Put on your swimsuits and pack sunscreen, take your umbrella and plenty of water, and get ready to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea like never before because today we are going to explore the best Valencia beaches.
If you love salt water and sand under your feet, then you can’t miss visiting some of the 18 beaches in Valencia that we’re going to talk about in today’s post. All of them have common features, but at the same time, each Valencia beach offers different peculiarities and a wide range of options.
As a native of the Valencian coast, it’s pretty clear to me that I couldn’t live without the sea nearby. In the next few minutes, I’m going to introduce you to the most beautiful beaches of Valencia.
My name is Jesus, and my main goal is to make you enjoy this little piece of the Mediterranean coast like a Valencian during your next trip by getting to know the most famous and lesser-known but equally impressive bays of the area.
Note: This post is part of our “Local Experts” series, in which locals introduce their hometowns. The following article is written by Jesús, who lives near Valencia.
What to find out in this post
- 1 Valencia’s Coast
- 2 The 18 most beautiful Valencia Beaches
- 3 Playa de las Arenas (Cabanyal)
- 4 Playa de la Malvarrosa
- 5 Playa de la Patacona
- 6 Playa de Pinedo
- 7 Playa de l’Arbre del Gos
- 8 Playa El Saler
- 9 Playa de la Garrofera
- 10 La Devesa
- 11 Playa Racó de Mar (Canet d’en Berenguer)
- 12 Playa de Almardá (Sagunto)
- 13 Playa de Puçol
- 14 El Puig
- 15 Playa del Recatí (Perellonet)
- 16 Playa de Sant Antoni (Cullera)
- 17 Playa de l’Ahuir, Gandia
- 18 Playa de Terranova (Oliva)
- 19 Playa d’Aigua Blanca (Oliva)
- 20 Cala La Granadella, Alicante
Valencia’s Coast
The coastal beaches of Valencia are located in the east of the Iberian Peninsula. This stretch of coastline is an inlet of the Mediterranean Sea that forms the Gulf of Valencia, a gorgeous stretch of coastline 109 kilometers long.
The Valencian coast is low-lying and has only a few geographical features, resulting in incredibly long and very sandy beaches. To the north, the Valencian coast borders the Azahar coast in the province of Castellón, and to the south, the Costa Blanca in Alicante.
VALENCIA INFOBOX
Where to stay in Valencia: Hotel Venecia Centro (a popular 2-star hotel in the center) or Art&Flats B&B (a centrally located budget option with great value for money).
The most popular activities & tours in Valencia
Walking Tour to Valencia’s main sights
Valencia Tourist Card; Transport, museums, monuments, and many sights free of charge.
Getting there: Make sure to check for the best flight deals on Flight comparisons like Skyscanner
Transport: You can get around by metro, bus, or Valenbisi
Want to rent a car? You can find great deals on RentalCars.
Valencia Must-Have: Practical Spanish Travel Dictionary and Valencia-Guide
The 18 most beautiful Valencia Beaches
Below you’ll find a list of the 18 best beaches near Valencia, all of them belonging to the Valencian Coast. Are you ready to discover the best beaches in the province of Valencia to have perfect Valencia beach holidays? Then let’s go!
Playa de las Arenas (Cabanyal)
Let’s kick off this list with one of the beaches of the city of Valencia, Playa del Cabanyal (Cabañal in Spanish). It is also popularly called Playa de las Arenas. This name is linked to the old Balneario de las Arenas, a place where the Valencian bourgeoisie used to gather between the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, the building, built in the style of a Greek temple, is a hotel.
Playa del Cabanyal is one of the most popular beaches for Valencians. Its proximity to the city and its more than 1,200 meters of coastline makes it the ideal place to disconnect and enjoy the sea. It is a beach with fine golden sand and calm waters.
Due to its proximity to the city center, it has all sorts of facilities, a large promenade where you can stroll along and find all sorts of bars, restaurants, and beach bars, as well as some areas with volleyball nets and even basketball hoops.
If you’re looking for something fast and convenient in the summer, this is the place to be. Besides, this beach is a natural beauty where you can find a lot of good vibes during summer nights. But even if you travel to Valencia in the cold season, it’s a great place to enjoy the mild weather and walk on the long beach.
Playa de la Malvarrosa
Let’s move on to our second recommendation for beaches in Valencia. One of the most famous is Malvarrosa Beach, which owes its name to the botanist Felix Robillard. At the end of the 19th century, with the intention of improving the fauna of the place, he planted, among other plants, the pink mallow geranium (Malva Rosa in Spanish), hence its current name.
On this beach, you will find a large, fine sandy beach that gives you plenty of space and freedom to do whatever you want. The modern promenade, built in the 90s, has everything you need to have a wonderful time. From various beach bars and restaurants to lifeguard stations and facilities for people with limited mobility.
Spending hours on Malvarrosa Beach is not a problem. The beach is very lively, and there is always something to do or see. The water is ideal for enjoying the wonderful Mediterranean Sea, swimming, playing with a beach ball, or just relaxing and overlooking the waves.
This beach is also great for numerous shows, as it provides the perfect open space for the Air Festival that takes place here every year. This spectacle, where you can see all kinds of airplanes from all over Spain, both international and air force, attracts thousands of spectators to the beachfront. They are all eager to see the great aerobatic show of the fighter planes of the Spanish Army.
This beach borders Cabañal Beach to the south, and as we continue up the Valencian coast, we come across the next beach on this list…
Playa de la Patacona
Our next beach on the coast of Valencia is the extended beach of Malvarrosa, Playa de la Patacona. This lesser-known beach has gained more and more importance as a vacation spot in recent years.
Patacona Beach is located in the city of Valencia, just a few meters from the houses and buildings, and has a large tourist promenade where you can find all kinds of services. Like the other beaches already mentioned, this beach has a large area of fine sand with an average width of 110 meters, bordered by the magnificent waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
This beach is ideal for relaxing, walking, or playing sports during the week and offers exciting nightlife during the weekends.
Patacona Beach is also known for its great gastronomic offer, from the most typical places of the area to restaurants with dishes from other countries. And in summer, you can’t miss the beach bars, where you can cool off with a cool Spanish drink on the beach.
Playa de Pinedo
From the beaches in the urban area of Valencia, we continue to the stretch of coast that extends south of the port area. The first of the beaches near Valencia that we come across is the beach of Pinedo.
On this beach, located south of the mouth of the Turia River, you can enjoy the magnificent fine golden sand, where you will find some dunes. The sea in this area has calm waters with moderate waves.
In the northern part of Pinedo Beach, there is an area that is allowed for pets. So, if you are traveling with your four-legged friend, coming here is an excellent choice.
At the other end of the beach, in the southern part, you’ll find a nudist area. This is the first Valencian nudist beach on our list and the closest to the center of Valencia.
We continue along the Valencian coast, and after the beach of Pinedo, we arrive at the Albufera Natural Park, where our first stop is already waiting for us to discover it.
Playa de l’Arbre del Gos
We are now going to the Albufera Natural Park, which includes part of the Valencian coast. The first beach you’ll find here is Playa de l’Arbre del Gos.
This quiet beach is ideal for enjoying nature and admire the incredible dunes in the surroundings.
There is a bike path where you can exercise and explore some of the numerous routes in this extraordinary natural park.
Playa El Saler
Want to visit one of the best beaches in the province of Valencia? Get to know El Saler beach, just 11 km from the city. This spectacular beach will delight you with its fine white sand.
A 4,900-meter stretch of beach where you can enjoy Albufera Park in all its splendor. El Saler beach is a protected natural area because of its great ecological wealth. Here, you can walk on the dunes and the long beach until you enter an autochthonous ecosystem, typical of the Mediterranean, with great expanses of pine trees and other vegetation.
Do not hesitate to visit the beach of El Saler, where you can not only spend a great time in nature but also practice water sports such as surfing, windsurfing, paddle surfing, and others. This is because the air currents are perfect for this. Don’t forget that El Saler beach is one of the nudist beaches in Valencia, so it’s perfect for those who love nudism.
Fun Fact: By the way, the name El Saler comes from the Catalan word “salt”, as it was the main commercial product of the region until the 20th century.
Playa de la Garrofera
We’ll drive a little further to our next beach on the Valencian coast, Garrofera Beach, which, like the previous beaches, is located in the l’Albufera Natural Park.
Like the other beaches in this natural park, this beach has incredible fine sand dunes that will amaze you and are great to walk on. The beach is 2.5 km long and offers all kinds of services, including lifeguards, showers, foot baths, seating areas, and kiosks for a refreshing drink.
It is a natural oasis with great biodiversity and natural landscapes, perfect for nature lovers. Since the beach is surrounded by pine forests, you can rest in the shade on the fine sand. There are also umbrellas and deck chairs that you can rent.
The beach of La Garrofera has been awarded the Blue Flag, which confirms the good quality of the place. It is even suitable for people with reduced mobility, with its numerous ramps and adapted toilets.
To get to this jewel of wetlands and dunes, you can take one of the many public buses that drop you off near the beach. For the more athletic, biking is the best option. It’s a short bike ride that will get you in the mood for a refreshing dip in the water. The most convenient way is to take your own car, which you can park in a special parking lot for the beach.
La Devesa
We reach the edge of the Albufera Natural Park, where we find Devesa Beach, another beach surrounded by nature and the natural ecosystem of the area. With an extension of almost 5 kilometers, you can admire lagoons and malladas (intermediate dune depressions).
The vegetation of this beautiful beach in Valencia consists of all kinds of species, including pines, palms, kermes oaks, mastic trees, and honeysuckle, which provide a home for numerous birds. La Devesa beach, like the other beaches in the Natural Park, has large coastal dunes, and the landscape is guaranteed to leave you amazed.
This beach, formerly known as Playa de la Malladeta, has all kinds of services for a great day at the beach. There are also well-known restaurants in the area.
After swimming at the beach, it’s time to enjoy Mediterranean dishes from the region, preferably at the Lahiver restaurant, which offers all kinds of typical dishes. If you are looking for a good paella, you can enjoy your rice at Arroceria Duna, overlooking the sea.
Playa Racó de Mar (Canet d’en Berenguer)
It’s time to leave behind the beaches near the city and go to other places in the Valencian Community to discover more beaches in Valencia’s surroundings.
We’ll start with Canet de Berenguer, a small community in Sagunto, just a 30-minute drive from Valencia. Here, we’ll head to the Mediterranean coast to explore Racó de Mar beach. For many locals in Valencia, it’s the best beach in the whole province. But you can best judge that for yourself when you visit it.
The beach, more than 1 kilometer long with fine sand, is perfect for walking barefoot or spending an unforgettable day on the beach. This beach on the coast of Valencia has all sorts of amenities, such as restaurants, bars, toilets, showers, and more.
You also shouldn’t miss the gastronomic offer of the area. Many Valencians regularly come to this small fishing village to enjoy the dishes of the region, where fish is obviously the king of cuisine.
From the sand, you can continue to swim in the high-quality waters that you won’t want to get out of! You certainly won’t get bored. Because you can snorkel and enjoy the great variety of the underwater world – something that most Valencians love. And if diving isn’t exciting enough for you, this beach is also perfect for lovers of water sports like kayaking, windsurfing, paddle surfing, or sailing.
From this incredible beach, let’s head on to the neighboring…
Playa de Almardá (Sagunto)
We approach the small town of Sagunto to get to know its semi-urban beach. “Why semi-urban?” you may wonder. Although it is close to the city, it has a natural barrier of dunes that stretch for 1650 meters and can be up to 100 meters wide.
This creates a natural separation between the city and the beach, so you can feel like you are in the middle of nature. This beach has important flora and fauna of great ecological value that you can enjoy while sunbathing or swimming.
The beautiful Almardá beach has all the amenities you need to make the most of your time here. You can rent umbrellas and deck chairs to relax, read a book, or spend time with your family or friends. Afterward, you can cool off in one of the beach bars or enjoy the night atmosphere during the summer season.
If you come from the city of Valencia, you can get there either by public transport or in your own car, which you can leave in a parking lot dedicated to beach visitors. Toilets, showers, and access for people with reduced mobility are other services you can use in Almardá.
Extra tip: You can also take advantage of your visit to this Blue Flag beach to visit a jewel of Sagunto’s historical heritage: Sagunto Castle, where you can read about the history of Sagunto from the Iberians to the War of Independence against the French.
Playa de Puçol
We continue our guide to the best beaches around Valencia with a small village called Puzol (Puçol in Valencian).
Originally, this part of the Valencian coast consisted of a rocky beach that was transformed into a fine sandy beach in 2004. This renovation of the beach of Puzol involved a large promenade of more than 2 kilometers, accessible to people with mobility impairments.
Since then, the place has grown a lot as a seaside resort, attracting many businesses and services to the coast. Nowadays, during the summer season, you can take advantage of all kinds of amenities: Restaurants, bars, beach bars, and even some gambling houses.
The water in the area is considered to be of very high quality, which is why it has been awarded the blue flag. In these Mediterranean waters, you can dive and marvel at the rocky seabed with its multitude of marine life.
Other activities in the area include playing volleyball using one of the nets set up for this purpose, relaxing under a free umbrella, or visiting the street market (only in the summer season).
El Puig
El Puig is the next place we go to visit another beach in the region, Puig beach.
Here you’ll find 869 meters of coastline with beaches that are a bit narrower than the previous ones. There are a variety of fine sandy coves with breakwaters that provide calm waters and prevent strong waves, ideal for relaxing in one of these coves.
As for services, this beach has as many as the previous ones: Lifeguards, toilets, showers, parking, and even a bio-health park to do some sports and afterward go swimming.
One of the main attractions is the promenade, made up of gardens and palm trees, ideal for strolling and enjoying the sea breeze. Also, during the summer months, there are many organized activities you can attend, such as meditation classes, yoga, or Tai Chi at the seashore.
Visit this beach on a summer day with your family or friends or stay here for the whole summer season – the choice is yours.
Playa del Recatí (Perellonet)
We change course and head south of Valencia city, more precisely beyond the Albufera Natural Park, to discover the town of Perellonet. This small Valencian town has a great fishing history, which you can see in a small square surrounded by fishermen’s houses.
On one side of Perellonet, you will find vast rice fields, and on the coastal side, a quiet beach called El Recatí. It’s an urban beach where you won’t find the nature that you’ll find on the beaches of the Albufera, but it makes up for it with a wide range of activities that you can enjoy here.
This beach is perfect for water sports enthusiasts. It is the only beach on the coast that has channels set up for specific sports. Among the activities offered here are surfing, paddle surfing, windsurfing, canoeing, and kiteboarding, for which there is a separate area.
If you would like to start with any of these sports, all the necessary courses are available. If you prefer to relax on the sand and sunbathe, this beach is also a nice destination where you can also enjoy the incredible gastronomy of the area.
Playa de Sant Antoni (Cullera)
Driving a little further along the coast of the Gulf of Valencia, we come across the next town with one of the best beaches in the area, the town of Cullera. With its blue flag, it has been awarded for its environmental friendliness, where cleanliness and the availability of all the necessary services are the priority.
I am talking about the beach of San Antonio (Sant Antoni in Valencian), the largest and most famous beach in Cullera, which has been visited by many vacationers since the 60s for its incredibly fine sand and calm waters.
San Antonio beach is an urban beach, easily accessible on foot from the city. It is closed from 5:00 to 8:00 in the morning for cleaning service, which shows a great commitment to providing the highest quality.
This beach is ideal for families with children because it has calm, shallow waters. Taking a walk, sunbathing, swimming, or building sandcastles – you can spend a complete day at San Antonio beach.
Fun Fact: From the beach, you can also see a little island with a small lighthouse, the Peñeta del Moro.
Playa de l’Ahuir, Gandia
Of course, Gandia must be included in this list of the best beaches in the Valencian Community. Yet, here we present you with a quieter part of the city and not the typical, crowded city beaches.
We would like to introduce you to l’Ahuir beach, located in the northern part of the municipality of Gandia, away from the houses and nightclubs. Here, you will find a nice place to relax and enjoy the sea. It is one of the nudist beaches in Valencia, so it is perfect for those who love nudism.
The beach also offers a beautiful view. This is because if you look up from the beach, you can see Mount Mondúver, which crowns the view.
Another peculiarity of this beach is its ecological importance. In fact, it is considered one of the few unspoiled beaches on the Mediterranean coast. Over a length of two kilometers, you will find dunes with native vegetation, as well as sand and water of the highest quality, which is why it has been awarded the Blue Flag for beach quality. This beach is under strict environmental protection to ensure that it does not lose its natural beauty.
Attention: Smoking is prohibited on this beach to promote clean environmental habits and raise awareness of healthy lifestyles.
Playa de Terranova (Oliva)
From the well-known Gandia, we continue to a lesser-known place, the town of Oliva. Here, we want to talk about two beaches, the first of which is located in the north, Terranova beach.
Terranova beach is undoubtedly one of the best in Valencia. You could say that it is an almost unspoiled beach, far from civilization, and a perfect place to relax and get in touch with nature. Long dunes of fine sand maintain their structure thanks to the great work done to preserve them.
The beach is sandy and wide, almost 80 meters wide. Away from the houses, this beach is surrounded by large citrus plantations. Nearby is a freshwater spring called El Tou or El Clotal, which you can reach on foot.
The area of Terranova is very popular with water sports fans such as surfers and windsurfers since the winds are favorable for these sports. And if you are more of a beach walker, from here, you can take a nice stroll heading towards Gandia.
Playa d’Aigua Blanca (Oliva)
From the northern end of Oliva, we move to the other end, where we find another beach that highlights the nature of the area: the beach of Aigua Blanca.
This beach is located at the mouth of the Bullent River and has the characteristic dunes of the Valencian Gulf. It has a calm atmosphere at all times and is ideal for relaxing. At this beach, there is the possibility of nudism.
On its promenade, you can find all kinds of services such as restaurants, bars, lifeguards, etc. Do not miss the opportunity to stroll along this beautiful boardwalk.
Near the beach lies the Marjal de Pego-Oliva Natural Park. If you like nature, you should definitely head there, because it’s a prominent place for bird watching.
Cala La Granadella, Alicante
We come to the last beach on this list, and for this, we head to the province of Alicante, where we will visit one of the best beaches on the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast.
La Cala La Granadella is a small place that is becoming more and more touristy because everyone wants to swim in its incredible turquoise water when the sun is reflected in it.
If you want to visit this small piece of coast, I recommend you not to choose the summer months, because the crowds tend to be quite intense during the summer days and sometimes the entrance is closed due to overcrowding. It’s better if you come in the months of May or September, or at least one day during the week.
This beach is ideal for snorkeling or even diving. There are a few restaurants and beach bars if you feel like having a drink or a bite to eat.
And if you have time, you can also visit the Castell de la Granadella. From here, you have a simply unbeatable view of the sea.
Now it’s your turn to visit and discover the beaches of Valencia and find out which one is your favorite. I imagine it won’t be that easy to choose just one. Are you planning to visit a beach on the Valencian coast? If so, let us know which beaches you will visit or if you have already been to any of the 18 beaches, we talked about in this post.
