Blanes
Discover Blanes
Blanes is an old fishing town that has become an important beach destination on the Costa Brava and the province of Girona. In 2018 it had around 39,000 inhabitants. It's mainly known because of its long city beach divided by the Sa Palomera rock. Other places of interest include botanical gardens, coves, such as the Cala Bona, and the Tordera river delta. It is also known for the international fireworks contest during the Santa Anna festival.
Famous Beaches
Taste of Blanes...
Look for "Cuina casolana" on the sea avenues to eat Catalan cuisine, which follows the general outlines of the "Mediterranean diet". There is a McDonald's and a Burger King in the industrial area. Historically Blanes was a wine producer. Nowadays, the only one cava (sparkling wine) producer remaining in Blanes is Mont-Ferrant, available in some restaurants and bakeries. Blanes has some small-scale artisan breweries such as Marina and Popaire. Birrasana, an artisan beer festival, is organized yearly in April. Local beer can be found at Birrasana festival and in the "Escenari Birrasana" during the Festa Major festival. Sangría is also served in most restaurants made from cava or wine. Blanes (Costa Brava) has 24 hotels and 9 guesthouses, with 3,231 and 500 places respectively. Many of them in the area around the Passeig de S'Abanell starting from €30 per night. There are camp sites (caravans also) at the Passeig de S'abanell southern end near the Tordera river. There are approximately 40,000 apartments and bungalows available in the area. As of Jan 2024, Blanes and its approach highways have 5G from all Spanish carriers. Wifi is widely available in public places.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Blanes into what it is today.
Iberian activity has been attested in the area. Romanization of Blanes and its surroundings began around the 3rd century BC. During the Roman rule it was named Blanda or Blandae. Roman remains of the Blandae site lie nearby. After the rule of the Romans the area shared the fate of much of the Peninsula, being conquered successively by the Goths, the Moors and the Christians shortly after. In the 13th century, after the Christians regained the power, important architectural developments took place in Blanes. Some examples are the Cabrera palace, the Santa Maria's Church and the city walls. In the 17th century, during the Catalan Revolt (Guerra dels Segadors), Blanes was practically burned to ashes. The Cabrera Palace was completely destroyed. Another event that affected Blanes was the Spanish War of Succession (1701–1714). Afterwards, the reconstruction of the town and the expansion of agriculture started. Girona/Gerona/Costa Brava airport GRO is about 30 minutes away by car, see Get in > By car/train/bus for information on your preferred option from the airport to Blanes. Barcelona El Prat Airport BCN is about 1 hour away by car, see Get in > By car/train/bus for information on your preferred option from the airport to Blanes. There is a sportive airport in Palafolls (6 km (3.7 mi) from downtown) : You can go from everywhere in Spain (including most airports) to Blanes by train....
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Blanes.
Sunbathe at the 3-km long city beach or at coves such as the Cala Sant Francesc and Santa Anna beaches which are surrounded by mountains. Topless is permitted in all Blanes' beaches, nudism is allowed only in Tordera Delta beach. At the Tordera river's delta there have been located 40 exotic and 284 native bird species like: Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Ruff (Philomachus pugnax), Redshank (Tringa totanus), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) and Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis). There are bird observation decks at the south riverside. The beach on this delta is the best known spot in Costa Brava to see blue sharks (Prionace glauca), ocean sunfishes (Mola mola) and dolphins (Delphinus delphis). There are many routes around the city. The GR 92 long-distance walking route crosses the city. There are many supermarkets outside the town where you can find the best prices.
Climate
The climate in Blanes and the rest of Costa Brava is typically Mediterranean, mild and temperate, characterized by hot, dry summers, and moderately cold winters. The annual average temperature ranges from 7 to 28 °C. From May to October the hot weather makes it suitable for sunbathing. Occasional rains can occur on May and October. As water warms up more slow than air, the best months for swimming and diving are July, August and September. August can be too hot and crowded. Iberian activity has been attested in the area. Romanization of Blanes and its surroundings began around the 3rd century BC. During the Roman rule it was named Blanda or Blandae. Roman remains of the Blandae site lie nearby. After the rule of the Romans the area shared the fate of much of the Peninsula, being conquered successively by the Goths, the Moors and the Christians shortly after. In the 13th century, after the Christians regained the power, important architectural developments took place in Blanes.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsGirona/Gerona/Costa Brava airport GRO is about 30 minutes away by car, see Get in > By car/train/bus for information on your preferred option from the airport to Blanes. Barcelona El Prat Airport BCN is about 1 hour away by car, see Get in > By car/train/bus for information on your preferred option from the airport to Blanes. There is a sportive airport in Palafolls (6 km (3.7 mi) from downtown) : You can go from everywhere in Spain (including most airports) to Blanes by train. Served by Rodalies-RENFE Rodalies-Renfe trains, trains stop at Blanes station twice per hour from and to Barcelona and 1 per hour to Maçanet Massanes where you can change train from Girona and France. Much of R1 is single track operation, and it can be quicker to use R2 to Maçanet Massanes and change there. Which zone Blanes is in depends on your ticket. For standard rail journeys, it is in zone 6 and Barcelona-Blanes is about €6.30 one way. For 'integrated' multitrip tickets, it is in zone 5....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Blanes can be divided on this zones for orientation purposes: As most of the interesting places are near the sea, orientation is easy and the most important route is the formed by the avenues near the beach. The street names of these sea front avenues (or Passeig) from north to south are: Passeig de la Mestrança and Passeig de Pau Casals on the port are good for walking and buying traditional products on summer weekends. Passeig Cortils i Vieta on the old town is good for walking around and cheap clothes shopping on Mondays. Passeig de la Marina in the Sa Palomera area. Passeig de S'Abanell in the S'Abanell area. The old town have two perpendicular main streets: Passeig de Dintre parallel to Cortils i Vieta on the old town. Only pedestrians. Ample street. The old town main street. Perpendicular from the sea, next to Plaza España half the way from Sa Palomera to the Blanes Port. Only pedestrians on weekends.
Where to Stay
Blanes (Costa Brava) has 24 hotels and 9 guesthouses, with 3,231 and 500 places respectively. Many of them in the area around the Passeig de S'Abanell starting from €30 per night. There are camp sites (caravans also) at the Passeig de S'abanell southern end near the Tordera river. There are approximately 40,000 apartments and bungalows available in the area. As of Jan 2024, Blanes and its approach highways have 5G from all Spanish carriers. Wifi is widely available in public places.
Money & Budget
There are many supermarkets outside the town where you can find the best prices. There are also other, most expensive, supermarkets nearest to the center and hotels. Local markets are more expensive that the cheap supermarkets from the industrial area but cheaper than those near the center and the hotels. In Blanes old town there are plenty of clothing stores. Look for "Cuina casolana" on the sea avenues to eat Catalan cuisine, which follows the general outlines of the "Mediterranean diet". There is a McDonald's and a Burger King in the industrial area. Historically Blanes was a wine producer. Nowadays, the only one cava (sparkling wine) producer remaining in Blanes is Mont-Ferrant, available in some restaurants and bakeries.