Spain has almost 8,000 kilometres of coastline, divided into named stretches with very different characters. The Costa Brava in Catalonia is known for rocky coves, the Costa Dorada for wide sandy beaches, the Costa Blanca for sunshine and family resorts, the Costa del Sol for lively towns around Málaga and the Costa de Almería for wild, desert-like scenery. In this section you will find guides to each coast, starting with our overview of the best things to do on the Costa Blanca.
Spanish Coasts
Costa del Sol travel guide - Picasso’s Málaga, Marbella’s old town and white villages above the sea
Twenty minutes after you leave the arrivals hall, you can be eating sardines grilled on a fishing boat, with your feet in the sand.The Costa del Sol is the...
Spanish Coasts
The best of the Costa Brava - Dalí’s Figueres, medieval Tossa and coves along the Camí de Ronda
A journalist named this coast in 1908, and he chose the Catalan word for "wild". Stand on a...
Costa Brava
Why visit Lloret de Mar? Clifftop gardens, quiet coves and a coastal path to Tossa
Its reputation usually arrives before you do. Then you find Renaissance gardens on the cliffs, a castle above...
Cities in Spain
What to do in Besalú? A fortified bridge, a medieval mikveh and Romanesque churches
Cross a crooked stone bridge, pass under its gate tower and the 21st century seems to stay behind...
Museums and Art Galleries in Spain
Dalí Theatre-Museum tickets, opening hours and the Dalí Jewels
A vintage Cadillac where it rains indoors, a living room that turns into a film star's face and...
Figueres day trip from Barcelona - Dalí’s hometown, Sant Ferran Castle and lunch on the Rambla
Most visitors see one red building crowned with giant eggs, then rush back to the coach. Stay a few hours longer and you'll find...
A weekend in Girona - Cathedral steps, the old Jewish quarter and a walk along the city walls
By day it's a quiet university town where people cycle along the river. By evening the arcades fill with locals, wine glasses and the...
Santa Pola, Spain - Things to do in the Costa Blanca fishing town facing Tabarca Island
Five centuries ago, a stone fortress here watched the horizon for Berber pirates. Today it watches fishing boats bring in red prawns at sunset.Santa...
Alicante - Your base for castle views, Tabarca boat trips and Costa Blanca beaches
Land at lunchtime and by mid-afternoon you can be eating rice on a palm-lined promenade, with a Moorish fortress watching from the rock above.Alicante...
PortAventura map and route - How to see all six themed areas in one day
Six worlds sit around one lake, and the order you walk them in decides how long you spend queuing. Turn left or right at...
Best time to visit the Benalmádena cable car - Calamorro summit views, walking trails and birds of prey
On a clear winter morning you can stand on one mountaintop and see two continents, a snow-capped sierra and most of the Costa del...