Castell de Sant Ferran Ramparts
Perched on a low hill just northwest of the city centre, the Castell de Sant Ferran is one of the largest fortified enclosures in Europe — and almost nobody outside Catalonia knows it exists. Walk the full circuit of its star-shaped ramparts and you are rewarded with sweeping views across the Empordà plain, the Pyrenean foothills and, on a clear day, the glittering strip of the Mediterranean.
The Fortress Itself
Begun in 1753 under King Ferdinand VI, the castle was designed to defend Catalonia's northern frontier with France. Its sheer scale is staggering: the perimeter wall stretches nearly 3 km, the stables once housed 500 horses, and the underground cisterns — which you can visit by boat — hold enough water to withstand a year-long siege.
The castle saw real drama too: it was the last place on Spanish soil where the Republican government met in 1939 before fleeing into exile in France, a fact commemorated by a modest but moving display inside.
Making the Most of the Visit
The rampart walk takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace and is best done in the golden hour before sunset, when the Empordà plain turns amber and the silhouette of the Pyrenees sharpens against the sky. Bring water — there is no café on the ramparts.
Guided tours of the underground cisterns run at set times and are genuinely spectacular — the vaulted chambers feel like a subterranean cathedral, and the boat ride on the still water inside them is unlike anything else in the region.
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