Baix Empordà, an inclusive county with proposals for everyone

On a sunny day, a panoramic view of the agricultural plain in Baix Empordà. In the background, the sea and the Medes Islands. Image by Diego Espada.

Seafaring villages, forests and marshes, beaches and coves, medieval and tourist towns… All this and much more makes up the Baix Empordà. Cultural life and history are very present in this Girona region with its maritime façade. A territory with a good climate and full of traditions that is open to the whole world. It is not in vain that it is the birthplace of the Baix Empordà Tourism Accessibility Plan, a project that promotes the county as an accessible tourist destination.

Part of this offer can be discovered in Els sentits de la descoberta (The senses of discovery), the e-book of inclusive experiences in the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees, in which several hosts from the area with different abilities guide us through the experience. The publication includes audiovisual materials with the testimony of these hosts and also of tourism organisations and professionals from the sector who work for inclusive tourism. All audiovisual materials include English subtitles and SSI interpretation. Welcome to Baix Empordà.

Accessible history and heritage

Today, a family made up of a couple and a baby, the baby’s grandparents and a guide dog accompanies us on this visit to the Baix Empordà. A diverse group with whom we are going to enjoy the variety of proposals of this region. In Pals, Esther, a tourist guide, takes us on a journey through the history of the town.

*In a fortified farmhouse, the guide invites one of the visitors, who is blind, to feel one of the defence windows in the stone wall. Image by Diego Espada*

The historic centre of Pals has an accessible itinerary that incorporates several adaptations so that everyone can enjoy it, such as information signs in Braille or a stone reproduction of the Tower of the Hours on a reduced scale.

In Palamós, the Fishing Museum works for the conservation, study and dissemination of maritime and fishing heritage. The space is accessible for people with reduced mobility or wheelchair users. There is information in Braille and audiovisuals with subtitles and sign language interpretation. The museum also organises cooking workshops and visits to the fish auction in the fish market, in this case with an audio guide that incorporates Catalan, Spanish, English, French and sign language and subtitles in Spanish.

Nature for everyone

In the Parc dels Estanys, in Platja d’Aro, there is an educational and nature itinerary with several accessible viewpoints that allow you to observe the almost 250 species of birds that inhabit it. The park also houses exhibitions of large sculptures in the form of an open-air museum.

A panoramic view of the Parc dels Estanys. In a green meadow with some trees, there is a large lake. Platja d'Aro is in the background. Image by Turismo Castell-Platja d'Aro and S'Agaró - Jordi Mas. — A panoramic view of the Parc dels Estanys. In a green meadow with some trees, there is a large lake. Platja d’Aro is in the background. Image by Turismo Castell-Platja d’Aro and S’Agaró – Jordi Mas.

This is what they tell us at the Platja d’Aro tourist office, a space that provides physical and sensory accessibility. In addition to providing a service point for guide dogs, they also have a magnetic loop.

An accessible tourism destination

Since 2017, the County Council of Baix Empordà has been promoting the Tourism Accessibility Plan, the aim of which is to become an accessible tourism destination and generate a new differential and qualitative value in the tourism competitiveness of the county. Each year, all the accessible and validated proposals are included in a publication. In this brochure you will find leisure activities, accommodation and restaurants, museums, tourist offices, beaches and itineraries. Come to Baix Empordà, an inclusive county with tourism proposals for everyone.