The best coastlines in Portugal and beyond

Summer is well and truly and it's time to get away from the city and head to the beach. While Portugal is home to some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline in the world, we're also heading a little further afield, in our guide to the best coasts in Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Read about the best coastlines, the prettiest villages and the most relaxing beaches that are simply unmissable for your summer holidays this year. Travel further than the rest to find the hidden places in and around the Mediterranean and discover the best coastal towns in Europe and some of the best beaches in Europe. 

Salento coast, Italy

Monopoli, in Bari province / unblogdepalo.com

Our first stop of the best coasts in Europe is Italy. Salento is a peninsula in the southern Italian region of Puglia, but people mostly know it as the ‘heel of the boot’. The Ionian Sea lies to the south, the Adriatic to the north and it’s not that far from the Albanian coast, so it’s the perfect setting for a holiday this summer.

Where should you go in Salento? Start with Lecce, a beautiful Italian city with a historic town centre that has so many churches that it's often known as ‘the Florence of the South’. We then recommend going to Gallipoli, another Ionian coastal village in the area, located on a small island and known as ‘the beautiful city’. Finish up with Polignano a Mare, 10 minutes away from Bari and enjoy the most romantic and beautiful sunsets in Italy.

Costa Brava, Spain

Cadaqués in Catalonia / pxhere.com

Next up, we're off to Spain. White sandy beaches, cool blue water and luxury relaxation make the Costa Brava the most visited coast in Catalonia in the northeast of Spain. With many small bays and beaches to choose from, isolated by nature, the Costa Brava is popular with visitors as it has a true sense of being able to disconnect and returning to nature. 

So beautiful is the Costa Brava that you can’t take it all in with just a few short days. We recommend spending at least a week on holiday here if you want to really get to know the place. The first three things on your to-do list should include following in the footsteps of the painter Salvador Dalí in the charming towns of Figueres and Cadaqués; taking a walk around Girona city, especially if you are a Game of Thrones fan, as several key scenes from the series were filmed there; and Cala Pola, in Tossa de Mar, a 230-foot beach of stunning natural beauty.

Alentejo Coast, Portugal

Landscape on the Alentejo Coast / Wikimedia commons

We of course couldn't forget about Portugal when it comes to the best coastlines in southern Europe. While the Algarve is a popular option, we also highly recommend the Alentejo Coast which goes from the south of Setúbal all the way to the Algarve region. It is somewhat of an unknown coast but is home to some of the best-preserved natural rock formations on the Iberian Peninsula, while remaining relatively free of noisy tourists. Therefore, if a trip into pure and serene nature is what you’re after this summer, try the Alentejo Coast.

The "Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina" (Southwest Alentejano and Vicentine Coast Natural Park) covers much of the coastline and is well worth a visit for its quiet beaches and the little fishing villages around. The Praia Zambujeira do Mar is probably one of the best beaches there, replete with sand to relax on, geological structures to marvel at and awe-inspiring sunsets to behold. It’s also advisable to visit Porto Covo, a seaside town with traditional blue and white painted houses which show off Portuguese tradition at its finest. 

Amalfi Coast, Italy

View over Amalfi city / pixabay.com/es/users/SalvatoreMonetti-3636083/

Heading back to Italy, the Amalfi Coast is well known as a summer vacation spot for the rich and famous on the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Gulf of Salerno, in the south of Naples. Combining luxury, top-quality services with pretty beaches and romantic Italian culture, the Amalfi Coast can be a holiday destination for everyone, not only celebs.

On your visit to the Amalfi Coast, we recommend a trip to Sorrento, a city with the feel of a village, framed by famed high cliffs. Visitors also recommend what is often called ‘one of the prettiest villages in all of Italy’, Positano, where you can see the most typical colourful Italian houses. Then there’s Ravello, a town with some truly amazing views that’s like going back in time, before rounding off the day relaxing with a cool limoncello drink in Amalfi.

Mariña Lucense, Spain

As Catedrais, a beach with awesome rocks / pxhere.com

Our final stop is back in Spain. Mariña Lucense is isolated geographically in the northwest of Spain, making it virtually unknown even among Spanish people. It runs from Ribadeo, on the border between Galicia and Asturias, to O Barqueiro, which separates the provinces of Lugo and A Coruña, and is perfect for hikers, adventurers and naturalists.

This coast plays host to over 60 miles of great beaches, like A Rapadoira in Foz, an urban beach with lots of facilities available to tourists. The Barreiros beaches are also well worth a visit, with rocky crevices and structures, but undoubtedly the most spectacular place to see rock formations in the area is the pride of Galicia, As Catedrais beach, or the Cathedral Beach, with its looming and looping natural archways reminiscent of cathedral architecture.

Away from the beach, there are plenty of charming little towns to visit in Galicia, from Viveiro, whose walls have survived both pirate attacks and the passage of time, to Burela, the main port on the Cantabrian Sea where you can find the finest gastronomy, with fresh fish and seafood served in simple and delicious local recipes.