Costas in Spain

Feeling a little overwhelmed by how many costas there are in Spain to choose from? Here’s a handy rundown of the key places worth visiting in each area:

• Costa del Sol: Málaga, Marbella, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola
• Costa Blanca: Alicante, Benidorm, Valencia
• Costa Brava: Lloret de Mar, Cadaqués, Begur
• Costa de Almería: Almería, Roquetas de Mar, Almerimar
• Costa Tropical: Almuñécar, Motril, Salobreña
• Costa de la Luz: Tarifa, Cádiz, Huelva
• Costa Dorada: Tarragona, L’Ampolla, Calafell, Salou
• Busy and bustling: Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca
• Quiet and tranquil: Costa de la Luz, Costa Tropical

What are the top Costas in Spain for families? The Costa del Sol is an obvious place to start with its year-round good weather and tourist-friendly amenities. Fuengirola is a firm favourite with five miles of sandy beach, a fantastic zoo and an exciting water park. Benalmadena is another winner thanks to its charming port, where you can find water sports, boat trips and an aquarium. In Spain’s northeastern corner, the Costa Brava is a gem. Sant Feliu de Guixols is a laidback town with an excellent sandy beach as well as many secluded rocky coves, so you can visit a different one every day. Lloret de Mar is the holiday hub here, where you’ll find big-name hotels clustered around the beachfront. Attractions like Water World and Space Blaster make this one of the best Costas in Spain for families. A little further south, the Costa Dorada has history and culture to go with its wonderful beaches. Cambrils retains the charm of a fishing town, with an iconic red lighthouse that kids will love. The neighbouring town of Salou is a great place for kids to burn off energy with activities like paddleboarding, go-karting, and the adrenaline-pumping coasters of nearby PortAventura World.

Suffused with history yet boasting the buzzing nightlife of a modern city, Málaga is a great choice for couples and groups of friends. Torremolinos is known for its expansive, sandy beach featuring a lively promenade, and for its LGBTQ-friendly party scene. Marbella is the Costa del Sol’s go-to destination for glitz and glam, especially around the flashy superclubs of Puerto Banús, but it also boasts a charming old town. Nerja is popular for its laidback vibes and selection of superb beaches, which range from the main town beach with all the amenities to small rocky coves where you might even get the place to yourself.

The tourist hotspot of the Costa Blanca, Benidorm is an ever-popular choice for group holidays thanks to its friendly hospitality, affordable prices, and huge array of bars and clubs that keep the party going all night. Spain’s third-largest city, Valencia is a buzzing, contemporary place full of striking architecture and urban greenery. It makes a great short break for couples, with the beach on hand to cool you off in summer. Alicante offers the best of all worlds. The city is fully geared up for tourists with its buzzing nightlife and exciting culinary scene, but it’s also easy on the eye, with a golden-sand beach, lengthy promenade, and historic monuments like the 9th-century Castillo de Santa Bárbara.

Cadaqués is a relaxed spot that’s perfect for art-lovers: it was home to Salvador Dalí for over 50 years. Once you’ve strolled along the pretty harbourfront and taken a dip, the museum that was once his home is a must-see. Travellers looking for authentic Spanish food will love the diminutive town of Calella de Palafrugell. The cobbled streets are packed with seafood and tapas joints, with the beach the perfect place to sleep it off afterwards. Tossa de Mar is a great choice on the Costa Brava for families: kids will love the epic fortifications of the medieval old town, plus the mighty lighthouse. The pretty coves here offer exceptional snorkelling.

Tarragona is a bustling port that will appeal to history buffs and foodies alike. The city is home to an array of impressive ruins including a seafront amphitheatre, while there’s fantastic seafood on offer in the pretty old town, complete with cathedral. If a Costa Dorada holiday means the beach for you, then Calafell is the place to go, with a three-mile-long, uninterrupted stretch of golden sand flanked by a promenade with restaurants and bars galore. L’Ampolla is a quiet spot with a fishing-village feel. It lies at the gateway to the Ebro Delta Natural Park, a great spot for birdwatching, with the lagoon home to all kinds of avian life including flamingos.

The southernmost costa of Spain, the Costa de la Luz is just 20 miles from Morocco at its closest point. The winds make it a perfect spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing. The pretty city of Cádiz is well worth a visit, while Jerez de la Frontera is famous as the home of sherry. The Costa de Almería extends around its namesake city, a dynamic port that’s worth a visit just for its Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress. Elsewhere, the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park is a rugged expanse of peaks and cliffs. Named for its lush landscape, the Costa Tropical enjoys a microclimate that keeps it mild in winter and pleasantly cooler in summer. It’s all thanks to the towering Sierra Nevada mountains, which are even high enough for skiing.