Find Your Perfect Beach Getaway

Spain has 677 Blue Flag beaches. Red-flag swimming risks fines up to €3,000, Barcelona bans beach smoking, and swimwear off the sand costs €120–750. Go June or September.

Spain's most romantic beach getaways: Cadaqués, Deià, Cala Macarella, Ses Illetes, Playa del Silencio, Bolonia and Maro. Go in September, and expect steps, ferries or a shuttle.

Spain's beach festivals run June to August: San Juan bonfires on 23 June, Virgen del Carmen sea processions on 16 July, Villajoyosa's pre-dawn landing and Sanlúcar's races on sand.

Spain's wildlife coast is eight sites: Doñana, the Ebro Delta, Cabo de Gata, the Strait of Gibraltar, Tenerife–La Gomera, the Cíes, Ibiza's seagrass and the new turtle beaches.

Spain's surf is northern and autumn-to-spring: Mundaka, Rodiles, Pantín, Somo, Zarautz. The kiting is Tarifa, near year-round. Only Famara and El Médano give you both at once.

Spain's historic beach towns worth the trip: Cádiz, Tarragona, Tossa de Mar, Peñíscola, Ibiza Town, Baiona and Hondarribia — each with real walls and a walkable beach.

Packing for Spain: water shoes for pebble and dark-sand costas, SPF50 for UV 8-10 summers, a cover-up to avoid 120-300 euro swimwear fines, and layers for the Atlantic north.

Spain’s best water sports beaches: Tarifa for kitesurfing, Sotavento and Pozo Izquierdo for windsurfing, Mundaka and Somo for surf, Illes Medes and Cabo de Palos for diving.

Spain’s liveliest beach bars are Cafe Mambo and Cafe del Mar in Ibiza, Tumbao and Tangana in Tarifa, and Ocean Club in Marbella. Barcelona’s are cheapest but close earliest.

Spain's cheapest beach coasts are the Costa Calida and Costa de Almeria. Travel in May, June or September, eat the menu del dia at about 14 euros, and skip 10-euro sunbeds on free public sand.

Spain's beachside cuisine is regional: espeto de sardinas in Malaga, pescaito frito in Cadiz, paella at lunch in Valencia, pulpo and percebes in Galicia, caldereta de langosta in Fornells.

Spain's hidden beaches: Gulpiyuri, Playa del Silencio, Praia das Catedrais, the Cies Islands, Cala Macarelleta, Los Muertos, Castell and Coll Baix. Three need permits or a shuttle.