Country
Spain
4,133 beaches surveyed and measured. Ten chosen by fame. All ten rated.
10 judged · 4133 surveyed · See on the Atlas →
The 10 best beaches in Spain
Ordered by fame: how often Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveller UK, Lonely Planet and spain.info name them, plus measured size. The order is theirs. The rating is ours. Every number is measured or sourced.
- 1
Playa de Bolonia
BOOK THE FLIGHT NOWAll four lists agree, and for once the lists are right.
The factThe 30-metre-high Duna de Bolonia is worth exploring. There is also a well-preserved Roman Ruin called Baelo Claudia just near the dunes.
3,592 m long · 97.8 m wide · Photo: El Pantera, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2
La Concha
WORTH A DETOURA shell-shaped city beach with a storm it can summon in twenty minutes.
The factA galerna is a sudden coastal storm that can form offshore and reach the beach in less than 20 minutes.
1,110 m long · 108.9 m wide · Photo: Carlos Cunha, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3
Playa de Rodas
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREAn island beach that needs a permit, a ferry and a strong constitution.
The factThe islands are part of a larger protected area that limits visitors to 450 people per day during most of the year and 1800 per day during the peak summer season.
1,091 m long · 81.3 m wide · Photo: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4
Praia das Catedrais
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREBook a slot, then race the tide to stand under the arches.
The factAt low tide, there is access to a sand deposit delimited by a rocky wall made from slate and schist forming 30 metre arches resembling cathedral flying buttresses.
744 m long · 49.4 m wide · Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga), CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5
Playa de Mónsul
WORTH A DETOURHollywood used it as a set. The parking still has not recovered.
The factIt was used as a backdrop for some scenes in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
459 m long · 56.5 m wide · Photo: Nikater, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6
Ses Illetes
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREFormentera's postcard, shared with half of Ibiza by lunchtime.
The factFor cars the cost is from €4 to €6, but access on foot or by bicycle is free of charge.
1,072 m long · 31.5 m wide · Photo: MrPepanos, CC BY 3.0
- 7
Cala Pregonda
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREBring food, water, shade and no expectations of signal. Clothes optional.
The factThe cerulean waters sit a 15 to 20 minute walk from the parking lot, and there are no bathrooms, food vendors, or even reliable cell service.
233 m long · 34.1 m wide · Photo: Josefito123, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 8
Playa de Cofete
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREAn hour of gravel for a beach that is still mostly sand and nothing else.
The factThis is one of the most famous unspoilt beaches in the whole of the Canary Islands.
6,266 m long · 156.6 m wide · Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
- 9
Playa de Las Canteras
WORTH A DETOURThe city beach that came with its own breakwater.
The factParallel to the shoreline of Playa de Las Canteras, approximately 200 metres offshore, lies a natural reef formation popularly known as La Barra.
2,651 m long · 65.2 m wide · Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
- 10
Playa de Las Teresitas
WORTH A DETOURTenerife's beach with borrowed sand.
The factIts golden sand was shipped in from the Sahara.
1,141 m long · 127.7 m wide · Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0
How we rate: we have not stood on these beaches, so the sources decide. A beach starts in the middle. It moves up for something no other beach has, or for a top-three place on the fame list. It moves down when someone has been hurt there, when it is closed or banned, or when a source calls the water dangerous. Ordinary cautions are printed on each beach’s page and leave the rating alone.
Asked about beaches in Spain
- What is the best beach in Spain?
- Bolonia, near Tarifa: it is the only beach all four lists we read agree on, and we rate it Book the flight now. It has a 30-metre dune at one end and the ruins of a Roman town beside it.
- Do you need a permit for any Spanish beaches?
- Some, yes. The Cíes Islands need a free Xunta de Galicia permit, with visitors capped at 450 a day most of the year and 1,800 in peak summer. Praia das Catedrais needs a free reserved permit at Easter and from July 1 to September 30.
- When is the sea warmest in Spain?
- July to September. In 2025 the warmest monthly averages of the ten ran from 18.0 °C at Rodas, in Galicia, to 27.5 °C at Ses Illetes, on Formentera. The Canaries stay at 19 °C or warmer all year.
- Is the water cold in northern Spain?
- Yes. At Rodas, in the Cíes Islands, the sea never passed 18 °C in 2025, and at La Concha in San Sebastián it fell to 13.4 °C in February.
From the blog, on Spain
One Beach, One Story · Las Teresitas, Tenerife
Playa de las Teresitas, Tenerife: 270,000 Tonnes of Sahara Sand, Some Scorpions Included
In 1973 a Canary Island beach of black stones became a beach of white desert sand, shipped in five million bags. It later played Cancún on MTV.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Big Board
Beaches You Have to Book: 10 Famous Beaches With a Ticket, a Cap or a Closed Season
Reservations, daily caps, timed slots and months when the gate is shut, from Sardinia to Thailand. Every rule dated to its source.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Big Board
Which Country Has the Most Beaches?
We counted eleven countries the same way, in the same month. Spain names the most beaches. Australia has the most sand. Croatia's, all of it together, covers 4.6 km².
Updated October 2026 · 4 min
Surveyed, awaiting judgment
first 100 of 4,123, widest firstEvery one is real: taken from OpenStreetMap, pinned where it actually is and measured. We have not rated these yet.