5 of the best beaches on the Costa Brava

Thank you for coming to read our blog on 5 of the best beaches on the Costa Brava.

The Costa Brava stretches from the town of Blanes (37 miles north of Barcelona) up to the French Border. It has long been a popular holiday destination due to its warm climate, beautiful beaches and easy accessibility.

We recently spent a month exploring this beautiful region of Spain and will now share with you 5 of the best beaches we discovered during that time.

In no particular order here we go:

1.Platja De Santa Cristina

This was probably the most beautiful beach we visited during our stay.

Pros:

• Good car parking (follow signs to the Church car parking) with card machines for payment.

• It’s beautiful beach surrounded by pine trees.

• Nice soft sand

• Great opportunities to snorkel.

• The waves were gentle and child friendly.

• Of all the beaches we visited this one was the quietest (we visited in peak summer season, August).

Cons:

• Access down to the beach is on a steep path, not suitable for disabled, infirm or anyone with mobility issues. Remember what goes down, must come up – the walk up the hill can be tough when carrying everything.

2. Sant Antoni De Calonge

We visited this beach a few times during our stay in Spain.

Pros:

• Because it’s so big (1.5km long) it was easier to find a space away from others.
• I could find a shady spot to sit when we didn’t have a beach umbrella.
• Beautiful clear water with great snorkelling.
• Nice clean promenade if you fancy a walk
• Parking close by (we parked on the street using pay metres)
• Bars and restaurants on the beach front

Cons:

• It is built up and there are high rise buildings on the beachfront.

3. Sant Feliu de Guixols

This beach had a great atmosphere and lots of things to do.

Pros:

• Sandy seabed and lots of snorkelling opportunities.
• Sports equipment to hire such as paddle boards, kayaks and pedalos. We hired a pedalo with a slide for 1 hour for €30.
• Opportunity to hire boats from the harbour.
• Playground on the beach for children.
• The Tourist train starts and finishes here. We did this and it cost €21 for me and the two girls (age 7 and 4). It took 1.5 hours and toured the local area including a pretty lookout point.

Cons:

• Of all the beaches this one was the hardest to park at. The time that we parked there easily we arrived at about 10am.
• There were some jelly fish in the sea (we didn’t see this at any other beaches). No one seemed to be bothered by them but as we weren’t sure about them we did try to avoid getting too close.

4. Tamariu

I’m really pleased we drove a little further from our Villa to see this beach.

Pros:

• It’s in a beautiful little cove.
• We parked easily within a 10 minute walk of the beach. There was parking closer but in peak season I would expect you’d need to park further away unless you get there early in the day.
• Close to facilities
• Beautiful clear water and good snorkelling.

Cons:

• It was really busy and as it’s a fairly small beach it felt crowded.

5. Playa Aiguablava

I wanted to include this beach as it’s so beautiful, however I have to be honest and say we didn’t stay as it was SO busy when we arrived.

Pros:

• Good parking right next to the beach. It was one in one out when we arrived but it was well organised.
• Very clear, calm water.
• Places to eat on the beach.
• Situated in a gorgeous sheltered cove.

Cons:

• As mentioned above it gets very very busy. I would advise out of season visits or arrive early in the morning/later in the evening. This beach is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the region, it is a shame we timed it badly for our visit.

Summary

Thanks for reading our blog on 5 of the best beaches on the Costa Brava. From our experience you can’t go much wrong, and many of the beaches in the region are blue flag awarded. Let me know which ones you’d add to the list!