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Costa Blanca

The Best Coves on the Costa Blanca: Guide by Town 2026

A guide to the coves and beaches of the northern Costa Blanca, town by town: Dénia, Xàbia, Benitatxell, Moraira, Benissa, Calp, Altea, Benidorm and El Campello. Which to choose, the 2026 access restrictions and how not to get it wrong.

📅 8/30/2026
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The best coves on the Costa Blanca, town by town

The coast between Dénia and El Campello holds the finest coves in Mediterranean Spain — and the most misunderstood. Almost nothing here is fine sand: the norm is gravel, boulders and tosca (fossilised sandstone), and that is exactly why the water is so transparent. Anyone arriving expecting a Caribbean beach leaves disappointed; anyone arriving with water shoes and some curiosity finds posidonia meadows, sea caves and coves that in September are all but empty.

This guide is not a ranking of pretty photographs: it is a practical index by municipality, covering what actually decides a visit — how you get there, whether you need to book, whether there is shade and whether access is restricted in summer — with a link to each town’s full guide.

The nine guides, north to south

MunicipalityBeaches and covesWhat sets it apartGuide
Dénia12Two opposite coasts: sand at Les Marines, rock and a marine reserve at Les RotesDénia beaches and coves
Xàbia (Jávea)8 + 3The most famous cove (Granadella) and just one sandy beachJávea beaches and coves
Benitatxell3The highest cliffs and the Cova dels ArcsBenitatxell coves
Teulada-Moraira7Genuine fine sand at el Portet and l’AmpollaMoraira beaches and coves
Benissa6Just 4 km of coast linked by the Paseo EcológicoBenissa coves
Calp14The Penyal d’Ifac splitting the coast in twoCalp beaches and coves
Altea9Not a grain of sand: all pebbles and crystal-clear waterAltea beaches and coves
Benidorm5Five kilometres of accessible sand and a marine reserveBenidorm beaches and coves
El Campello17Unspoilt coves you can reach by tramEl Campello beaches and coves

Choose by what you want, not by the photo

Snorkelling and diving

The best are not the most famous. Cala el Racó (Calp) has a marked underwater trail and the best seabeds in the municipality; Barranc d’Aigües (El Campello) and the Illeta dels Banyets trail come close; Punta Negra and Les Arenetes, in Les Rotes (Dénia), sit inside the Cap de Sant Antoni marine reserve; and Mascarat (Altea) offers a rocky posidonia bottom two metres from the shore.

With small children

You need sand and shallow water, and that is scarce: el Arenal (Xàbia), la Marineta Cassiana (Dénia), el Portet (Moraira), Arenal-Bol (Calp), Cala Lanuza and Coveta Fumá (El Campello). In Altea, la Roda or Cap Blanc.

Accessibility

With an amphibious chair or adapted bathing point: Cala del Moraig (Benitatxell), el Arenal (Xàbia), la Marineta Cassiana and Les Bovetes (Dénia), Muchavista and Carrer la Mar (El Campello), la Fossa and Arenal-Bol (Calp), and Levante and Poniente (Benidorm), with bathing assistance.

With a dog

There are few: Punta del Riu and one end of Barranc d’Aigües (El Campello, all year), Les Urques (Calp) and the designated area at Platja de l’Olla (Altea).

Without a car

The coast is poorly served by public transport, with two exceptions: El Campello, crossed end to end by the TRAM, and the urban beaches of Dénia, Xàbia (la Grava, el Arenal) and Altea (la Roda), all walkable from their centres.

Solitude in August

Cala Sardinera and Cala del Francés (Xàbia), la Barra Gran and Solsida (Altea), Cala Nostra and el Carritxal (El Campello), Gasparet and El Collao (Calp, best by kayak) and Llebeig (Benitatxell, on foot).

Restricted access: what to know before you go

Three municipalities have limited car access to their busiest coves. Turn up in summer without planning and you will be turned away:

  • Benitatxell (Cala del Moraig, Testos and the cliff path): booking required from 1 April to 15 October, 9:00–19:00, for any vehicle staying more than 20 minutes. Around €12–15 per vehicle per day, at calamoraig.es or through the app. Free shuttle bus in summer.
  • Xàbia (Granadella and Portitxol): paid parking at €9/day, from 2 June to 6 September plus September weekends, with 130 and 59 spaces. Tourist train to Granadella (€6).
  • Dénia (Les Rotes): the final stretch closed to traffic from 13 June to 13 September, 8:00–20:00, with a free 140-space car park and a tourist train.

And one that is not restricted but banned: Cala Ambolo in Xàbia is closed because of rockfall risk, by land and by sea.

When to come

  • June and September are the best months: warm water, no capacity limits in most places and parking still possible.
  • July and August: start early. At Granadella, Moraig or Les Rotes, arriving after 9:30 means not parking at all.
  • October to May the coves are for walking: the Paseo Ecológico in Benissa, the ruta dels Penya-segats, Cap Prim or the Penyal d’Ifac are far better without the heat.

Five things worth knowing

  1. Water shoes. Not a luxury: at most of these coves you enter the water over pebbles or slippery rock.
  2. Almost none has shade. Parasol, water and sunscreen.
  3. Many have no lifeguard. Check the flags where they exist, and don’t swim in a strong easterly.
  4. Posidonia is not dirt. The dry leaves on the shore protect the beach from erosion; the living seagrass is what keeps the water clear.
  5. Take your rubbish home. The unspoilt coves have no collection.

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