• Population: 40,010
• Surface area: 17, 7 km²
• Hotels: 22
• Hotel beds: 3,714
• Campsites: 12
• Campsite places: 9,310

• Blanes is located in Catalonia, one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities. It is situated in the province of Girona, and in the comarca (local government area) of Selva.
• Mayor: Josep Trias i Figueras

Gaat U dit jaar voor het eerst, of voor de zoveelste keer, in Blanes op vakantie? Zie het stadje dan eens vanuit een heel ander perspectief. In plaats van een hotel of camping vakantie biedt Vakantie in Blanes volledig ingerichte appartement.

De gezellige appartementen, ingerichten in typisch Spaanse stijl, liggen vlak bij het mooiste strand van Blanes — aan de rand van het oude stadje.

Met restaurants, een supermarkt, warme bakkers, en een verse groenten en fruit markt om de hoek woont u bij wijzen van spreken midden tussen de dorpelingen.

Are you spending your holidays in Blanes this year? Whether you’ll do so for the first time, or you have visited Blanes many times before, we encourage you to see Blanes from a new perspective.

Blanes Costa Brava offers fully furnished self-catering vacation apartments.

These cosy apartments are very close to Blanes’ most popular beach, at the edge of the old city.

Around the corner are restaurants, a supermarket, bakeries and a daily fruits- and vegetables market.

Sure, plenty of people venture out of the ‘tourist district’ of El Pins — which has Blanes’ highest concentration of hotels as well as a good number of camp grounds — but they seldom venture any further than the restaurants and assorted eateries along the boulevard.

And that while just one street over from the beach, some real treasures can be found. We’re talking about Passeig de Dintre, which runs parallel to Passeig de Cortils i Vieta — that’s the promenade along Platja Blanes — the beach of Blanes, situated between ‘the rock’ (Sa Palomera) and the harbor.

Next time you walk along that promenade, cross the street at Carrer Ample, about halfway the boulevard. The next street is Passeig de Dintre, to your left, and Plaza Espana, to your right.

At the corner of Passeig de Dintre you see Café Terrassans. This is Blanes’ favorite tapas bar — and once you’ve eaten there, you know why.

Guidebooks — which tend to copy each other — will tell you the tourists sit outside while the locals sit inside. To a certain extend that is true, but really… where you sit is up to you. Plenty of locals sit outside as well — and a good many tourists like the atmosphere inside. We like it either way: outside or inside, the experience is unforgettable.

Come when the place is busy (outside siesta hours) for the freshest offerings.

By the way, during the morning hours Passeig de Dintre is the scene of a fresh fruit and vegetables market.

The storm, said to be the worst the Costa Brava has seen since the late 1950s, caused an estimated €20 million in damage to beaches, boulevards, walkways, bridges and quays.

Money for repairs has been made available by the Central Government, but in some places environmental impact studies are slowing down the work.

S’Abanell beach, Blanes

All along the Costa Brava the beaches are ready for tourist season — though some beaches have less sand than usual. Too, in a few places tourists will have to share at least a portion of the beach with earth moving and construction equipment.

In blanes, S’Abanell — the longest beach at the Costa Brava — now has more sand than it had in 2008. In that year, sand replaced after one winter storm had to again be replaced after a second storm. The boulevard along that beach was also damaged in those two storms.

All through the 2008 tourist season the sand level at S’Abanell was noticeably lower than in previous years, and this may well have contributed to the amount of damage done to the boulevard along the beach during the extraordinarily powerful December storm.

The City of Blanes is waiting for another 250,000 cubic meters of sand to be added by June. The sand has been promised by the Ministry of the Environment, but its delivery was delayed pending an environmental impact statement — since the sand is to be removed from Maresme instead of from the mouth of the Tordera river.

Most of S’abanell boulevard has now been reconstructed, though work is still being performed on a 600-meter stretch. Meanwhile, repair work on the further end of the boulevard, near the camp grounds, hasn’t even started yet.

Other places

Construction work at the half-mile long promenade of Escala is in full swing, but is not expected to be completed till the middle of August.

In the coming weeks, repair work will commence along the coastlines of Cadaqués, Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar and L’Hospitalet de l’Infant.

In what the mayor referred to as the worst storm Blanes has seen since the 1950s, the December 26 storm caused much damage to pleasure boats, fishing vessels and tourist ferries:

The mayor was as yet unable to provide an estimate of the damage.

Other towns along the Costa Brava — including Portbou, Llançà, L’Escala, L’Estartit, Platja d’Aro, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar — also suffered much damage from the storm.

Blanes Port Expansion Project

According to Trias, the damage caused by this latest storm proves the importance of the planned expansion of the port.

The project, with a budget of €22 million, is currently stranded in the offices of the Ministry of the Environment.

Joaquim Nadal, Minister of Town and Country Town and Public Works of the ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’, visited the port of Blanes the day after the storm. He said that the significant damage here was caused by strong waves of between four and six meters high. Nadal has vowed to do everything possible to boost the planned construction of the new breakwater.

Other Damage

The beaches of Barcelona were temporarily closed during the storm. Further up the coast, the waves damaged many beaches, flooded some roads — as well as the underground parking garage at Blanes — and halted train services.

In the town of Girona-Castell Platja d’Aro 30 people had to be evicted from their waterfront homes.

In the same city, four people were treated for injuries after a powerful wave crashed into the restaurant where they were dining.

Going topless is no problem at any of the beaches of Blanes — even at the stretch of beach along the main boulevard in the old center of Blanes.

While the town has a large Catholic population, most locals do not appear to be prudish.

In fact, Spain does not have laws that prohibit public nudity — though you’re still expected to use common sense as to where and when you decide to take advantage of this.

In the early morning hours some of the town’s older men and women take a refreshing dip in the sea, and many of them will change in and out of their bathing suits — or simply their bath robes — right at the beach.

During the tourist season it is not unusual to see tourists and locals alike relaxing on the benches that line the boulevard — while enjoying the sight of nubile young women cooling off under the nearby showers, playing ball games, or simply soaking up the sun.

Nude Sunbathing, Skinny Dipping

One can see the occasional nude sunbather or skinny-dipper, but if you wish to go nude just be sensible, which includes being sensitive to those around you. [Read: don't flaunt, and don't do anything those around you would likely want you to confine to your own bedroom].

During the evening and night the beaches are lid by floodlights. Especially during the hot summer months, quite a few people take the opportunity for a late night picnic, or simply a bring-your-own drink get-together at the beach.

From time to time some people — young tourists, for the most part — dare each other to an impromptu dip, in bra and panties, topless or fully nude.

Semi-Private Beaches

If you want a little more privacy, either make your way down to the official nude beach near the mouth of the (virtually dry) Tordera river, use the small coves of Santa Anna, or — as some adventurous people do — try to make your way around (wading through the water) or over (climbing the rocks) the ‘Punta de Santa Ana‘ to reach a tiny, sandy beach.

The river Tordera marks the natural border between the Costa Brava (Girona) and the Costa Dorada (Barcelona).

This stretch of beach attracts, for the most part, couples of retirement age as well as gay men. However, more often than not this beach is virtually deserted.

What Not To Do

There’s a time and a place for everything, and as mentioned you shouldn’t do anything that most people would normally only do in their bedrooms — sleeping excepted.

Intrusive photography (you know who you are) may have the locals mark you as ‘paparazzi.’ It may also get you into trouble with the Mossad — the local police force.

This wide beach (40-60 meters) consists of 2.1 kilometers of clean, somewhat coarse — but comfortable — sand. It stretches past the districts of El Pins and S’Abanell, where most of the town’s 40 hotels are located. Further south it runs past some of Blanes’ campings.

The beach ends at the mouth of the Tordera — a dry river. This remote part — which can also be reached by taking the Avinguda De La Vila De Madrid [Google Map] is designated as the official nude beach [though nudity can be encountered at any beach]. It is seldom busy.

Close to the Avinguda del Mediterrani street [Google Map] there are facilities for the handicapped.

There are kiosks, bars and some restaurants on or near the boulevard along the beach.

Damajuana is such a place. Hidden away in a narrow alley just off the main drag of Passeig Pau Casals, Damajuana draws a steady stream of Blanes locals and visitors-in-the-know who have come to prize the restaurant for its wonderful, freshly prepared meat and pasta dishes. Yes, excellent Italian food at the Costa Brava in Spain (or rather, in Catalonia).

Restaurant Damajuana, Blanes
Copyright: I have seen this before – Used by permission

Tastefully decorated, Damajuana’s warm atmosphere is further enhanced by the friendly service of the family that owns the restaurant.

And then the food! Even something as simple as Spaghetti or Lasagne Bolognese seems to have been prepared from secret family recipes.

There’s a fantastic selection of starters; generous portions which, accompanied by a bottle of fine wine, could even serve as a main meal.

The food at Damajuana is absolutely wonderful. If we were giving stars, Damajuana would get five out of five.

A tip: leave some room for desert. We recommend the home-made Dulce de Leche ice cream.

Where

Damajuana
c/ Roig i Jalpi amb Camadasa 1 [Google Map]
Blanes

Note: An easy way to find Restaurant Damajuana is to walk down the main boulevard that runs along the Platja de Blanes, the beach fronting the old town. Walk in the direction of the harbor. At the end of the paved boulevard there is a stage, next to the monument depicting Sardana dancers. Continue walking along the boulevard, to the left of the stage. Directly after the third eatery, named Buggy’s, turn left and cross the road. Enter the narrow sidestreet, and head for the yellow restaurant sign.

Contact

Tel: 972 330 141

The resort’s 4 kilometers of wide, golden-sanded beaches are popular, yet not overcrowded.

Blanes is where it all begins. The Costa Brava starts at Sa Palomera, a rocky promentory halfway long the beach and continues north all the way the France.

Once used for shelter by the town’s fishing fleet, the promontory has the remains of an old fire-tower – a primitive lighthouse – at its summit and is still lit up by fire each year during the Costa Brava’s international fireworks contest in July.

Climb on to Sa Palomera, passing the fishing boats which are washed up on the shingle beach, for some of the best views of Blanes.

South of here the beach stretches on, as far as the eye can see, passing hotels, campsites and the mouth of the river Tordera at the start of the Costa Marema.

To the north, a wide promenade with gardens, play areas and restaurant tables on the street leads around to the town’s attractive, and still busy, fishing harbour.

Blanes is still a working fishing port, where the arrival of the fleet each evening is followed by an animated auction in the fish market – you can witch it all happening from the upstairs bar.

Fishermen mend their nets, old men sit on the sea walls and the sailors’ chapel of Nostra Senyora de L’Esperança is adorned with nautical themes.

Blanes may be one of the Costa Brava’s largest resorts, but with a population of more than 20,000 it has managed to absorb the tourists without losing its soul.

The Old town, just behind the seafront, has survived almost unscathed, with Gothic chuches, medieval houses, fountains, shrines and a lively daily produce market.

Out of season this is a real Catalan town, best experiences during the sunset promenade when everyone from grandmothers to tiny children put on their best clothes and stroll to the sea.
- The AA Essential Guide to the Costa Brava

Blanes offers miles of easy-to-reach clean, sandy beaches as well as beautiful coves nestled among the magnificent rock formations characteristic of the Costa Brava.

Though the beach front has over the past few decades been tranformed by high-rise buildings, the downtown area – found just a block from the beach – still reflects Blanes’ origins as a fishing village and ship-building center. It features characteristic buildings, shops, restaurants and tapas cafes.

To-date, Blanes still derives much of its income from its fish auction. If it’s fresh sea-food you like, you’ll enjoy watching the local fishing fleet return to harbor, seeing the fish auctioned, and eating the catch of the day at one of the harbor-front restaurants.

Speaking about food, from early in the morning untill late at night you can dine at one of the many eateries and restaurants that line Blanes’ beach-front promenade. Lined with palm trees and benches, this is a great place relax and gaze out over the ocean. At night you’ll find the locals doing just that. Or you might find them dancing the traditional Sardana to the tunes of live music.

On Monday mornings, this boulevard is transformed into the district’s largest outdoor general goods and clothes market – a great place to find souvenirs and bargains. Keep an eye out for specialty markets near the end of the promenade closests to the port. It features the work of local artisans, baked goods, meats, souvenirs and/or fashion items.

In addition Blanes’ vibrant shopping district offers a wide variety of restaurants with both local and international dishes.