The prestigious Blue Flag rewards the best beaches based on environmental education and training, water quality, environmental management, services and safety.
The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), founded in 1981, ensures that coastal sites meet the stringent requirements to display the Blue Flag, giving holidaymakers a sense of security about the quality of the beaches they visit.
If you’re still wondering where to take your next holiday in 2018, idealista/news can help with our rundown of the best award-winning beach resorts in Spain, Portugal and Italy!
1. Calvià: a piece of paradise in Mallorca, Spain
Calvià is probably one of the most popular places for foreign tourists on the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea. Located in the southwest of the island, Calvià is in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tramuntana mountain range, a great destination for anyone who loves hiking and nature. The Calvià region has a total of 34 beautiful beaches and incredible coves, 6 of them flying Blue Flags:
Es Carregador: Fine white sand and many useful facilities, plus the easy access, make this a very popular beach during the whole summer vacation season.
Palmanova: This beach is also popular but for a different reason – the variety of sports activities you can do there and the multiple restaurants, bars and baths.
Son Maties: This urban beach is easily accessible by public transport from the town of Calvià, and it also has the fine white sand characteristic of the area, as well as services to meet all needs.
Illetes: Known as much for its tranquillity as for its modern and elegant establishments, the sand here is a dazzling white, the sea is clear blue, and the green grass takes you all the way down to the beachfront, making for a typically gorgeous Mediterranean landscape.
Cala Contesa: Famous for its crystalline waters whose transparency will leave you speechless, this is definitely one of the prettiest beaches in all of Palma de Mallorca.
Peguera Torà: Spacious and well-maintained, this beach has bars and restaurants where you can have a bite to eat with the family after trying the several water sports on offer.
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2. Lloret de Mar: the best beaches on the Costa Brava, Spain
Lloret de Mar, in the Catalonian province of Girona, is one of the most-visited destinations on the Costa Brava for both its lively atmosphere and its relaxing sandy beaches.
5 beaches in this city have the Blue Flag:
Cala Canyelles: Framed by cliffs that are covered with lush vegetation, this golden sandy beach is the furthest one from the city centre, on the road to Tossa de Mar, another beautiful village on the Costa Brava. Calm and peaceful, but at the same time hosting the only sports club in Lloret de Mar, for if you’re feeling a bit more active.
Cala Lloret: Right next to the city, this large beach obviously has all the best modern facilities, bars and restaurants you can ask for. There is also a wide variety of recreational and sporting activities.
Cala Fenals: Protected from the wind by a promontory which separates it from the town centre, this beach is good for sunbathing and relaxing, as well as for water skiing and kayaking.
Cala Sa Boadella: A small, out-of-the-way nudist beach, it’s perfect for people who just want a bit of peace (and a piece of some bits!). Getting naked is not obligatory, but enjoying the natural, paradisiacal landscape is.
Cala Santa Cristina: This beach of fine sand is sheltered between the the Botanical Garden of La Pinya de Rosa and the pine groves of the Hermitage of Santa Cristina. The sea sparkles in vivid colours and invites you to explore its wonderful sea beds.
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3. Lagos: pride of the Algarve, Portugal
The city of Lagos is in the southern Portuguese region of the Algarve where you can find the most beautiful beaches in all Portugal. Mixing modern facilities with its charming old town, Lagos has everything you need, plus it is well-situated as a starting-off point for day trips out to explore the interior of the western Algarve.
The Blue Flag beaches in Lagos are:
Praia Batata: Just metres from the historic town centre is a beach popular with everyone, from pleasure-seekers thanks to the services it provides, to sports nuts thanks to the regattas, beach volleyball and handball championships that take place during the summer. Gravity-defying rock formations lead to small coves in a fascinating natural nirvana.
Praia do Camilo: A small beach that packs a great punch in terms of views, Praia do Camilo is reached by a long staircase with over 200 steps. The views from the top and all the way down are breath-taking, so walk slow and enjoy the trip.
Praia Dona Ana: Possibly the most picturesque beach in the Algarve, Dona Ana is a small bay with golden sand, transparent water and steep cliffs on all sides. It’s also just a short distance from the centre of Lagos and is perfect for a day out with the family.
Praia Luz: Quiet and relaxing, it also comes with a shopping complex not far away where there are bars and restaurants to taste the local specialities and cool off from the sun.
Meia Praia: Famous in the area because of the possibility to rent water sports equipment and learn how to windsurf at the specialist school, it is the biggest beach in Lagos.
Praia Porto de Mós: This is the second largest beach in the area, with high cliffs on either side from which you can admire the entire coast if you climb up to the top.
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4. Sorrento: surprise Blue Flags in Naples, Italy
The big surprise in Italy this year is the awarding of Blue Flags to the Campania region which is now the Italian region with the third most blue flag beaches, 18 in total. The new entries on the list include the beach of Sorrento, a pretty, little town in the province of Naples.
Pure water, plentiful services, solid infrastructure, cycle lanes and pedestrian areas are a few of the criteria that were used for the awarding of this blue flag in Sorrento in 2018.
Go and discover for yourself the beautiful Sorrento Peninsula in summer 2018, both the city with its great artistic and cultural treasures, and the beach with its sun, sea and exquisite Italian food and drink.
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5. Finale Ligure: lounge by the Ligurian Sea, Italy
Liguria has 27 Blue Flag beaches, meaning it’s the region of Italy most awarded with Blue Flags this year.
In the Savona area, 13 places have received this prestigious status thanks to the quality of their beaches, not least among which is the city of Finale Ligure, with 6 award-winning beaches:
Spiaggia de Malpasso-Baia dei Saraceni: Near the village of Varigotti, this beach goes for several hundred metres along the Bay of the Saracens, tucked away behind mountains and lapped by a luxurious sea.
Finalmarina: A beach composed of smooth pebbles, like the majority of local beaches here, Finalmarina is popular in summer for the range of services on offer to tourists.
Finalpia: This beach takes its name from the spa of the nearby Castelletto di Finale, and it’s not hard to see why, with an endlessly relaxing calm ocean.
Spiaggia del Porto: Near the tourist port of Finale Ligure, the shallow and peaceful sea on this free beach is ideal for families with children. At the same time, the place fills up with surfers looking for big waves when the wind is right.
Varigotti: A sandy beach with fine gravel where there are well-equipped establishments and free areas. Enjoy both the clear, blue sea and the typical Italian landscape behind the beach with the coloured houses of Ligure and the mountains dotted with olive trees.
Spiaggia del Castelletto di San Donato: A beach of a modest size with sand and pebbles, it stretches along the coast between the Torre Mausoleo del Generale Enrico Caviglia and the Castelletto di Finalpia. You can either rent sun loungers and parasols or enjoy the free beach.
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