Are you planning to take your furry friend to the Costa Brava for a summer holiday? Then we’ve got great news for you. There are ten dog-friendly beaches in the Alt Empordà region alone, and three more in Baix Empordà. So, get your doggy’s favourite ball ready because it’s time to hit the beach!
Not all towns offer beach facilities for dogs. Some are unable to open up their beaches to dogs due to their size, making it incompatible with their Blue Flag status. Others don’t allow canine beachgoers because of birds and other creatures nesting in the dunes.
But let’s focus on the positive. There are plenty of dog-friendly beaches on the Costa Brava, such as Portbou’s Baixada a Tocar del Port, Colera’s Platja de les Barques, and Llançà’s Platja de Sant Jordi. In l’Escala, you can go to the Rec del Molí, while in Castelló d’Empúries, you’ll find Platja La Rubina, reputedly Spain’s first ever dog friendly beach.
Tip
- When you arrive, be sure to check signage to ensure you know exactly where on the beach your dog is allowed.
- Just because your dog is an extrovert doesn’t mean other dogs are. Don’t let your dog approach other dogs unless the owner allows you to.
- Take a doggie bag to clean up before you leave if necessary.
This information is up to date as of July 2023 and updated October 2023.
For those who want to visit more popular tourist destinations, don’t worry. You can still bring your dog to the beach in places like Palamós’s Platja Gran or Platja de Pere Grau. And if you want to escape the crowds, Platja des Calders in Cadaqués and Cala del Niu in Sant Feliu de Guixols are more isolated beaches where your dog can enjoy the sand.
But before you go, remember to always bring doggie bags to clean up after your furry friend and keep them on a leash where required. We hope you and your dog have a fantastic time at the beach!
List of the Costa Brava’s dog-friendly beaches
While the following beaches have areas for dogs, please ensure that your furry friend stays within the designated area and is controlled at all times. The areas are indicated by signs but if you are unsure it’s better to ask.
Portbou – the town has an area of the main beach designated for the use of dogs all your round. It’s at the end closest to the port next to the ramp used to launch small boats.
Colera – Platja de les Barques is also known as Platja de les Portes. It’s a small, pebble beach next to the port and so named because there after often small boats on the beach.
Llançà – Platja de Sant Jordi is a rocky beach about 20 minutes from the port on foot. You’ll eventually reach a rocky area with seating to admire the view. To reach it by road follow the N-260 towards Portbou until you can see the sea, just as the road is about to curve to the left. Take a hard right onto Carrer de l’Argilera, where you may be able to park.
Port de la Selva – the town allows dogs on all the beaches in winter but in summer restricts canine visitors to two beaches.
Platja del Port de la Vall is in front of a campsite of the same name. It’s a pleasant pebble beach popular with the campers, for obvious reasons, and has an area designated for dogs. You’ll find Platja de la Ribera right next to a dirt car park opposite the petrol station on the edge of town. The beach has a fine, rather dirty sand and isn’t used much, probably because of its vicinity to the car park.
Cadaqués – a total of three beaches in Cadaqués have been approved for the sue of dogs.
Platja des Calders is a small, rocky beach in a narrow bar with low, tree covered incline on each side, close to Illa de Portlligat. South of the town is Platja d’es Bau des Sortell. This beach is a small and rocky, close to a small island reached by a stone bridge with an almost perfect view across the bay to Cadaqués itself. And the tiny Platja Sant Piu V is a little ay past the southern end of Platja sa Conca.
Empuriabrava – Platja La Rubina is a long sandy beach with dunes fronting an agricultural plain and supposedly the very first beach in Spain to have an area where dogs are allowed. The area where dogs are authorised is at the far end near Santa Margarida’s port.
L’Escala – Platge del Rec del Molí is the first beach you reach from the path leading from L’Escala to Empúries. The area for dogs is closest to L’Escala at the mouth of the stream – rec de molí is literally “mill stream” in Catalan.
Estartit – If you follow Estartit’s long sandy beach southwards you’ll pass the urbanisation of Els Griells. Continue past Els Griells and you’ll find a section of beach backed by dunes and with a campsite behind. The area for dogs is around here.
Palamós – Platja de Pere Grau is a tiny beach just beyond the harbour wall, near the lighthouse. Dogs are allowed here year round and you can let them off the lead.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols – Although dogs are prohibited from the main beach during the summer, there is a small tiny available for dogs. The rocky Cala del Niu is in the southern end of Sant Pol beach, to the north of Sant Feliu itself.
Cala de Belladona is NOT a dog-friendly beach
Some websites indicate that Cala de Belladona, which borders Platja d’Aro and Calonge de Sant Antoni, is a designated beach for dogs. While that was the plan, and it was announced before Easter 2023 that dogs would be able to use the beach, the idea has run into problems.
Neighbours objected to the entire beach being available to dogs and began a protest. And it turns out that while the councils had decided that the beach would be open for dogs this summer, it turns out local byelaws still prohibit them, as some dog owners found out to their cost.
When the police receive reports that a dog is on the beach they will enforce the law – and the protesters make sure they are informed. The councils are planning on opening up the beach in time for summer 2024, but it may not be the entire beach. We will update this list of the Costa Brava’s dog-friendly beaches for then.
