What you can see on the El Port de la Selva webcam
The live camera looks down the length of the harbour from its northern end. In front of it lie the quays and the boats tied up along them, with the pontoons of the marina to one side; beyond the harbour mouth the water opens into the bay, and the slopes of the Serra de Rodes rise on the far side. It shows how calm the bay is, how much wind is ruffling the water and whether the sky over the cape is clear.
The harbour and bay of El Port de la Selva
From the sailing club at the northern end of the harbour, this wide-angle camera looks south-west down its whole length. A boat crane stands in the foreground on the left, with yachts and small motor boats moored at the marina pontoons beside it; on the right, cars are parked on the quayside and boats are tied up along the long quay that runs out towards the harbour mouth. Beyond the wall the bay opens up, with houses along its far shore and the bare slopes of the Serra de Rodes behind.
It is the view for checking the tramuntana: whitecaps across the bay mean a hard north wind. In the morning the light comes from the side; by late afternoon the camera looks straight into the sun.
Cap de Creus and the monastery above the bay
The village sits inside the Cap de Creus Natural Park, the rugged peninsula that marks the easternmost point of mainland Spain. High on the mountainside behind the bay stands Sant Pere de Rodes, a Benedictine monastery documented since the 10th century and one of the finest Romanesque buildings in Catalonia. The coast here is shaped by the tramuntana, a cold north wind that can blow hard for days and gives the sea its deep, clear blue once it drops.
When to watch El Port de la Selva
The village is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The camera faces roughly south-west, so mornings are the time for the clearest picture; by late afternoon it is looking straight into the sun and the bay turns to a sheet of light. On tramuntana days, most often in winter and spring, look for whitecaps streaking across the bay.
Around El Port de la Selva
Cadaqués is about 5 miles (8 km) away as the crow flies, over the hills of the cape, and Llançà is the next town west along the coast. The road up to Sant Pere de Rodes climbs from the village with wide views over the bay, and the coastal path leads east to small coves that are only reached on foot or by boat.
Visiting El Port de la Selva
Figueres, with its railway station and the Dalí Theatre-Museum, is the nearest large town, and Girona–Costa Brava airport is about 55 miles (90 km) away by road. The village beaches are of sand and shingle, sheltered from most winds except the tramuntana, which can make swimming rough while it lasts.
