12 of the best beaches in Spain

The playa (beach) is a near-sacred space in Spain, which is ringed by some 8000km of coastline, from tiny, pine-clasped rocky coves to giant dunes, glitzy Mediterranean ports and surf-smashed Atlantic bays.

Add in crazily pretty cliff-top villages so white they make you blink. Chiringuitos (beach bars) where mojitos are paired with sunsets that pop. Tiny tapas bars grilling up freshly caught seafood. All of a sudden, you’re looking at a country that doesn’t just go to the beach. Spaniards live it.

From the rugged north to the sun-baked south, here are the 12 best beaches in Spain.

1. Platja Illetes, Formentera

Best for barefoot bliss

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A long arc of sugar-white sand meeting the turquoise sea, Platja Illetes on Formentera is pinch-yourself beautiful – and only half-hour away by ferry 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 day trippers 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 sunny southeastern coast of Andalucía, Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar hides some of Spain’s most wildly beautiful and uncrowded beaches. Coves here make deep thumbprints between towering cliffs, while ravines plunge down to pristine sands, eroded lava rocks and dune-brushed bays. One of the loveliest of the lot is Playa San Pedro, a stretch of sand backed by 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 beach for families

A tiny notch on the map on Menorca’s southwest coast, Cala Macarella makes first-time beachgoers swoon. Wedged among cliffs where fragrant pines and holm oaks grow, this perfect-looking half-moon beach boasts both fine white sand and crystal-clear water. 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 (25 minutes) from the nearest parking lot.

Detour: If you think Cala Macarella is gorgeous, just wait until you lay 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 your sanctuary. One of northern Spain’s most sensational strands, 1.5km-long 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. 

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5. Playa Las Teresitas, Tenerife

Best beach for views

Things take a turn for the wild in Tenerife’s northeast, where waves crash against jagged cliffs and grottoes. Unlike most of the volcanic, black-sand beaches on the island, 1.6km-long Playa Las Teresitas dazzles 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 rising in 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 its northern hook slices into the brilliant blue Mediterranean. Here, knife-edge cliffs and the wind-scarred limestone peaks of the Serra de Tramuntana rear up like waves on the cusp 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 rent paddle boards 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 is fabulous for peachy sunsets.

7. Playa de la Concha, the Basque Country

Best city beach 

San Sebastián is raved-about far and wide for a food scene twinkling with Michelin stars – and its backdrop of gold-sand beaches and lush green hills also seduces. Cue Playa de la Concha, a magnificent, 1.6km-long smile of blond sand that is right up there with Europe’s grandest and most irresistible city beaches. Come to swim, lie out 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 beyond. 

Detour: Hop on a boat to the diminutive Isla de Santa Clara in the middle of La Concha Bay. At low tide, the island has its own tiny beach; at all times of day, you can scale forested paths to a lighthouse. Bring a picnic. 

8. Flecha del Rompido, Andalucía

Best beach for endless sands

Bounded by 200km of uber-soft golden sand and thrashed by the Atlantic, the Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) on Andalucía’s west coast lives up to its name. The sharp light, dazzling blue skies, dune-flanked white sands and salty ocean air here lift moods instantly. And the beaches are something else – none more spectacular than Flecha del Rompido, a 13km 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, a magnet for birdlife including ospreys, little egrets, sandwich terns and red-crested pochards. 

9. Playa de Torimbia, Asturias

Best nudist beach 

In wildly beautiful, sparsely populated Asturias, on Spain’s north coast, Playa de Torimbia is a knockout. Bookended by rocky headlands, this crescent of flawless gold-blond 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 on these sands.

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, from lakes and flower-flecked meadows to limestone crags and gorges.

10. Begur, Catalonia

Best beaches for secluded coves

Clasped between sweet-scented pine and cliff and lapped by translucent waters, the ruggedly pretty beaches of the Costa Brava, which stretches 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 expansive views out to sea. The 1959 film Suddenly, Last Summer, which starred Elizabeth Taylor, was shot here.

11. Platja de Ses Salines, Ibiza

Best beach for bird-watchers

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 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 (and?) hang out at one of the chiringuitos with a cocktail as the sun sinks like a ball of fire into the Mediterranean. 

Detour: The playa forms part of UNESCO World Heritage–listed 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 Balearic shearwaters, Audouin’s gulls and, from August to October, flocks of migrating flamingos.

12.  Playa de Bolonia, Andalucía 

Best beach 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 expanse of silk-smooth blond sand, huge dunes and coastal pines will blow you away – figuratively, of course, but perhaps (almost) literally, too: when the easterly Levante wind blows, gusts ruffle the Atlantic and create 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 dirt track leads down to the Faro Camarinal, from where you can access the serene, nudist-friendly Playa El Cañuelo.