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...
Altea, Spain - Things to do in the blue-domed artists’ village of the Costa Blanca
Look closely at the tiles on the church dome and you'll spot small dragons curling through the blue and white. Most people photograph it...
From Mijas Pueblo to La Cala - Whitewashed lanes, Picasso ceramics and a seaside boardwalk
What do an oval bullring, a chapel cut into a cliff and a ballerina carved from a toothpick have in common? They all sit...
Why visit Elche? Palm groves, a medieval mystery play and three UNESCO treasures
More than 200,000 date palms grow inside one Spanish city, and one of them has seven arms. The rest of the town is just...
First time in Torrevieja? Pink salt lakes, Blue Flag coves and a town built on salt
People call it the Costa del Yorkshire. Stand by the salt mountains at sunset, with flamingos wading in a pink lagoon, and the nickname...
11 things to do in Calpe, the Costa Blanca town at the foot of the Peñón de Ifach
Two thousand years ago, the Romans farmed fish in pools cut straight into the rock here. Today you can snorkel in them before lunch.Calpe...
The best of Benidorm - From the Balcón del Mediterráneo to Benidorm Island and the Algar waterfalls
Most people picture skyscrapers, sun loungers and a pint by the pool. Few expect a whitewashed fishing village, a Roman fort and cliff-top hiking...