The rule most visitors do not know
⭐ Under Spain's coastal law the shoreline is public land. Hotels and beach clubs operate on the sand under licence — loungers, parasols, bars — but they cannot stop anyone walking along the beach or putting a towel down on it. That includes the beaches in front of the grandest hotels on the Golden Mile.
What you pay for, if anything, is the lounger and the service. The sand is free.
Which beach
In town: La Fontanilla and El Faro sit either side of the marina, right below the center — the easiest beaches to reach, and the busiest.
West: the beaches of the Golden Mile and Puerto Banús, then San Pedro and Guadalmina, quieter and more local.
East: a long run of beaches out to Cabopino, where the Artola dunes come down to the sea. Easiest with a car.
Getting it right
⚠️ Watch the flag: green is safe to swim, yellow means caution, red means no swimming. Lifeguards work the main beaches in the season.
⚠️ The water here can be cooler than people expect for the Mediterranean, even in summer — this end of the sea is fed from the Atlantic through the Strait.
The chiringuitos — beach bars on the sand — are where the grilled sardines are. See Eating & Drinking.
