Spain has thousands of beaches, and every year it is among the countries with the most Blue Flags, the award for water quality and facilities. The coasts are very different: the warm, calm Mediterranean, the southern Atlantic, with long beaches and wind, the green, cool Cantabrian north, and the islands. See also when to go.
Costa Brava and Catalonia
Coves among rocks and pines, white villages and clear water: Tossa de Mar, the coves of Calella de Palafrugell and Begur, Cadaqués and Cap de Creus, the bay of Roses and the big beaches of Lloret de Mar. Further south, the Costa Daurada with Salou and Sitges.
Valencian Community
Long sandy beaches and lively towns: Benicàssim and Peñíscola on the Costa del Azahar; Benidorm, Altea, Alicante and Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca, with coves such as La Granadella and Portitxol near Jávea.
Murcia and Almería
The Mar Menor, a shallow lagoon, with San Pedro del Pinatar and La Manga, the wild beaches of Calblanque near Cartagena, and Cabo de Gata park with Mónsul, Los Genoveses and Los Muertos, near Almería and Mojácar.
Andalusia
- The Costa del Sol, with Málaga, Torremolinos and Marbella.
- The Costa Tropical, with Salobreña, Motril and Carchuna.
- The Costa de la Luz, on the Atlantic, with endless, little-developed dune beaches: Bolonia and Valdevaqueros at Tarifa, Zahara de los Atunes, Caños de Meca, La Caleta in Cádiz and the beaches of Huelva.
Balearics
Turquoise water and picture-postcard coves: the beaches of Majorca, such as Es Trenc and Caló des Moro, of Menorca, such as Macarella and Cala en Turqueta, of Ibiza, and Ses Illetes on Formentera, often listed among Europe's finest.
Canaries
Golden, black or white sands and swimming all year: the dunes of Maspalomas, Las Canteras in Las Palmas, Las Teresitas near Santa Cruz de Tenerife, southern Tenerife beaches in Arona, Lanzarote beaches such as Papagayo and Costa Teguise, and Fuerteventura's vast beaches, a paradise for surfing and kitesurfing.
The north
- Basque Country: La Concha in San Sebastián, Zarautz and the surf beaches of Mundaka and Sopelana.
- Cantabria: El Sardinero in Santander and the beaches of Castro Urdiales.
- Asturias: coves among cliffs and Gulpiyuri, an inland beach connected to the sea underground.
- Galicia: the Cathedrals beach, with rock arches visible at low tide, and Praia de Rodas on the Cíes Islands, opposite Vigo.
Tips
- Check the lifeguards' flags: green, yellow and red show sea conditions.
- On the Atlantic and in Galicia the water is cold even in summer, and tides can be very strong.
- Naturism is legal in Spain and common on many beaches, especially in the Balearics, the Canaries and Andalusia.
- Some very famous beaches and islands, such as the Cathedrals beach and the Cíes Islands, require a booking in summer.
See also Spain's islands and itineraries.