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Blanes makes for a much more relaxing Costa Brava resort holiday than nearby neighbour Lloret de Mar. Serving as the gateway to the Costa Brava, Blanes offers 4km of golden sandy beach which never gets too crowded.
Blanes has an excellent choice of accommodation and good accessible beaches alongside numerous restaurants, bars and cafes. Blanes is one of the larger Costa Brava resorts but at the same time has a relaxing feel. The fishing port here is as much part of the scene as tourism, so Blanes retains its work-a-day fishing town feel. The town was also a centre for shipbuilding in the past - it was heavily bombed during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 and afterwards ruthlessly repressed in the post-war period. The 1950s saw Blanes alongside neighbour Lloret opening its doors to international tourism alongside an influx of immigrants. Read further details on the history of Blanes via the Blanes webguide right.
The 4km of coastline at Blanes breaks up into two main beaches - endless Platja S'Abanell, the Costa Brava's longest beach incidently and Platja de Blanes stretchin beween Sa Palomera and Blanes Marina. Other beaches Punta de Santa Ann and Sant Francesc are pretty cove beaches. Main Blanes beach S'Abanell is wide as well as long and runs adjacent to the Blanes' hotel rich area of S'Abanell. This beach gets much quieter, indeed quite remote to the south towards the River Tordera's mouth. Blanes official nudist beach is up this way. Bars, Restaurants and shops are all within easy reach of long S'Abanell beach, plus it benefits from easy access make Blanes a good choice for visitors with mobility difficulties.
Blanes thriving fishing industry means there's fresh seafood aplenty in the choice of Blanes restaurants - the town is renowned for its fine seafood! Monday mornings are big outdoor market day and stalls line the Blanes boulevard. Blanes' pretty paseo maritim, adorned with palm trees and adjacent restaurants. Plenty of seats too along the way to sit and admire the sea views.
Blanes has good shopping too in the downtown area which features a network of winding small streets and peaceful squares. Arts and crafts/souvenir shops jostle with some pretty chic upmarket clothes shops too in Blanes.
For a quiet, yet well equipped tourist resort, Blanes fits the bill on the Costa Brava. The Costa Brava Coastal Boats (Viajes Maritimos and Dofi Jet boats) call into Blanes and S'Abanell beach just to the south, so it's easy to move up the Costa Brava coast from the resort. Sagales buses also offer an excellent service in and out of Blanes to Girona, Girona Airport and elsewhere in the Costa Brava. Checkout their website right for timetables.
Find tourist information in Blanes at Blanes Tourist Information Office, Pg.Catlunya, 2 173000 Blanes (Selva), Costa Brava. Tel. (00 34) 972 330 348.
Blanes has a notable Botanical Garden covering 16 hectares and situated right on the coast (see the Marimurtra Botanical Gardens weblink right for location and map).
Fine views of the Mediterranean can be seen from the gardens, which is impressive for its array of flora. Garden zones include a subtropical garden, temperate garden and Mediterranean garden. The latter includes an extensive selection of Catalonian endemic plants.
Marimurtra Botanical Gardens Blanes, Passeig Carles Faust 9, Apartado Correus 112 17300 Blanes - Girona. Tel. 972 330 826. Guided tours are available, and a rest area with available refreshments is on-site.
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