To the east of the town and at the foot of the Puig Rom mountain we find the port of Roses, one of Catalonia's biggest fishing ports.

The registration of Roses as a natural harbor dates back to the year 218 BC, when the Romans first disembarked on the Iberian Peninsula, no doubt attracted by the excellent natural and geographical conditions of the Bay of Roses and also by its strategic position and its good communications.

In the medieval period (13th-14th centuries), the harbor of Roses belonged to the county of Empúries and was the scene of numerous naval battles, mostly against the French forces.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Roses was one of the strategic harbors on the busy coastal commercial route with France and Italy.

In the 20th century, specifically in the year 1902, the first project of an artificial harbor was approved. The natural harbor of Roses was then equipped with a commercial dock. In 1930 a second project was approved to complement the previous one. From the 1930's until the late 1960's, successive enlargements and improvements were carried out which have shaped the present-day harbor.

During the last century, the harbor of Roses has experienced a historical, social and economic evolution as a result of the recession in the sector of maritime trade and the beginning of the fishing activity. It is now one of the three most important fishing harbors in Catalonia, in both volume of catches and number of boats.