The best Spanish coastal town revealed – with one of Europe’s top beaches and £21 flights
THE best coastal town in Spain has been revealed – it has world-class beaches and cheap flights.
Consumer watchdog Which? analysed the responses from more than 1,000 consumer champions in order to determine Spain‘s best coastal town.
Consumer champions were asked to rate the Spanish seaside towns on factors like the quality of the beach and seafront, safety, food and drink, accommodation, and value for money.
An overall city score was calculated based on overall satisfaction and the likeliness to recommend each destination, with places ranked out of 100.
San Sebastián claimed first place with an overall score of 88 per cent out of 100.
Factors like its beach, attractiveness and food and drink scene were awarded five stars.
The city has the second highest number of Michelin stars per capita in Europe, with visitors often raving about local snacks like pinchos.
San Sebastián is home to three beaches, including the famous La Concha, which is arguably the jewel in the city’s crown.
The beach is home to an expanse of white sand, which is skirted by a grand promenade and surrounded by breathtaking mountains.
According to TripAdvisor, La Concha is one of Europe’s top beaches.
While La Concha is beautiful, it is also worth checking out the smaller beaches of Ondarreta and Zurriola.
Zurriola is where surfers head as the sun sets to catch the last of the waves, while Ondarreta Beach has more family-friendly waters.
There are other attractions too, including Miramar Palace, which was once considered the Basque Country’s answer to Balmoral.
The 19th century palace was built to look like an English Cottage.
Standing on top a tunnel, Miramar Palace overlooks the bay of La Concha.
The English-style palace is used as an event space, with locals freely able to wander through the gardens.
Direct flights operated from both London and Edinburgh to San Sebastián Airport, with one-way fares starting from £132 per person.
A cheaper alternative it to fly to Bilbao where one-way flights starting from £21 in June.
From Bilbao, it’s a 70-minute drive to San Sebastián.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “This survey shows that there are plenty of fantastic Spanish beach resorts that will easily beat the best-marketed destinations like Marbella and Torremolinos.
“You don’t even need to look far, with beautiful Nerja and its quaint white washed streets also to be found on the Costa del Sol.
“For those looking for a city break with a dose of sea and sunshine, c can’t be topped – it’s rightly famous for its excellent restaurants and authentic cuisine, and comes complete with a pretty old town and fantastic beaches.”
Meanwhile, the coastal resort town of Nerja took second place with a score of 81 per cent.
Tied in third place are Cartagena, Javea and Sitges with a joint score of 80 per cent.
The top ten coastal towns in Spain
Consumer watchdog Which? analysed the responses from more than 1,000 consumer champions in order to determine Spain's best coastal town.
- San Sebastian – 88 per cent
- Nerja – 81 per cent
- Cartagena – 80 per cent
- Javea – 80 per cent
- Sitges – 80 per cent
- Altea – 79 per cent
- Estepona – 79 per cent
- Moraira – 79 per cent
- Alicante – 78 per cent
- Cadiz – 76 per cent
Meanwhile, this Spanish seaside town has been named as Europe’s best-kept secret – and flights to get there cost just £23.
Spain’s cheapest city break has also been revealed, and a bottle of wine costs under £4 and it’s warm in November.