Beach
Spanish Beaches
Beaches are the trademark by excellence for Spain and the Spanish beaches are many tourists only reason to visit Spain.
Who can blame them? The Spanish beaches are amongst the most wonderful in the entire world and Spain has an enormous coastline, more than 3900 km long.
It would take us to far to give a description of all the beaches along this vast coastline so we will just talk about three of the well known coasts: the Costa Brava, the Costa Blanca and the Costa De Sol.
- Costa Brava, between the Mediterranenan and the Pyrenees, is the popularly accepted name of the littoral of the province of Girona.
Its nature, climate and history create a setting of odd, haunting beauty that is hard to grasp, but that never fails to seduce, with its lush vegetation propped against the blue and green immensity of the sea.
Right up to the edge of the sea, hanging on occasions over abrupt cliffs, on others in the actual proximity of the beaches , the vegetation paints the fine golden sand green, blending with the ochre of the earth, inland, and together with the dominant landscape.The 16?C of average annual temperature, with moderate rainfall, and the 2,500 hours of sunshine that illuminate the historic-artistic vestiges, recalling the existence of a notable past, are only the visible aspects of a reality that has a hidden pulse waiting to be discovered.
Its 214 kilometres of coastline stretch between the beaches of Blanes in the south, surrounded by El Maresme and El Montseny, and Portbou in the north, on the French border.
Beaches, coves, cliffs and woods sit among renowned places like S?Agar?, Tossa de Mar, Begur, Cadaques and Portlligat. The modern tourist infrastructure of the area has turned Costa Brava into one of Spain's most popular tourist destinations. - Costa Blanca takes up the stretch of Mediterranean beach that corresponds to the province of Alicante, a great example of what is known as Mediterranean landscape.
The traveller can choose any part of this beach line, from the liveliest, most cosmopolitan stretch to areas that still maintain a rural feel. Wherever you decide to go, try to visit the neighbouring regions where you can discover the beautiful Mediterranean landscape.
The horizons of the Costa Blanca beach feature many different types of attractions ranging from the valleys, where the memory of its Moorish past is kept alive in its terraced vegetable gardens, to the palm trees.
The climate is also variable. The temperature is generally mild ? the annual average being slightly higher than 17?C ? with little rainfall, and in the northern mountains in the area, the rainfall is logically higher than that registered in the lowland surrounding Elche and Orihuela.The combination of almond tree fields, vineyards, orchards and magnificent palm trees creates a type of vegetation that is unique in Europe.
- Costa del Sol takes up about 300 kilometres of the Mediterranean littoral that corresponds to the province of Malaga.
Protected from the northern winds by a mountain chain that in some parts comes down to meet the sea, this sheltered coast is shaped by a succession of extensive beaches, coves almost hidden between cliffs, marinas and anchorage for fishing.The mild climate, infrequency of rainfall and the sea breeze make for semitropical vegetation in which palm and cypress trees, bougainvillaea, oleander and hibiscus are common.
The proximity of such different landscapes -the mountain, the valleys blanketed in vegetable gardens and the sea- is, without a doubt, one of the greatest attractions of this beach line which combine all the appeal of the Mediterranean landscape and culture.
Residential areas, marinas, golf clubs, entertainment centres, nightclubs and many more tourist attractions have been built around and now coexist within the peaceful ambience of country villages, which have astonishingly conserved their traditional town centres.
Summer beach holidays and all the appeal that this can offer along this stretch of the Mediterranean is not, however, the only attractions offered by the Costa del Sol: you will have the chance to uncover the most genuine, authentic features of the Andalusian culture very close by.
In addition to the folkloric displays in the tourist centres, you can also experience the lively and popular celebrations. The fiestas, Easter parades, song contests and the bull runs without a doubt claim first place on the list of recommendations for travellers who want to see beyond what first meets the eye.
Tasting country wines in the intimate cellars of yore and having some traditional fried fish (cooked to perfection by the local folk) are some of the temptations that will seduce all visitors, specially those that prefer the wonders of local gastronomy over the ever-present international fare.
Eddy De Vos is the owner of http://www.spain-holidays-advisor.com/, a website about travel and Spain. It contains usefull tips for your next trip, be it to Spain or anywhere else in the world. Of course if you are planning a trip to Spain there is no better place to start than Spain Holidays |
Eddy De Vos
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