Find Your Perfect Beach Getaway

California's best surf, by skill: Doheny and Tourmaline for beginners, San Onofre and Huntington for intermediates, Rincon, Lower Trestles and Steamer Lane for experienced surfers.

Spain's quietest coasts: Bolonia, Cabo de Gata, Calblanque, the Ebro Delta, Costa da Morte, Torimbia and car-free La Graciosa. Four now cap summer parking or run shuttle buses.

Spain beach safety in plain terms: red flag means no swimming and can be fined, purple means jellyfish, lifeguards typically cover 11:00-20:00 mid-June to mid-September, emergencies dial 112.

Spain’s most photogenic beaches and their access rules: Las Catedrales (free summer permit, low tide only), Cies Rodas (permit then ferry), Gulpiyuri, Bolonia, Macarelleta, Cofete, El Golfo.

Spain’s best active beach bases: Club La Santa on Lanzarote, Port de Pollenca and Calpe for cycling, San Sebastian for running and open-water swimming, Teide for altitude.

Spain's real eco-tourism beaches are the Cies Islands, La Graciosa, Cabo de Gata, Menorca, Formentera, the Ebro Delta and El Hierro - all capped by permit or vehicle quota.

Spain's best underwater sites are the Medes Islands, Cabo de Palos, Cabo de Gata, Tabarca, Lanzarote's Museo Atlantico, El Hierro's Mar de las Calmas, Mallorca's El Toro and Menorca's Isla del Aire.

Solo beach travel in Spain works best in San Sebastian, Valencia, Cadiz, Tarifa, Sitges and Las Palmas: walkable beach cities where eating alone is normal and dorms run €25-40.

The best time to visit Spain's beaches is early June or late September, when the Mediterranean holds 22-26°C without August's crowds. The Canaries swim year-round at 19-24°C.

Spain has no private beaches. Luxury beach villas cluster in Marbella, Cala Jondal, Puerto de Andratx and the Costa Brava at roughly €13,000–€60,000 a week in peak season.

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.