The ultimate affordable holiday destinations in Spain

Spain is, without a doubt, the best destination to spend your summer vacation. It is a paradise with gorgeous beaches and coves, captivating its visitors through its vibrant history and its famous culture.

Spain offers places and activities that suit every taste. But sometimes the range of possibilities is so wide that choosing the perfect spot becomes a difficult task, which gets even tougher if you are travelling on a budget. The following list includes some of the cheapest destinations in Spain, so you can live the experience of travelling around Spain without worrying about hurting your wallet.

Affordable coastal destinations in Spain

Accommodation is usually the most significant expense for any vacation. However, hotel prices have dropped in the next Spanish locations. Whether you are looking forward to relaxing on a golden-sand beach with turquoise waters, diving into Spain’s past, or sitting at a chiringuito caressed by the night breeze, these are some of the most popular and cheapest destinations to visit in Spain.

Benalmádena

Benalmádena is one of Málaga province’s best-known places, and it is no wonder why. This corner of the Costa del Sol has infinite charm. Its 20-kilometre-long coast is divided into 17 delightful beaches that are perfect for practising every type of water sports and activities, enjoying a refreshing dip, or having a drink at a chiringuito.

But its appeal goes beyond its coast. Benalmádena’s cosy streets are a spectacle themselves and reflect the life of Andalucía and its people. You should not miss one of its main tourist attractions, the majestic Colomares Castle, which honours Christopher Columbus and his arrival in America.

Its leisure offering does not fall behind. Its amusement park, its aquarium, and Europe’s largest butterfly park make Benalmádena the perfect destination for the whole family.

Lloret de Mar

Lloret de Mar presents unforgettable colours. The bright golden of its beaches and its cliffs, splattered with the emerald green stains of its thick vegetation, and the turquoise water of the water it is bathed by. Haunting, wild postcard pictures that one will always want to go back to.

Lloret de Mar sits in Girona, in the heart of the renowned Costa Brava. Without a single doubt, it hides some of the best examples of Catalan modernist architecture, such as its emblematic Sant Romà Church, that should be on every Lloret itinerary.

Besides, this destination offers endless leisure activities. The spectacular Santa Clotilde Gardens are a mandatory stop that will leave you speechless—a true treasure watching over the sea from the top of a high cliff. A brief getaway to the neighbouring municipality of Tossa de Mar is also a good choice because it is a medieval gem of cobbled streets and picturesque beauty.

Cádiz

Cádiz steals the heart of each of its visitors through its marine breeze, its lively atmosphere, and its pescaíto frito. There are many reasons why this is one of the most popular destinations in the whole of Andalucía, because Cádiz is magical.

To walk around Cádiz’s streets is to explore millennia of history. The Phoenicians established themselves in this area, and so did the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Visigoths, and the Arabs. Cádiz hides remains from each of its stages, merged into a harmonious combination of architectural styles and cultures that includes masterpieces such as its wonderful Roman theatre, its medieval streets, and its elegant Cathedral of the Santa Cruz.

But the best way to discover Cádiz is by diving into its everyday life, tasting its wide, delicious seafood cuisine, or watching a flamenco show.

Alicante

Alicante is another of those affordable summer destinations in Spain. This incredible city is bathed by the warm Mediterranean Sea and is loved by both national and international tourists. A visit to Alicante is an unforgettable and amusing experience.

Climbing to the top of Santa Bárbara Castle is one of the best things to do in Alicante, since it allows you to observe the infinitude of the sea waters and the intricate network of streets that constitutes the municipality.

A trip to Alicante is not complete unless you try a good paella and the arroz del senyoret, a typical recipe of the area. Conclude the perfect combo by ordering a fresh sangría, and finish a lovely day by walking down the harbour at night. Besides, Alicante offers a unique possibility: a boat trip to the smallest inhabited island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Salou

Salou is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. Its fine-sand beaches are perfect for relaxing under the Mediterranean sun and enjoying its fascinating coast full of life.

Salou is the best place to have fun. A theme park that will delight both children and adults stands out among its wide and diverse leisure offering, while nature lovers will love the Camí de Ronda, a hiking route that reveals all the secrets of Salou. And you should make some time to practise some water sports!

Torremolinos

Torremolinos is the summer holiday destination par excellence. Proof of it is the great number of bars, restaurants, and hotels splattered throughout the white streets of its town centre.

Torremolinos’ seafaring essence and tradition are perceived in its delicious cuisine, composed mainly of fish and seafood, and there is no other place to enjoy it like Torremolinos’ beaches. La Carihuela and El Bajondillo are the most popular ones, two wide beaches linked by a lively seaside promenade.

Besides, Torremolinos is home to an architectural treasure like no other: the Casa de los Navajas, a palace built in the early 20th century where weddings, first communions, and other festive events can be held.

Puerto de la Cruz

In order to get to the last affordable holiday destination on this list, we must cross part of the Atlantic Ocean and dive into one of the astonishing Canary Islands, Tenerife. Our last stop is Puerto de la Cruz, the smallest municipality in the archipelago. This place is visited by many people who are attracted by its small size, which makes it one of the cosiest places in Spain.

A mere look is enough to understand its popularity. Puerto de la Cruz stands out for its paradisiacal beaches of volcanic black sand in contrast with the Atlantic blue, the emerald green of its thick vegetation, and the vibrant rainbow composed of tiny colourful houses.

Puerto de la Cruz is the perfect place to relax, and every member of the family will enjoy it. It is a great starting point for discovering Teide National Park, which offers memorable landscapes and sits less than one hour by car from this affordable summer holiday destination.

This article was written in collaboration with Voyage Privé.