Spanish beaches

No matter whether you prefer sun and swimming, sailing or water sports, you are sure to find what you are looking for here.

Spanish beaches have always held a place in the hearts of all sun-hungry Northern Europeans. If you mention holidays in Spain, most people will immediately think of the Costa del Sol – the "Sunshine Coast". And why not? A magnificent climate, active beach life and the chance of running into celebrities and jet-setters have combined to make this stretch of coast hugely popular over the years. Even though the "celebrity frequency" may have declined a little, the beaches are just as fine as ever.

However, if you head away from the Costa del Sol you will find that there are a great many other coastal areas and beaches to explore: from the Costa de la Luz in the west, with its verdant landscape where strawberries and oranges grow in abundance, via the Costa Cálida (the "Hot Coast"), where the waters of the Mar Menor salt lagoon are said to have a beneficial effect on rheumatism, to the Costa Brava in the North, which borders the Pyrenees. In other words, depending on where you live or travel, you can stroll through shady fruit orchards, dangle your legs over steep ravines, or bury your toes in fine white sand.

If, on the other hand, you want to enjoy everything the tourist companies have to offer, it is probably best to make tracks for the beaches close to the big coastal cities such as Málaga, Marbella, Torrevieja, Alicante and Benidorm. You will certainly have to share the beach with a lot of other tourists, but in return you will have access to activities such as boating, jet-skiing, windsurfing, sky-gliding, diving and surfing. And, of course, to a huge range of restaurants and shops that are waiting for you whenever you feel like taking a break from the beaches.

If you would prefer to avoid the bustling metropolises and explore slightly smaller stretches of beach, we warmly recommend a trip to the Costa Azahar, north of the Costa Blanca and still relatively unknown to non-Spaniards, the Costa Tropical, east of the famous Costa del Sol and dotted with unspoiled inlets, or the Costa de la Luz, which features miles and miles of undisturbed beaches that are bathed in the waters of the Atlantic.