Situated on the promontory known as the "Cap de Tossa", the walls of the "Vila Vella" have been declared as a National Historic-Artistic Monument and they are today the unique example of a medieval fortified village on the Catalan coast still standing.

The almost totality of the original perimetre, with dry-stone battlemented ramparts, four big towers and three round ones finished off with machicolations at the top, have been preserved till our days. It still maintains a good part of its parapet walk, the defence loopholes, and the inside platform of the tower "de les Hores" with wooden floors and stairway. The access to the enceinte is through a portal with semicircular arch, on top of which, in those days, there were three coats of arms. During the years of greatest splendour these ramparts reached to lodge an ogival styled church, today in ruins, and about eighty houses, many of which are still inhabited.

The Municipal Museum occupies the old Governor’s house, the most noble medieval building in the walled enceinte.

The story of this enceinte begins in 1186, when Ramon de Berga, an Abbot of Ripoll, the monastery from which Tossa was allodium, conferred to the inhabitants of the small community established in the mountains, the letter of population to be able to establish themselves on the promontory known in those days as the "Mont Guardí". Therefore, the original construction of the walls dates back to the end of the XIIth century or beginning of the XIIIth.

The reconstruction carried out during 1387 gave the walls the definitive aspect that has arrived to our days.

The walls defended the village in multiple occasions, especially during the persistent and severe attacks of the pirates during the XVIth century.

Starting from the second half of the XIXth century, the walled enceinte began to decay, but the successive restoration works carried out during 1923, 1966, 1989 and 1990 have made possible its recuperation and consolidation.