12 of the best beaches in Spain

The playa (beach) has near-holy status in Spain, a country hemmed by some 8000km (5000 miles) of coastline that canters from tiny pine-clasped rocky cove to dune-rippled beach, glitzy Mediterranean harbor and surf-smashed Atlantic bay without breaking a sweat. Toss in crazily pretty cliff-top villages so white they make you blink, chiringuitos (beach bars) where mojitos are paired with sunsets that pop, and tiny tapas bars grilling up freshly caught seafood, and you are looking at a country that doesn’t just go to the beach, but lives and breathes it. 

We’ve toured the country from the rugged north to the sultry south to bring you our Spanish beach faves. But venture even slightly off-piste and you’re bound to find your own, too.

1. Platja Illetes, Formentera

Best for barefoot bliss

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A long arc of sugar-white sand fizzing into a startlingly turquoise sea, Platja Illetes is pinch-yourself beautiful. Caribbean-like? You bet. But there’s no need for the long-haul flight – you can reach Formentera on a half-hour ferry crossing from neighboring Ibiza. The beach makes up the western section of the Trucador Peninsula. Just offshore, you’ll spy two illetes (islets), Pouet and Rodona, which give the beach its name. 

Local tip: Dodge peak summer season when Ibiza daytrippers hog the sand space. Visit in late spring or early autumn instead.

2. Playa San Pedro, Andalucía

Best beach for wild beauty 

Arcing east of Almería province on the sun-scorched southeastern coast of Andalucía, the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar hides some of Spain’s most wildly beautiful and uncrowded beaches. Coves make deep thumbprints between towering cliffs, and ravines plunge down to pristine sands, eroded lava rocks and dune-wisped bays. One of the loveliest of the lot is Playa San Pedro, a swoon-worthy stretch of sand backed by verdant scrubland and the crumbling ruins of a 16th-century castle. Reach it on foot or by boat from Las Negras. 

3. Cala Macarella, Menorca

Best family beach

A tiny notch on the map on Menorca’s southwest coast, Cala Macarella makes first-time beachgoers gasp out loud. Wedged in among cliffs brushed with fragrant pines and holm oaks, this perfect-looking half-moon of fine white sand slides into azure water as crystal-clear as a goldfish bowl. The secret about this playa is out, however, and it gets rammed in summer. Come bright and early or in the rosy glow of sunset for a quieter vibe. You can reach the cove by boat, or walk about 1.5km/0.8 miles (25 minutes) from the nearest car park.

Detour: If you think Cala Macarella is gorgeous, just wait until you clap eyes on Cala Macarelleta, reached by heading up and over the cliffs and through the pines. 

4. Praia as Catedrais, Galicia

Best beach for rocky drama

If you fancy worshipping at the altar of the beach gods, Praia as Catedrais in Galicia is absolute heaven. One of northern Spain’s most sensational strands, 1.5km-long (0.9-mile) Cathedral Beach takes its name from the way wind and water have gnawed this rocky stretch of coastline into Gothic-style arches, towers, buttresses and chambers over millennia. To see the beach in its full glory, visit at low tide when the long butterscotch sands are totally exposed. 

Local tip: At Easter and during the summer holidays (from July 1 to September 30), you’ll need to reserve a free permit to visit the beach. 

5. Playa Las Teresitas, Tenerife

Best beach for views

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Things take a turn for the wilder in Tenerife’s northeast, where waves boom against jagged cliffs and grottoes. Unlike most of the volcanic, black-sand beaches on the island, 1.6km-long (1-mile) Playa Las Teresitas bewitches with a sweeping arc of palm trees and golden sand shipped in from the Sahara. Apparently, the sand had to be rigorously cleaned because of the red ants and scorpions that came along for the ride! The Atlantic is choppy elsewhere, but thanks to a breakwater it’s perfect for family swims here. And the backdrop captivates, with the laurel forest-cloaked Anaga Mountains rippling into the distance.

Local tip: Close to capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Teresitas is popular for its chilled atmosphere and chiringuitos. El Caracol is a relaxed weekend haunt for ice-cold mojitos, tapas and salsa beats.

6. Platja de Formentor, Mallorca

Best beach for paddling

Mallorca ramps up the coastal drama big-time where it slings its northern hook into the brilliant blue Med. Here knife-edge cliffs and the wind-scarred limestone peaks of the Serra de Tramuntana rear up like waves on the point of breaking. Every snaking bend along the Cap de Formentor peninsula will want to make you lunge for your camera. As will the beach at Platja de Formentor, a pine-flanked ribbon of pale sand shelving gently into crystal-clear water. Go for a dip or hire paddleboards or kayaks to explore. 

Local tip: Arrive by boat from Port de Pollença or by car on the helter-skelter road along Cap de Formentor, stopping at viewpoints like the Mirador del Mas Pas. The lighthouse topping the headland delivers peachy sunsets.

7. Playa de la Concha, Basque Country

Best city beach 

San Sebastián is raved-about far and wide for its food scene twinkling with Michelin stars, but its backdrop of gold sand beaches and lush green hills also seduces. Cue Playa de la Concha, a magnificent, 1.6km-long (1-mile) smile of blond sand that is right up there with Europe’s loveliest city beaches. Come to swim, flop or soak up the fiesta vibe over cold drinks and pintxos (Basque tapas) at a chiringuito. By night, lights glitter over the Bay of Biscay. 

Detour: Hop on a boat over to the dinky Isla de Santa Clara. At low tide the island has its own tiny beach and you can scale forested paths to a lighthouse. Bring a picnic. 

8. Flecha del Rompido, Andalucía

Best beach for endless sands

The Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) on Andalucía’s west coast is wholly deserving of its name. Bounded by 200km (125 miles) of softest golden sand and thrashed by the Atlantic, the sharp light, dazzling blue skies, dune-flanked white sands and iodine-tanked ocean air here lift moods instantly. And the beaches are something else – none more spectacular than Flecha del Rompido, a 13km (8-mile) sandbar hemming the mouth of the Río Piedras. As the beach can only be reached by ferry, crowds are precious few even in the height of summer. 

Local tip: Bring binoculars. The playa forms part of the Río Piedras wetlands reserve and is a magnet to birdlife including ospreys, little egrets, sandwich terns and red-crested pochards. 

9. Playa de Torimbia, Asturias

Best nudist beach 

In wildly beautiful Asturias on Spain’s north coast, gasp-inducing Playa de Torimbia is a knockout. Bookended by rocky headlands, this crescent of flawless gold-blonde sand slides into a wave-ruffled sea that shimmers in an entire spectrum of blues. Beyond, green hills rise to mountains. You have to walk the last kilometer from the car park to the beach, which keeps the crowds down. Don’t worry if you forget your swimsuit: clothing is optional.

Detour: Fancy a hike? The playa is close to the trail-woven Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa, which wows with some of Europe’s most sensational mountain scenery, skipping from lakes and flower-flecked meadows to limestone crags and gorges.

10. Begur, Catalonia

Best beach for secluded coves

Clasped between sweet-scented pine and cliff and pummeled by translucent waters, the ruggedly pretty beaches of the Costa Brava, stretching from Barcelona to the Spanish-French border, are Catalonia’s finest. Top billing goes to those around the castle-crowned town of Begur. Here roads corkscrew down a coastline necklaced with dreamy coves, such as tiny, nicely secluded Cala d'Aiguafreda, finely pebbled Cala de sa Tuna flanked by remodeled fishers' houses, and honey-sand Sa Rieira. 

Detour: Swap flip-flops for sturdy shoes and hoof it up to the medieval ramparts of Castell de Begur for soul-stirring views out to sea. The 1959-film Suddenly, Last Summer, starring Elizabeth Taylor, was shot here.

11. Platja de Ses Salines, Ibiza

Best beach for birdwatchers

Ask Ibiza locals to divulge their favorite beach and Platja de Ses Salines invariably makes the grade. On the island’s southern tip and just a wave away from Formentera, this ravishing sweep of creamy sand and jewel-colored sea is backed by rolling sand dunes and pinewood. Go for a swim in warm, shallow waters or hang out at one of the chiringuitos with a cocktail as the sun plops like a ball of fire into the Med. 

Detour: The playa forms part of UNESCO World Heritage Parc Natural de Ses Salines. Stray beyond the beach to explore this watery wonderland of salt pans, marshes, beaches and pine-clad cliffs. It’s a bird haven, attracting the likes of Balearic shearwaters, Audouin's gulls and, from August to October, flocks of migrating flamingos.

12.  Playa de Bolonia, Andalucía 

Best for photography

You could search the whole of Spain and never find a prettier playa than Playa de Bolonia, around an hour’s drive south of Cádiz. This vast, 4km-long (2.5-mile) expanse of silk-smooth blond sand, huge dunes and coastal pines will blow you away in every sense of the expression – especially when the easterly Levante wind blows, ruffling the Atlantic and creating big waves for surfers. While you’re in town, combine beach time with culture by exploring the Roman archaeological site of Baelo Claudia, with the impressive remains of a theater, forum, thermal baths, market and columned basilica. The views over to Morocco are sublime. 

Detour: Fancy an alfresco swim? Beyond the Roman remains, a 1.5km (0.9-mile) dirt track leads down to the Faro Camarinal, from where you can access the serene, nudist-friendly Playa El Cañuelo.