Blanes is the largest and the most southerly resort on the Costa Brava in the region of Catalonia. It lies sixty kilometres north from Barcelona airport so transfers are fairly short. Blanes is a popular family resort with good beaches and plenty of entertainment.
A Blanes holiday offers relaxation in pleasant surroundings with good modern facilities. It also provides sunshine, warm waters and clean sandy beaches with water sports for the more energetic visitor. The wide variety of bars and restaurants cater for most tastes and its nightlife reflects the family nature of the resort.
Blanes is essentially a family resort very popular with the Spanish as well as the English. Couples looking for a relaxing break by the sea will find all they need in a Blanes holiday.
April to October is the best time to visit Blanes when the temperature ranges from 20 degrees rising to 30 degrees in the summer months.
Blanes, like most of Spain’s coastal resorts, was originally a small fishing village and its architecture reflects its varied history. The old town with its Gothic churches, ancient houses and ornate fountains gives way to the high rise hotels and apartments that border the main beaches. Self- caterers should visit the daily market in the town which sells fresh local produce. Blanes is home to two wonderful botanical gardens, the Mar i Mertra and the Pinja Rose Garden. Both have an amazing number of plant species giving magnificent displays of colour and shape.
Blanes has four kilometres of fairly course sandy beaches and rocky coves. The beaches begin at a rocky promontory, the Sa Polomera, which has an old fire tower, the precursor to the modern lighthouse. Be aware that the beaches on the Costa Brava tend to shelve fairly steeply into the sea so care must be taken with children. The port has an active fishing fleet and auctions are held on the quayside each evening.
Europe’s largest water park is found in nearby Lloret de Mar and is a great favourite with both adults and children. Attractions such as a children’s zoo and a marine land park are also found in the area.
Barcelona with its outstanding architecture, brilliant museums and churches and vast boulevards is only one hundred kilometres away is not to be missed.
Nightlife in Blanes is fairly low key, in keeping with its family atmosphere, where many of its hotels provide entertainment with live music. Although there are a number of lively bars, Blanes does not have a reputation for partying. At the end of July there is a fiesta that livens up the evenings with music and dancing in the streets.
Those who enjoy a holiday flutter will find a casino in nearby Lloret de Mar.
Blanes has several hundred shops ranging from designer boutiques to souvenir and beach shops. The supermarkets are well stocked carrying many well known branded items. Every Monday morning the market comes to the promenade and here you can buy all your gifts and holiday mementoes. Leather goods, pottery, embroidered linens and jewellery are always popular buys.
Blanes has a wide variety of culinary choices to offer holiday makers ranging from fast food burgers to tapas bars and Chinese restaurants to pizzerias. Those who like to sample local food will find a large number of fish restaurants serving Catalonian specialities. Enjoy a lunchtime sangria at one of the many promenade restaurants overlooking the sea.
