Which Spanish costa is best for you?

Costa del Sol

Best for nightlife and accommodation options

The most renowned of the Spanish costas is the sunny Costa del Sol (the clue’s in the name). Famed for its wild nightlife, beautiful beaches and abundance of resorts to suit all budgets, travellers often favour the towns of Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Benalmádena and Marbella.

Besides the clubs and the bars, you’ll find everything here, from animal and amusement parks to excellent golf courses, international restaurants and the glitzy marinas of the rich and famous.

Malaga – often called the gateway to the Costa del Sol – is also a great destination in its own right. The birthplace of the artist Pablo Picasso, it’s home to a Moorish castle, an ancient Roman amphitheatre and several modern art museums. It’s well worth a visit, even if you do prefer to pitch up in a resort further along the coast.

How to get to the Costa del Sol

Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport is the region’s main international airport with regular flights departing from many UK airports. Direct flights take around three hours.

Costa de la Luz

Best for tranquil fishing towns and watersports

Characterised by wide sweeping beaches and quaint white-washed fishing villages, the Costa de la Luz or ‘Coast of Light’ is ideal for those who love the quieter pace of life, excellent seafood and a glass of sherry.

In fact, the costa is home to Spain’s famed Sherry Triangle, which lies between the towns of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa Maria and the historic city of Jerez de la Frontera.

As the quieter and more laidback sister of the Costa del Sol, you can expect an altogether more tranquil holiday here – unless you’re hitting the waves. The west-facing region runs from Tarifa in the south all the way up to the Portuguese border, meaning it’s buffeted by the wild Atlantic.

It’s a good bet for watersports – particularly windsurfing and kitesurfing, because of the strong sea breezes. Try Tarifa, sitting right across the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco, for reliable conditions.

How to get to the Costa de la Luz

The best way to reach the Costa de la Luz is to fly into Jerez Airport, about 30 minutes from Cádiz. Flights from the UK take just under three hours.

Costa Calida

Best for families and golfers

The high-rise vibes of the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca are broken up by their three smaller neighbours: the Costa Tropical, the Costa de Almeria, and the most well-known of the bunch, the Costa Calida.

The Costa Tropical, to the south of Granada, is home to a handful of small and relaxed family-friendly resort towns, while the highlight of Costa de Almeria is the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park, with its strange geological formations and quiet unspoilt beaches.

The Costa Calida lies just around the corner, in the region of Murcia, and has its own microclimate with high temperatures year round and little rainfall.

It’s dotted with resort towns, golf courses and beaches that seem to go on forever. The most popular of these resorts is La Manga del Mar Menor, a thin strip of beach located between a salt-water lagoon and the sea. Filled with upmarket hotels, it’s great for kids and watersports.

Don’t forget to make a stop at the historic town of Cartagena, founded by the Carthaginians and home to many ancient ruins.

How to get to the Costa Calida

You can fly into Murcia International Airport or Alicante Airport to get to Costa Calida. Both offer direct flights from the UK with a flight time of around two-and-a-half hours. If you’re staying in the Costa de Almeria, consider flying to Almeria Airport instead.

Costa Blanca

Best for nightlife and family-friendly attractions

Like the Costa del Sol, the Costa Blanca is known for its excellent nightlife, wide range of resorts and family-friendly attractions. The biggest and most popular towns here are Torrevieja, Alicante and no-introduction-needed Benidorm. Between them, you’ll find a handful of quieter and more tranquil resorts.

The Costa Blanca is ideal for those on a budget, with plenty of offers on package holidays and accommodation. You’ll find no shortage of water parks, theme parks, zoos and excellent beaches to keep the family entertained.

The biggest city on the Costa Blanca is Alicante, which, as well as having an excellent beach and great nightlife scene, is steeped in history and even has its own medieval castle.

How to get to the Costa Blanca

Alicante Airport is Costa Blanca’s largest international airport. There are plenty of direct flights from UK airports including London, Manchester and Birmingham that’ll get you there in around two-and-a-half to three hours.

Costa de Azahar and Costa Valencia

Best for laidback beaches and historic towns

The Costa Valencia runs from the Costa Blanca up to the province of Castellón. The gateway to this coast is Valencia itself, a city that perfectly blends a historic centre with its more modern outskirts, including the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences.

South of Valencia lie the laidback and attractive resort towns of Dénia, Gandía and Playa de San Antonio, each with excellent beaches, plenty of culture and lots of accommodation options.

Don’t forget to take a visit to the Parque Natural de la Albufera, a natural lagoon where much of Spain’s rice is grown. This is also the cradle of the country’s most famous dish – the paella.

Just north of Valencia is the romantically named ‘Orange Blossom Coast’ (Costa del Azahar), a relaxed area scattered with small resort towns. Some of the most well-known places along this coastline include Castellón de la Plana, Benicàssim and Peñíscola, with its old walled city and grand castle.

How to get to Costa de Azahar and Costa Valencia

These two regions are easily reached from Valencia Airport, located just twenty minutes from Valencia city centre by car, or thirty minutes via public transport. Flights typically take two-and-a-half hours from the UK.

Costa Dorada

Best for family-friendly resorts and wide sweeping beaches

Continuing north from the region of Valencia, we reach Catalonia and the Costa Dorada or the ‘Gold Coast’. Running from the Ebro Delta to just south of the town of Vilanova i la Geltrú, it’s popular with both tourists and locals and tends to be cheaper than the Costa Brava, further north of Barcelona.

Sweeping golden sand beaches are the standout here, and you’ll have a range of cute coastal towns and big resorts with theme and water parks to stay in.

Some of the most popular resort towns here include Cambrils, Salou and Calafell but the historic city of Tarragona is also worth a visit for its incredible Roman ruins.

How to get to the Costa Dorada

Reus Airport – 13km (8 miles) from Tarragona – is the Costa Dorada’s closest international airport, with multiple airlines offering weekly departures. But you’ll probably find a greater selection of deals for Barcelona Airport (Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat), just north of the region. Flights to both take just over two hours.

Costa Brava

Best for hiking, hidden beaches and picturesque villages

The ‘Brave Coast’, so called because the dangerously rocky coastline only saw the bravest sailors to attempt to land here, stretches north of Barcelona from Blanes all the way up to the French border at Portbou. Strewn with small bays, inlets and quaint hilltop villages, this pretty area inspired many of Salvador Dalí’s greatest art works.

When it comes to deciding where to stay on the Costa Brava, this really is a region of two halves. At the southern end of the Costa Brava lies the livelier and slightly cheaper resorts of Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar, Platja d’Aro and Palamos. This is where you’ll find the biggest resorts, nightlife options and family attractions.

Further north is ideal for nature lovers, romance and small upmarket hotels. Some of the most attractive places to stay include Calella de Palafrugell, Begur and Cadaqués.

It’s an ideal destination for kayaking, snorkelling, diving and hiking – there’s even a path that connects the whole coastline, and was once used to catch smugglers. Many of the best beaches can only be reached on foot, and hiring a car is generally your best option for getting around as public transport is limited.

How to get to the Costa Brava

Barcelona Airport is the main gateway to the Costa Brava with multiple daily flights available from the UK. Alternatively, you can fly into Girona-Costa Brava Airport if you’re staying in the north of the region. The flight time from London is approximately two hours.

Costa Vasca

Best for surfers and food lovers

Spain’s northern costas offer a different type of holiday altogether. The Costa Vasca or the Basque Coast faces the Bay of Biscay and is the capital of Spain’s surfing culture, particularly in the winter months. If catching epic waves is your reason for visiting this coast, base yourself in the popular surf towns of Zarautz, Sopelana or Mundaka.

The most popular destinations on the Basque Coast, however, are the cities of San Sebastián and Bilbao. San Sebastián is world famous for its excellent cuisine, Michelin-starred restaurants and innovative pintxo bars, and is built around the beautiful crescent of La Concha Beach. Bilbao is celebrated for its modern art, which you can find at the Guggenheim.

How to get to the Costa Vasca

There are two main airports for the Costa Vasca: Bilbao Airport and San Sebastian Airport. Depending on where you are staying in the region, it’s a good idea to compare flight prices for both. You can fly to either in just under two hours.

Costa Verde

Best for nature lovers

The 'Green Coast' is situated along Spain’s northern coastline, and lies mostly in the region of Asturias.

High verdant green cliffs and natural white sand beaches hug the shoreline. There are no big resort towns or large beachside clubs here, just colourful picturesque villages such as Cudillero, Ribadesella and Lastres. The area has plenty of hiking trails, untouched beaches and even Paleolithic rock art to discover.

If you do want cultural attractions, bars and a wider variety of restaurants, head for the region’s largest city – Gijón. It’s filled with pretty pedestrianised streets, parks and seafront walkways, and is a great base from which to explore the surrounding coastline.

This is another costa that is best explored by car.

How to get to the Costa Verde

Asturias Airport is the region’s only international airport, located 30 minutes west of Gijón. You may find a greater variety of flights by travelling to Bilbao Airport instead. Whichever you choose, expect flights to take around two hours.

Costa de Galicia

Best for local culture and natural beaches

The rugged, sweeping coast of Galicia runs from the region of Asturias right down to the border with Portugal. Unlike most of the Spanish costas, it doesn’t face the Mediterranean, but the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the wildest parts of this coastline is the Costa da Morte or 'Coast of Death', so called because of the number of shipwrecks here. It’s lined with rocky bays, small fishing towns and dramatic cliffs that plunge down into the ocean below. Like the Costa Verde, you won’t find any big holiday resorts or water parks here, just local Spaniards enjoying their holidays.

The main city on this coastline is A Coruña, with its bustling port and unique glass houses. Further south, you’ll find the magnificent Rías Baixas, a stunning scene of rocky inlets punctuated by sweeping sandy crescents – Pontevedra and Vigo are probably the best towns from which to explore the area.

From here, you can also head out to the Cies Islands, where many reckon you’ll find Spain’s finest beaches. The sand here is so white and the ocean so turquoise, it’s often compared to the Caribbean.

How to get to the Costa de Galicia

To get to Costa de Galicia, you can fly to one of three international airports: A Coruña Airport, Santiago-Rosalía de Castro or Vigo Airport. Direct flights from London take around two hours.