous leisure and cultural centers.

Today’s Lloret de Mar is a city where history exists side by side with modern life. Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Lloret is still open and welcomes all guests, holidaymakers, tourists from all over the world.