Robert from TravelIdeaz.com shares tips on where to find the best cities with beaches in Spain.
For many people the best kind of beach is the type which is conveniently located next to a big city. There are certainly a lot of advantages to this sort of beach, as you can carry out sight-seeing trips and go to the beach on the same day.
Spain has more great cities with beaches than most countries and the following are some of the best ones you might want to consider visiting.
Valencia
Valencia is a fantastic city which is famous for the amazing Las Fallas festival in March, lots of culture and its fine beaches. You will need to take a short taxi trip from the city centre when you want to step onto the sand, but it isn’t really a hassle. The Spanish love to take home cooked food onto the beach with them and Valencia is renowned for its great food and the widespread popularity of its local dishes. Paella, for example, comes from here, as does the delicious horchata de chufa drink. You might not fancy heading onto the sand with a giant paella in your Tupperware dish but finding a restaurant near the beach and enjoying some local cuisine before hitting the water is an idea well worth exploring.
Barcelona
This is one of the trendiest cities in Europe right now. There is so much to do in Barcelona that you might wonder how you will find time to fit in a trip to the beach. The awe inspiring Sagrada Familia church, the nightlife and the food will all be jostling for your attention while you are here. The closest beach isn’t all that centrally located and isn’t really among the best beaches in Spain. However, it makes it onto the list here simply by giving us a chance to relax on the sand next to one of the planet’s best cities.
San Sebastian
While Valencia and Barcelona are names which are familiar to people all over the world, San Sebastian is less well known. This lovely city is in the Basque Country, which means that it’s up in the top right hand corner of the country. It is a popular holiday destination for Spanish residents and one of the big reasons for that is La Concha beach. This is a simply wonderful stretch of sand which curves around the city’s bay in a quite stunning setting. Apart from La Concha, the city is possibly best known for the wide range of culture it offers. The San Sebastian International Film Festival is an annual event and the city is the joint European Capital of Culture for 2016.
Malaga
This city is located in the heart of one of the country’s top tourist regions. If you have ever stayed in a resort on the Costa del Sol then there is a chance that you landed at the airport here. However, there is a lot more to the city than that. The closest beaches are a short walk from the centre and offer a nice setting with enough food and drink outlets to keep you happy while you are there. This is one of the warmest parts of Europe in winter time but there is also a lot of history here as well as great sunshine. Malaga is regarded as one of the oldest cities in the continent and there are some fine old buildings here. The Pablo Picasso museum is also worth a visit if you are an art lover. You might consider using Malaga as a base for exploring the wonderful coastline here but you shouldn’t neglect to spend some time in the city itself and on its beaches.
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After years of travelling around Europe and South America Robert Bell now lives in Bolivia with his wife and child. You can hear more of Robert’s travels at TravelIdeaz.
