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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Blanes
Give Blanes 2 nights as a Costa Brava beach base: swim and walk the coves, day-trip to Tossa or Girona, skip it if you want a big-city trip.
Blanes is an old fishing town at the southern end of the Costa Brava, about 1 h from Barcelona by train or car. The draw is the coastline: a 600 m town beach, a 2.5 km sand beach south of the Sa Palomera rock, and pebbled coves north of the port under two botanical gardens. It is a beach base with a real town attached, not a resort strip.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- Jun and Sep; Jul for the fireworks contest
- Avoid
- Aug (hot, crowded, peak prices); Nov–Mar for swimming
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €85–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- All services 112 · National police 091 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.50–2.50 |
| Menu del día at lunch | €12–18 |
| Beer, bar / supermarket can | €2.50–4 / €0.80–1.50 |
| Marimurtra Botanical Garden entry | €10–12 (€8–10 after 14:00)€10–12 (€8–10 after 2:00 PM) |
| Pinya de Rosa Botanical Garden entry | €5 |
| Local bus ride | Under €2 |
| Boat to the northern coves | Check the operator's board at the beach |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €8–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GRO · Girona–Costa Brava
- About 30 min by car; Sagalés bus to Blanes takes a little over 1 h
- BCN · Barcelona El Prat
- About 1 h by car; Sagalés bus about 2 h for about €8
Typical fares
- Train Barcelona → Blanes
- about €6.30 one way, about 1 h 20 min
- Sagalés bus Barcelona El Prat → Blanes
- about €8, about 2 h
- Local bus, station → centre
- under €2
Get around
The centre is walkable: hotels sit within about 1 km of the old town, campsites up to 2 km. Autocars Pujol local buses reach the botanical gardens and Cala Bona; a Carrilet road train runs the 2 km waterfront from Plaça Catalunya. A boat from the beach near the harbour serves the northern coves. A car helps for Sant Joan Castle, the gardens and the Tordera delta.The centre is walkable: hotels sit within about 0.6 mi of the old town, campsites up to 1.2 mi. Autocars Pujol local buses reach the botanical gardens and Cala Bona; a Carrilet road train runs the 1.2 mi waterfront from Plaça Catalunya. A boat from the beach near the harbour serves the northern coves. A car helps for Sant Joan Castle, the gardens and the Tordera delta.
See and do
Known for
- Sa Palomera rock, the start of the Costa Brava
- Marimurtra and Pinya de Rosa botanical gardens
- Santa Anna and Sant Francesc coves
- Santa Anna fireworks contest in July
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tossa de Mar | Bus from the Blanes bus station, or car down the coast road | About 30–45 min |
| Girona | Train to Maçanet-Massanes, then change; or Sagalés bus | About 1.5 h |
| Sant Feliu de Guíxols | Car or coastal bus down the C-32/N-II corridor | About 1 h |
| L'Escala and L'Estartit | Car via the C-31 and C-32, or bus with a change | 1.5–2 h |
| Cadaqués | Car over the hills, or bus with a change at Figueres | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Old Town / city centre
- Between the port and Sa Palomera; pedestrian lanes, most hotels within a 15-min walk of the historic centre.
- S'Abanell
- South of Sa Palomera along the 2.5 km beach; hotel-heavy and next to the nightlife zone.South of Sa Palomera along the 1.6 mi beach; hotel-heavy and next to the nightlife zone.
- Port area
- Closest to Santa Anna cove and the boat to the northern coves; quieter at night.
- Els Pins campsites
- Up to 2 km, about 30 min on foot, from the centre; the summer tourist office is here.Up to 1.2 mi, about 30 min on foot, from the centre; the summer tourist office is here.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syas |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorlah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| Where is the beach? | ¿Dónde está la playa?DON-deh es-TAH lah PLAH-yah |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- Blanes train station sits in the industrial area, about 30 min on foot from the centre; the local bus covers it for under €2.
- Free parking is hard to find in the old town in summer; paid lots sit near the beaches and coves in high season.
- The Tordera estuary and its adjacent beach are closed to access for wildlife protection; watch birds from the observatory.
- Cala Sa Forcanera has no land access: kayak or swim from Santa Anna.
- Old-town streets are narrow with fast traffic and pavements about a yard wide.
Blanes is a normal beach town and safe by day. Watch bags on the sand and in the S'Abanell nightlife zone, and keep to lit streets after midnight.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Blanes yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sa Palomera rock, the start of the Costa Brava
- Marimurtra and Pinya de Rosa botanical gardens
- Santa Anna and Sant Francesc coves
- Santa Anna fireworks contest in July
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Blanes Costa Brava tourism: www.blanescostabrava.cat/
- Marimurtra Botanical Garden: marimurtra.cat/en/
- Rodalies de Catalunya: rodalies.gencat.cat/en/inici/index.html
- Autocars Pujol: autocarspujol.com/
- Port de Blanes marina: www.cvblanes.cat/en
- Wikivoyage: Blanes, revision 5336215 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5336215
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Blanes
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Blanes; most countries keep embassies in Madrid and consulates-general in Barcelona.
Tipping is optional: round up or leave 5–10% for good table service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/blanes). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.