Planning a visit to Costa Blanca and wondering about its beaches? Oh, don’t you fret. Costa Blanca’s beaches are among the very best in Europe, and certainly tippy top of the Mediterranean.
Levante in Benidorm
The best beach on the Costa Blanca?
Levante is the most popular beach of the region and certainly of the city of Benidorm, lovingly referred to as the Manhattan of Spain. It’s full of skyscrapers and has this big-city feel. The beach is adjacent to the city centre – it’s a very wide, sandy and well-maintained one. It’s full of restaurants, cafés, equipment rentals, umbrellas and sun loungers. There’s a long promenade by the beach where you can take a nice stroll along the beautiful coastline.
Benidorm, being a tourist destination first and foremost, is absolutely full of tourists in summer – don’t expect this to be a nice isolated beach at the edge of the world. Still, there’s lots of fun you can have here, even if it’s fun amidst noisy crowds. The Levante beach is also suitable for children, who will also find plenty of fun things to do at the playgrounds here.
Playa La Roda in Altea
A shingle beach
Altea beach is one of the few pebbly beaches we have mentioned – but don’t worry, you can still have a great time here, just a bit of preparation is needed. It’s important to take appropriate swimming shoes and a mattress for rocky beaches. This beach also earned its spot in part due to the charming town of Altea right next to the beach. If you’re with your children, we don’t think Playa la Roda is the best place for them.
Playa Postiguet in Alicante
Alicante beach
Playa Postiguet is a beach in the centre of Alicante, just below the slopes of Castle of Saint Barbara, Alicante’s top attraction. It’s a wide sandy beach with easy access to the city’s extensive infrastructure. You can get here via Alicante’s famous boulevard made up of 6,600,000 small tiles. The beach is suitable for children and you will have no problem parking in one of the nearby car parks.
Playa de Cala Ambolo
Nudist beach on the Costa Blanca
This is a small beach, hidden from the prying masses under a cliff – it’s located near the municipality of Calp, near Ambolo. It’s also a nudist beach – so if you enjoy topless/completely nude sunbathing, or you’ve never tried it before and decided now’s the time, then you can do it here with no worries. We couldn’t recommend it for children, as the descent to the beach itself is quite steep. The beach is also a mix of pebbles and sand. You can park on the side of a road nearby. If you’re looking for other nudist beaches in Spain, check out our list here.
Platja de Bon Nou
A peaceful beach on the Costa Blanca
Platja de Bon Nou is located not far south of Villajoyosa. It’s a sandy beach with all the necessary infrastructure – plus it is hidden under a sizable cliff. A car park is available right in front of the beach entrance. You’ll find another well-regarded beach right next to Platja de Bon Nou, the Platja del Paradis, so if all the spots here are taken, you can walk over to the neighbouring beach.
Granadella in Javea
The most beautiful beach on the Costa Blanca?
It’s a beach hidden in a cove with beautiful azure water – one of the most beautiful beaches in the Costa Blanca. Naturally, as is customary with such special spots, it’s very popular, so we recommend waking up early or going to Granadella around lunchtime, as many spots become vacant at that time. There’s a car park right around the corner as well as a couple of restaurants and cafes.
San Juan and Mutxavista in Alicante
Beaches in Alicante
Another long sandy beach in Alicante – called by some the very best one. Even then this would be a theoretical lie, as this is actually two beaches joined together to form one massive one, nearly 4 miles long. It’s full of restaurants, beach equipment rentals and activities for kids. Water sports are also popular here, especially among windsurfers.
Platja de Tabarca
Beach on the Tabarca island
This small beach is located on the island of Tabarca, near Alicante. You can get there by boat. It’s a pebbly, but also a very calm beach on the narrow shore of Tabarca. You better take your shoes and a comfortable mattress or blanket given the pebbles. In return for this hassle, what you get is the complete opposite of the busy beaches listed above – actual tranquillity.
Platja de l’Arenal
A peaceful beach
A beautiful beach to the south of Denia. You can see the Parc Natural del Montgó towering over the horizon from here. The beach is wide and hidden in a small cove, so the waters are calmer than on the high seas. Parking is located right next to the restaurants and cafés. The beach is very well equipped, so you can literally come as you are.
The Pink Lake on the Costa Blanca!
Laguna Salada Rosa
Perhaps you’re tired of all these fancy azure and turquoise waters? Maybe you’re absolutely sick of the blue and want a change? Well, we’ve got the Pink Lake of Torrevieja for you, located near Alicante, where the waters get their distinctive pink colour from the presence of the microalgae Dunaliella salina. You can read more about the lake here.
Playa Les Marines
Beach in Denia
The beach in the city of Denia. It is wide, sandy and very long – measuring nearly 2 miles.
Given that it’s another beach next to the city centre, you’ll find plenty of spaces to walk around and lots of infrastructure. It’s a good beach for families with children, as there are playgrounds and appropriate lifeguard care.
Nudist beaches on the Costa Blanca
Topless and nude on the Costa Blanca
There are many nudist beaches on the Costa Blanca, plus topless sunbathing on the beach is no taboo for Spaniards. Rest assured you can go without a bra on the beach. We have written more extensively about nudist beaches in Spain here.
What to take with you to the beach on the Costa Blanca?
Some advice for beachgoers
The vast majority of the beaches listed have a wealth of infrastructure and many rentals in place. However, there are a few things that, regardless of the wealth of facilities, are always worth taking. Firstly, sunscreen, preferably very strong, a hat and plenty of water to drink – stay especially hydrated amidst Spanish heats!
If it’s a shingle beach, it’s more comfortable to take swimming shoes and a special foam blanket or an inflatable mattress to have a more comfortable stay – though, speaking from experience, we can say that even an ordinary blanket can suffice on a rocky beach.
Map of the best Costa Blanca beaches
Where to beach on the Costa Blanca
1) Postiguet
2) San Juan
3) Tabarca
4) Platja de Bon Nou
5) Platja de Paradiso
6) Levante Benidorm
7) Granadella
8) Playa de Cala Ambolo
9) Playa La Roda
10) Platja el Arenal
11) Playa Les Marines
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