We will be in Spain in June and July for three weeks. We want to spend our last 5 days just being in Spain. We need to be close enough to get back to our flight from Madrid but would also like to be near the beach. We are looking for someplace relaxing and not usually for tourists. Any ideas? Thanks, Virginia
Posted by
69 posts
On the Costa del Sol, Marabella is beautiful. East of Malaga, you have Nerja and La Herradura. Further east, you are into the Almeria/Poininte area. East of Almeria, you might try the beaches of the National Park of Cabo de Gata de-Nijar which are uncrowded and stunning. Further east, you encounter the Levante beach area.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
You won't find many costal/beach areas that aren't heavily touristed, especially in summer. The Costa del Sol would likely be the most touristy.
One idea would be the northern coast and the Basque region. While San Sebastian is very popular, you might find smaller towns and less-hectic locations going west from Bilbao along the northern coastline. I assume you will be renting a car.
Another option might be Valencia and the coastal region around it. Valencia is a big city but I found it to be more off the well-trodden path than many other Spanish locations. It's an easy 2 hour train ride from Madrid. I didn't explore the coastal region around it, but I recall seeing some nice looking towns in the guidebooks.
No costal area will be near enough to Madrid that you won't have to spend your last night in Madrid.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
If you want relaxing, not many tourists and close to the beach - the Costa de la Luz is my recommendation. Costa de la Luz extends from roughly Tarifa in the south to the Portuguese border. The only really crowded area is within about a ten mile radius of Cadiz (avoid the industrial El Puerto de Santa Maria) .
The two beach areas that are likely to have tourists are Barbate and Chiclana de la Frontera. A step down from that, not touristy but not isolated would be Conil de la Frontera. If you want to really feel like you have a beach to yourself, pick anywhere else along this stretch. There are enough small towns to find food and lodging but no crowds at all.
The best approach is to pick up a car in either Seville or Jerez and drive from there. To get back to Madrid, take an AVE from Seville into Madrid.
After that the north/northwest coast (Basque and Gaelic) areas will be the next least crowded. They are best in high summer because most of the year they don't get great weather. Unfortunately, that's when the crowds do show up.
The Costa Brava, north of Barcelona, is a beautiful area. Expect a lot of vacationing Europeans when the weather is nice but only a couple of spots feel touristy.
Costa del Sol would be my last choice. It's completely given over to condos, golf courses and tourists (and lots of year round expats). Even in the off-season, Costa del Sol is going to feel touristy.