From the sea to the mountains, the best hiking trails to enjoy Cádiz
What are the best beaches in Andalucia?
One of the main characteristics that marks the difference between Andalucia and other tourist destinations is the quality of its waters. The beaches in Andalucia are formed to the east by the Mediterranean Sea and to the west by the Atlantic. The light of Cádiz beaches, the virgin nature of the coast in Huelva, the wonderful cliffs and coves of the Malagan coastline or the radiant colour of the Granadan coast. Spending time alone on one of the wonderful Andalucian beaches is practically an odyssey, since each one has a special, particular charm. Nevertheless, we are going to try to guide you on a tour of the best beaches in Andalucia. Enjoy!
The best beaches in Andalucia
Malaga
Playa de Maro in Nerja
This beautiful cove, located in the Malagan municipality of Nerja, is one of the best rated in Andalucia. Its cliffs and rocky formations give it a wild look that bewitches all who visit it. This very romantic place is bathed in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea so, if you want to spend a few days in the sun, make sure you pay a visit. Surrounded by beautiful typical Andalucian villages, the most spectacular of which is Frigiliana, its dark sand gives it an Arabic atmosphere. Don’t miss this fantastic place that enriches this part of the Costa del Sol.
Playa de Cabopino in Marbella
This fine sandy beach is one of the most famous on the Costa del Sol, where part of it is used by nudists. If you want to swim in the Mediterranean waters and feel the fine sand against your skin, you must visit this coast, which will free you of your problems. Located in a protected natural zone, it is home to the Artrola Dunes. This place offers an exquisite opportunity to read a good book in the sun surrounded by this unparalleled natural spot.
Playa de Carvajal in Fuengirola
At the end of the Fuengirola promenade is its most singular beach, Carvajal. This part of the coast is urbanised, which is why you can drink a cool beer while you enjoy the sea. Its fine golden sand is another of its most outstanding attractions. This beach is ideal for families since you can swim for a long way without the water getting too deep, making it ideal for little ones. Do try to visit this enclave of the Costa del Sol. It’s a great place for some rest and relaxation.
Playa de La Rada
This beach is one of the most popular on the Costa del Sol. Given the Q for Quality award and the Blue Flag on several occasions that certify its hygienic and environmental conditions, this part of the coast has an exceptional supervision operation and is steps away from the main streets of Estepona. An intelligent way of combining the services offered by a city with a few hours relaxing in the sun, If you travel to Andalucia, don’t miss this area with its warm water that will leave you with the best memories of southern Spain..
Playa de la Caleta
In Málaga, both the neighbourhoods of La Caleta and El Limonar appeared when the Malagan bourgeoisie started to build mansions to flee the city’s urban centre. This is how this beach acquired its name. La Caleta covers half a mile, with very fine sand so it is usually pretty busy. Its approach is also adapted and here you will find all you need to spend a great day of sea and sun.
Playa de Bajamar
Bajamar Beach is located in Vélez-Málaga and while small (barely 2,625 ft long and 82 ft wide), its sand is quite dark. The best thing about this beach is that its visitor numbers are quite low, so it is ideal for enjoying a day away from the hustle and bustle of other zones, and is one of the Málagabeaches where nudism is permitted.
Puerto Banús Beach
This Marbellan beach rests on the back of famous Puerto Banús and looks out towards Río Verde Beach in the foreground and to La Concha in the background, quite a spectacle. It goes without saying that the amenities here are excellent. You can find and enjoy hammocks, beach restaurants, shops, restaurants…
Nueva Andalucía Beach
Nueva Andalucía Beach is one of the most special and prettiest beaches on the whole of the Costa del Sol and is characterised by its coves and typical Mediterranean sand (dark and thick). Special mention must be made of its promenade that offers visitors a pretty panoramic view of Puerto Banús while they walk alongside palm trees and a multitude of places to have a drink and cool down.
Los Monteros Beach
Los Monteros Beach is considered one of the most peaceful beaches in the municipality, with fine, white sand that covers over 1,476 feet of coastline. It is the perfect place to switch off from the daily grind, away from the hustle and bustle for a few hours.
Cádiz
Playa de Bolonia
This is considered one of the last virgin beaches in the southern Iberian Peninsula. It stands out for its crystal clear waters and fine white sand. Located in the municipality of Tarifa, from its shores you can make out the Moroccan city of Tangier. It has one of Spain’s most important natural monuments, the Bolonia Dune. It has some of the best ratings on TripAdvisor and is only a few feet away from the Roman site of Baelo Claudia. An unbeatable place if you want to spend a few days in the sun and swim in clean heavenly waters.
Playa La Barrosa
The municipality of Chilana de la Frontera is home to one of the beaches best rated by reviewers on TripAdvisor, La Barrosa. The Sancti Pietri Castle is visible from its shores amid intense blue waters. This area gets an average of over 300 days’ sunshine a year, making it a fantastic tourist destination whenever you visit. Don’t miss this corner of the Costa de la Luz, where the particular landscape and its native vegetation will help you to escape the world for a few hours.
Zahara de los Atunes
This beach is one of the most famous in Spain and the ultimate destination for Spain’s politicians and celebrities. Its origins come, as its name indicates, from tunny fishing, since it is one of the most important tunny fisheries in Andalucia. The sunsets that open up the African continent and its natural mud which is perfect for skin treatments are two of the characteristics that make this place stand out. Reviews on TripAdvisor have rated it as one of the most important beaches in Spain and if you want to rest and enjoy nature, make sure to pay a visit.
El Palmar Beach
Palmar Beach is located in Vejer de la Frontera, in the province of Cadiz. This is an excellent beach about 8 kms in length and an average width of about 50m. The sand is fine and golden and the water is very clean and shallow. It is one of the few remaining unspoilt beaches along the coast of Cadiz, Andalucia, as there are no developments nearby and the area offers amenities not usually found in a beach town. It is a very quiet beach and is separated in many of its areas by natural dunes.
Take special care to enjoy its beautiful sunsets with deep reds reflecting against the sea.
Calas de Roche
The Calas de Roche is a series of small coves that lie between the port of Conil and the Roche urbanization. They are characterized by rocky beaches and beautifully, impressive reddish cliffs. They are coves that run between them when the tide is low.
These very private coves offer incredible beauty, especially at the end of the day when you can admire the beautiful sunsets. This view makes the beach an especially popular destination during the summer months when couples arrive seeking tranquillity and a chance to enjoy the impressive natural environment.
Zahara de la Sierra
Who said it was not possible to enjoy the sea in the mountains? For those who want to combine the typical ocean breeze with the air you find in the valley, the unique Zahara de la Sierra beach is located in the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
This is a wide space between orchards and fruit trees that has followed the course of the river to create a special, small beach. It has a bar and restaurant, a barbecue and recreation areas. The water is treated and in perfect condition and the temperature is ideal to ease the intense heat, especially during the summer months.
La Fontanilla Beach
La Fontanilla is without a doubt one of the best in the whole of Conil, both for the quality of its water and sand, and for the amenities it offers (the best restaurants in Conil that are open almost year round). It is a beach with few waves and fine sand, making it a very pleasant spot to spend some time on the coast.
Caños de Meca Beach
One place to be if you want to relax and enjoy nature are the Caños de Meca. A succession of cliffs and coves with nudist beaches will give you that feeling of freedom which is so comforting for our body. Near this spot is the lighthouse of Trafalgar and it is amazing to think we are looking at the same sea, the same place, where the famous battle took place on October 21st, 1805 and there are still some sign of it on the rocks. A unique experience not to be missed if you are in Andalusia.
Huelva
El Rompido Beach
Don’t forget your camera if you travel to El Rompido, since you won’t want to ever forget the image of this bewitching coast located in Cartaya, Province of Huelva. The virgin vegetation, dunes and pine groves that accompany it make this spot a fantastic place to come for the peace and quiet we all need to disconnect from daily life. One of the distinguishing features of this coast is what is known as Flecha de El Rompido (El Rompido Arrow), a unique sand formation that opens out into the Atlantic Ocean like a tongue from a virgin beach that can be accessed by boat.=
Isla Canela Beach
Located in the district of Isla Canela in Ayamonte, this beach encompasses the border with Spain’s neighbour Portugal. Its golden sand is bathed by quiet refreshing waters from the Atlantic Ocean, which can be enjoyed under the sun in this fantastic landscape. Its surroundings are home to salt marshes, water channels, sandy spots and dunes that give it a personal character. Not to be missed if you want to enjoy a magnificent Andalucian beach.
Playa de Punta Umbría
This beautiful urbanised beach lets you enjoy the sea at the same time as a drink or appetiser at one of its refreshment stalls. If you’re a sports lover, you can windsurf and paraglide in this area. This extensive zone is home to natural riches with three protected spaces: the El Portil Lagoon, Enebrales de Punta Umbria Natural Landscape and Odiel Salt Marshes, a natural spot declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. This place majestically combines peace and quiet with a wide range of services.
Flecha El Rompido
The reputation of the beaches in El Rompido is undisputed: the sand spit that stretches between the Atlantic and the River Stones is considered one of the most precious jewels of Spain’s study of natural organism and their relationship to their natural surroundings. Known as La Flecha del Rompido, its fine golden sands and gentle waves allow moments of total relaxation in a way you may have never experienced before. The dunes, pine forests and long beaches help create one of the most charming landscapes of the Costa de la Luz.
Doñana Beach Park
Sixty Miles of Beach – this is what can be found on the shores of the Natural Park and the Doñana National Park. While the Doñana National Park beach is restricted between Mazagon and Matalascañas, you can enjoy the virtually untouched beaches and open access on the coastline that runs along the Doñana Natural Park. Among them, you’ll find the Torre del Loro beach, which owes its name to the remains of an ancient watchtower, running about 3 km of fine golden sands. There you can enjoy spectacular golden cliffs and a brisk sea. Access is quite simple and you can find collections of shrubs and even water from a small stream.
Playa de Matalascañas
It is one of the most famous beaches in Huelvaprovince. It is around 3.1 miles long and has fine white sand. It is a beach with a great family atmosphere and has many services and amenities, along with a promenade, from which the old Torre de la Higuera can be seen, which dates back to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Acantilado de Asperillo, between Mazagón and Matalascañas
In the locality of Almonte, in the heart of Doñana Natural Park, we can find one of the most unique coastal formations on the entire peninsula. This is Acantilado del Asperillo, totally virgin fossil dunes that occupy around 29.6 acres. Here you will find a beautiful landscape panorama, since walking along its coast and enjoying the different ochre, orange and black hues of the stratified levels is a quite a crazy sight. And the icing on the cake is that you can enjoy all the peace and quiet you want.
Mazagón Beach
Amongst the beaches of Huelva, Mazagón is the most familiar. An urban area, this has multiple zones of access through the streets of the Huelva town. This space is ideal to go with children as you have many services at your disposal. It has parking, bar, showers, toilets, surveillance and emergency services as well as daily housekeeping and access provided with wooden paths. As part of the comprehensive coastline, it retains its natural value and the beauty of its surroundings.
Granada
Caletilla
Almuñécar is practically the capital of Costa Tropical. Its coastline covers 12.4 miles of coast, so here you can enjoy around 30 beaches, of which Caletilla stands out in our opinion. This beach is located between El Peñón del Santo and Puerta del Mar Beach. It is a narrow strip of dark sand and gravel that is 49.2 feet wide that extends for around 787.4 feet. Its waters are calm and crystal clear.
San Cristóbal Beach
This is one of the longest in Almuñecar and located in one of the most urbanised zones in the locality, so here you will find all the amenities you need. This beach has fine, but very dark sand, and next to it you can see the Peñón del Santo and the Cala de La China.
De la Charca Beach
Also known as Salomar, this is a beach with fine sand and a multitude of amenities, since it is usually full in high season. Nevertheless, it is easy to get to and has a parking service.
Almería
Cala de San Pedro
Cala de San Pedro, in addition to being one of the prettiest coves in Andalucia, is also one of the its most famous nudist coves. It is a small beach 820 feet long, with beautiful turquoise waters.
Del Plomo Beach
This is a cove covering 656 feet, with turquoise waters and impressive pools that those who are into snorkelling and diving will love. Also, thanks to this spectacular beach’s location, if you decide to come here you will be able to take excursions on foot to the famous Cala de Enmedio.
If you want to enjoy the good climate on offer in southern Spain year round, be sure to do so from its heavenly beaches. Both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean have their great examples that will allow you to fully relax on your holiday.
TIPS FOR GOING TO THE BEACH
1. SUN PROTECTION IS A MUST
Spending a lovely at the beach depends to a large extent on sun protection. We pay a high price for getting too much sun in the long run, so go to the beach as much as you want, but to avoid the burning that can cause so much harm, you can’t forget the sunscreen. The best thing of all is a gradual tan.
2. TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES
In addition to your skin, you must also take good care of your eyes, so get yourself some sunglasses that you like to protect them. You have no excuse not to, since there are fortunately now many brands that offer sunglasses that meet all the requirements (good, cute and well-priced).
3. HYDRATE
Taking a bottle of water for your day at the beach will be the best decision you make. Keeping hydrated is essential and something that you can also do with a piece of fruit.
4. WHERE TO DISPOSE OF YOUR RUBBISH
An essential part of going to the beach is taking a bag to put all your rubbish in so you can then throw it away in an appropriate place.
And, lastly and most importantly: enjoy and recharge your batteries because you are on holiday.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Fuerte El Rompido
If you are looking for good beaches, the best accommodation option is without a doubt Fuerte Hoteles. This chain has establishments where you can enjoy, in addition to its amenities, the best of each area of the region. Its years of experience are the best guarantee for dedicating your time to walking around these natural spaces and enjoying the best beaches bathed by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Marbella, Conil, Grazalema, El Rompido and Torrox are just some of the places where you can find this amazing hotel accommodation.
