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Best Beach in September

Posted by (Australia) on

Hi everyone

We are a family of 4 with young kids from Australia. This year we are visiting Europe in September and heading to the big cities in Spain. Since we are in Spain for 2 weeks I would like a recommended beach coastal town to have some down time. Depending on recommendations this will decide what part of Spain we will travel to and see.
Suggestions we did have in mind was to fly from Madrid to Malaga and go to the Costa Del Sol ( Costa Tropical) then off to Granada and up to Barcelona.
or Madrid to Girona and then see the Costa Brava then head to Barcelona.
We are not into the touristy trashy environments we are after clean beaches with beautiful coastal towns.

Thanks

Posted by
12172 posts

I'm not into Costa del Sol, which is all golf courses, resorts and expats. I'd go to Costa Brava instead. It won't be deserted but it's a more local crowd and nice beach oriented coastal towns.

Another option, if it's to your taste, is the Costa de la Luz. This is from Tarifa, in the south, going northwest to the Portugese border. There are a lot of deserted (or very lightly populated) beaches along this stretch. Between Tarifa and Cadiz, except for a few bigger communities, the towns are just big enough to provide services you need (but often not right on the beaches). Barbate and Conil would be bigger towns, Chiclana is big enough to remind me of a Southern California city on the beach. North of Cadiz is a big National Park (Donana) that is pretty much a beach, sand dunes and lots of birds/wildlife. I think people pay a boat for a ride over, from the populated areas around Sanlucar de Baremeda, for the day. I haven't been there so I don't know about camping options (there are campgrounds down near Tarifa)

Posted by
1530 posts

First, strongly advocate you take the AVE RENFE train from madrid to malaga instead of flying as it is a better mode of transport then wasting time back in an airport. But, am i base out of malaga, if you are heading here just for a beach experience there are better ways to achieve the goal.
Really need to know if WHERE you MUST START your trip in spain as it has a big impact on proposed travel itinerary. Is there a place where you MUST DEPART from spain?

Posted by
3 posts

Hi all

Thanking you all for all your suggestions. We will be flying to Paris from Barcelona so that will be our last destination in Spain. There are just so many places to see. We are coming from a chilly winter so we would love to have some warm weather, I know southern Spain will be a little warmer than the east coast and love to go and visit Granada and see the Alhambra.
So many decisions and not enough time. I'm sure it's that way with everyone!

Thanks

Posted by
1530 posts

September is a great month to travel in Spain as most uber high heat is diminished, but still ample warm. assume you are starting in Madrid and recommend taking AVE RENFE train to Seville. From Sevile you can implement Brad's counsel for heading to a beach (btw: Brad is fantastic w pragmatic trip counsel). However, if you desire to save some time then consider staying in a hotel with a rooftop pool in seville.
Hotel Almadeus fits the bill. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187443-d310024-Reviews-Hotel_Amadeus-Seville_Province_of_Seville_Andalucia.html
This is a hotel rick steves recommends. By doing so you can capture some sun and wet coolness while relaxing from your travels.
Strongly suggest going to Ronda for an overnight stay and from there going to Granada. Trains and buses will get you to ronda and granada.
From granada fly to barcelona where a poster has also provided excellent beach recommendations.
Enjoy!

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