It was late afternoon when Daniel and I pulled our suitcases out of the car and took our first walk along the harbour in Blanes. The sun was still beating down on our backs, the sea smelled of salt, and nobody shouted at us from a restaurant terrace to come sit down for “the best paella around”. This was exactly what we’d been looking for on the Costa Brava.
Blanes lies roughly 65 kilometres northeast of Barcelona, and yet it’s a completely different world. A long sandy beach, a small headland with a great view of the evening sky over the mountains, and behind those mountains hides another gem of the coast – Lloret de Mar. Barely seven kilometres separate the two resorts, and yet they have completely different moods. We fell in love with Blanes on our very first evening, when we stood on the Sa Palomera headland 🌅 and watched the sun disappear behind the hills as the little town below us slowly lit up – and the very next day we found out that their livelier neighbour over the hill is a completely different kind of holiday, though one worth a visit at least for an evening.
So is Blanes better, or Lloret de Mar? Wrong question, as far as we’re concerned. The two work brilliantly together as a pair – one for sleeping and quiet, the other for day trips and evening buzz. In this guide we’ll show you what each resort does best, where to stay, how much you’ll actually spend, and why we’ve been back to this pair of towns twice in the last few years.
When we’re planning a holiday on the Costa Brava, people regularly ask us: “Blanes, or Lloret?” After a few days on the ground, the answer is clear to me – it’s not a rivalry, it’s a pairing that complements itself beautifully. Blanes simply isn’t as “sold out” to tourists. Shops and restaurants here don’t need to hustle passers-by every minute with photos of menus priced in five languages, because the local clientele is largely Catalan and French, not just a summer invasion from charter flights.
Lloret de Mar is, by contrast, synonymous with nightlife – discos, bars open until dawn, a 1.5-kilometre main beach packed with sun loungers, and a promenade that turns into one long party after dark. Daniel and I agreed on this one: it’s not a bad thing, it’s just a completely different kind of holiday. But Lloret also has a quieter side – gardens, old lanes, views from the headland above Fenals beach – and that’s the side we discovered when we drove over for just one evening, for dinner and a walk along the promenade.
| Criteria | Blanes | Lloret de Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | quieter, more “local” | livelier, more touristy |
| Nightlife | almost none | bars, clubs, discos until dawn |
| Beaches | 2 long beaches, quieter coves near the botanical garden | longer Blue Flag main beach, more small coves (Boadella, Santa Cristina) |
| Historic centre | smaller but cosy, less crowded | older history (2,000 years), more sights clustered together |
| Prices | a bit lower | a bit higher, especially in the evening and in the centre |
| Ideal for | couples, families with children, a relaxed holiday | groups of friends, anyone who wants nightlife and a beach in one place |
We recommend a combination: stay in quieter Blanes and set aside one or two evenings for Lloret de Mar, when you can enjoy its energy without having to live with it all week.
We’ve tried both, which is exactly why we can tell you the difference first-hand. One year we took a spacious apartment in Blanes a short walk from the beach – we had our own little kitchen, which came in handy mainly for breakfasts and an evening glass of wine on the balcony, and it worked out cheaper overall because we cooked some of our own meals. The next year we chose a hotel, and that’s when the surprise came: a lot of hotels in Blanes have a pool right on the roof 🙂, where the sunset view is almost as good as from Sa Palomera. If you’re travelling in July or August, when the sea is packed and the sun loungers on the beach are taken by nine in the morning, a rooftop pool with fewer people can save your whole afternoon.
For me, a simple rule applies: an apartment makes sense for a longer stay (5 days or more), or if you’re travelling in a bigger group or with children who’ll appreciate having their own space. A hotel pays off for a shorter stay, when you’ll appreciate the service, breakfast ready first thing in the morning, and not having to deal with grocery shopping.
This is a question we tackled ourselves twice. We found one thing that surprised us: hotels with a sea view weren’t much more expensive than the ones tucked away in narrow Catalan streets a few blocks back. So if you’re wondering whether to pay a few euros extra for the view, for us it’s a clear yes.
We recommend staying in Blanes – it’s a cheaper, calmer base, and Lloret de Mar is within easy reach for an evening out. But if the nightlife and busier promenade are actually what you’re after as your main plan, it makes more sense to stay right in Lloret de Mar, close to the main beach or the calmer Fenals area.
By S’Abanell beach – the town’s longest beach, a promenade full of restaurants, ideal for families with kids thanks to the gentle slope into the sea.
Historic centre by the harbour – narrow streets, close to Castell de Sant Joan and the botanical garden.
The edge of town towards Lloret de Mar – quieter, newer residential neighbourhoods, closest to the neighbouring resort.
Our tips by budget and type of holiday
HEADS UP: hotel prices on the Costa Brava vary a lot between seasons – the average price per night in Blanes hovers around €68 in February, but jumps to as much as €160 a night in July. In Lloret de Mar, prices in high season tend to be a bit higher, especially at hotels in the centre near the main beach. So if you have flexibility with your dates, travelling off-season can easily save you half your accommodation budget.
Blanes has two main beaches, joined and yet separated by the Sa Palomera cliff. North of the cliff lies the smaller Platja de Blanes right by the harbour, while to the south stretches the long Platja de S’Abanell, over 2.5 kilometres long. Both are sandy, with a gentle slope into the water – great for kids, less great if you want to swim straight into deep water.
For me, though, the biggest discovery was the Sa Palomera cliff itself 🍋 – it visually splits the beaches into two, and in the evening it’s worth climbing up for the view of the mountains behind town, where the sun “disappears”. This is also where we first noticed that you can see the glow of Lloret de Mar behind those hills.
Both beaches are equipped just as you’d expect from a Costa Brava resort – sun loungers and parasols for a fee, showers, a lifeguard in high season, and water sports rental places if you fancy trying a paddleboard or a pedal boat. If you’re after quieter coves without the crowds, head past the harbour towards the botanical garden – that’s where you’ll find the smaller beaches of Santa Anna and Sant Francesc, surrounded by rocks and pine trees. They’re a lot smaller, but that’s exactly why they tend to stay quieter even outside peak season.
The castle on a 173-metre hill above town is probably the most photogenic spot in Blanes. The remains of a medieval fortress have stood here since the 11th century, and from the viewpoint you can see the whole coastline from Blanes all the way to Lloret de Mar. You can walk up (expect a proper climb in the heat) or drive up. We’d recommend going in late afternoon so the sun isn’t shining straight into your lens for photos.
Marimurtra is a garden on a cliff above the sea with over 4,000 plant species and a view that alone is worth the entrance fee. Admission costs €15 in high season (€14 if you buy online in advance) and €10 in winter season; afternoon admission from 14:00 costs €10 (according to the garden’s official price list, current as of 2026) – BUY TICKETS HERE. Not far towards Lloret de Mar you’ll find the smaller Pinya de Rosa, focused mainly on cacti and succulents – it sits exactly halfway between the two resorts, so it’s a good stop on the way from one town to the other.
The narrow streets behind the harbour are perfect for an early-evening stroll – the Gothic Santa Maria church, the small Vescomtes de Cabrera palace, and regular markets selling fruit, vegetables and souvenirs. The market runs Monday to Saturday, so if you arrive on a Sunday, you’ll have to improvise.
Seven kilometres from Blanes, ten minutes by car, and you’re in a completely different mood. Lloret de Mar has more than two thousand years of history behind it (a Roman tombstone has even survived from here), and despite its reputation as a “party resort”, it also offers quieter afternoons full of sights.
The main Platja de Lloret is about 1.5 km long, Blue Flag certified, with plenty of services and water sports – this is where most of the daytime action happens. A few minutes’ walk from the centre, separated by a low hill with a castle, lies the quieter Fenals. Anyone after even more privacy heads to the cove of Cala Boadella (about 250 m long, surrounded by rocks and pine forest), or further on to the beach of Santa Cristina, which is most pleasant to reach by boat.
Yes, the same name as the castle in Blanes, but a completely different structure – the remains of a 10th-century castle standing on a low hill between the centre and Fenals beach. This is one of the best views in all of Lloret de Mar, especially in the early evening.
A romantic garden from 1919 on a cliff between Fenals beach and the naturist Cala Boadella, built in the style of Italian Renaissance gardens – fountains, statues, a pond and sea views framed by cypresses and pines. Admission is €6.10 for adults and €3.10 for the reduced rate (seniors, students, cardholders – according to the gardens’ official price list). We’d recommend combining it with a walk to Fenals beach, just a few minutes away on foot.
The old town of Lloret de Mar has a Gothic church San Román (Sant Romà) and surprisingly interesting Art Nouveau architecture from the early 20th century, when wealthy “indianos” – Catalans who had made their fortune in the Americas – built lavish villas here. One of the most unusual stops is the local Art Nouveau cemetery from 1901 – it might sound like an odd thing to recommend for a day out, but the mausoleums and statues here really are artistically valuable, and locals treat it as a normal attraction.
This is one discipline where Lloret de Mar has no competition nearby – clubs, bars and discos concentrated mainly around the promenade and the centre. If you’re staying in Blanes and want a big night out once during your trip, this is the place to go. We were happy with dinner and a walk along the promenade, but if you want to keep going into the night, this is the resort with the most options of any on the southern Costa Brava.
If nightlife and a livelier promenade are the main draw of your holiday, it makes sense to stay right in Lloret de Mar, rather than just visiting from Blanes.
Centre by the main beach – closest to the bars, clubs and shopping streets.
Fenals – a quieter neighbourhood a short way from the centre, close to the Santa Clotilde gardens.
Heads up: hotel prices on the Costa Brava vary a lot between seasons – according to the available data, the average price per night in Blanes is around €68 in February, but it jumps to as much as €160 a night in July. In Lloret de Mar, high-season prices tend to run a bit higher still, especially at hotels in the centre near the main beach. So if your dates are flexible, travelling off-season can easily save you half your accommodation budget.
| Item | Price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Entry to Marimurtra, Blanes (high season) | €15 (€14 online in advance) |
| Entry to Marimurtra, Blanes (winter season) | 10 € |
| Entry to the Santa Clotilde gardens, Lloret de Mar | €6.10 adults / €3.10 reduced |
| Train from Barcelona Sants to Blanes | approximately €8-15 per person |
| Tourist tax, 3*/3*+ hotel | €2.20-3.30/person/night |
| Tourist tax, 4*/5* hotel | €3.30-4.40/person/night |
| 3* hotel, summer | from about €80 / night |
| 4* hotel, summer | from about €80-110 / night |
Accommodation prices are approximate averages from the periods we tracked and change depending on dates and demand – treat them as a guide, not a fixed price list.
| Level | Accommodation | Food | Activities/transport | Total/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-cost | 25–35 € | 20–25 € | 5–10 € | about €55-70 |
| Standard | 45–60 € | 30–40 € | 10–20 € | about €90-120 |
| Premium | 90–150 € | 50–70 € | 20–40 € | about €160-260 |
The most comfortable option is the train – from Barcelona Sants station, the R1 commuter line (Rodalies de Catalunya) runs directly to Blanes, the journey takes roughly 1 hour and 20-30 minutes, and trains run about every 30 minutes. If you fly in, you change at Barcelona Sants from the airport train onto the R1 line. There’s no train to Lloret de Mar – from there you continue by bus or car.
Between Blanes and Lloret de Mar, an intercity bus runs roughly every hour and the journey takes around 15-20 minutes; by car you can make the trip in as little as 10 minutes. That means combining the two resorts works well even without your own car.
By car from Barcelona, it’s about an hour’s drive along the C-32 motorway; it’s a toll road, but faster and more flexible, especially if you also want to explore the surrounding area (Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar, Girona).
Heads up: parking is limited in both the historic centre of Blanes and the centre of Lloret de Mar, and some streets are pedestrian only. If you’re staying right in the centre, expect to leave your car in a paid car park instead.
Blanes itself is great to explore on foot, or by the little tourist train that connects the centre with the Marimurtra botanical garden.
High season runs roughly from May to October; the sea is at its most pleasant in July and August, but that’s also when accommodation prices rise the most, especially in Lloret de Mar, where demand for the centre near the beach stays high all summer. If you’d rather have quieter beaches and lower prices, try June or the second half of September – the sea is still warm, but there are far fewer crowds.
Morning at S’Abanell beach in Blanes, lunch in the centre, afternoon walk up to Castell de Sant Joan, evening drive over to Lloret de Mar for dinner and a stroll along the promenade.
Add a full-day trip to Girona (just under 40 km), one day in Lloret de Mar (beaches, gardens, and maybe some nightlife in the evening), and one day in Tossa de Mar, which you can reach from Blanes via Lloret de Mar in under half an hour by car. We leave the fifth day free on purpose – after four days of driving up and down the coast, what suits us best is always a day with no plan, when you just go back to the beach you liked most.
If you are travelling with kids, we recommend slowing the itinerary down and planning for half-day outings rather than full-day drives – in the midday heat, children (and honestly, us adults too) need shade and a pool after 14:00 more than another sight.
Blanes is a fishing town, so fish cooking has a real tradition here – try the local suquet de peix (a fish stew) or fresh shellfish straight off the morning catch. For me, finding good ice cream in Blanes was a small odyssey – the first two “gelaterie” by the harbour were classic tourist traps serving artificial foam instead of ice cream, until we finally found a place with a real Italian recipe. So is it even possible to find that one good ice cream among all the temptations lining the promenade? Yes, but it takes a bit of patience and a willingness to walk one street further.
Prices in restaurants in Blanes stay reasonable – compared to central Barcelona, we paid noticeably less, even sitting with a sea view. The menu del día (a set lunch with a starter, main course and a drink) ran roughly 14 to 20 euros at ordinary restaurants. In Lloret de Mar, expect higher prices mainly in the centre near the main beach and on the promenade full of tourists – as soon as you turn off towards Fenals or into the side streets, prices drop closer to Blanes levels. Never be afraid to walk one street away from the main promenade – it tends to be cheaper and better, in either town.
Underestimating the distance from the centre to S’Abanell beach. On the map it looks like a few minutes, the reality under the midday sun is different – bring a hat and water.
Visiting Marimurtra at midday. The garden has almost no shade, and in August it is really scorching there at 13:00. Go in the morning instead, right after opening.
We did not buy a return train ticket straight away. A return ticket is only valid until the end of the following day, so if you are not planning precisely, single tickets give you more flexibility – even though at first glance they look more expensive.
Underestimating how different Lloret de Mar is in the evening. If you are just going for a quiet dinner, avoid the centre around the main beach after 22:00 – by then the promenade turns into a completely different destination from the one you saw during the day.
Blanes is for you if: you want a beach combined with a calmer atmosphere, want to be close to day trips around the Costa Brava, and do not mind a somewhat longer train ride from Barcelona.
Lloret de Mar is for you if: you want to combine the beach with lively nightlife, are travelling in a group of friends, or want more bars and clubs within walking distance.
Neither is for you if: you want to stay right in Barcelona and just pop out to the beach – both resorts are needlessly far for a day trip from the city. In that case, read the best area to stay in Barcelona instead.
If we set off for this pair of towns again, there is one thing we would do differently – we would plan more time in Lloret de Mar itself, not just one evening. In our view, the Santa Clotilde gardens and the walk around Fenals deserve a whole afternoon, not a rushed stop before dinner. But that first scene, the walk along the harbour in Blanes as the sun drops behind the hills above the town, that memory would stay exactly the same in the itinerary. Blanes might not look like the Costa Brava’s headline act, and Lloret de Mar has a reputation that puts off people looking for calm, but together they make a pair that covers almost every holiday mood.
Is Blanes suitable for families with young children? Yes, both main beaches have a gentle slope into the sea, which families with small children will appreciate. Just avoid the afternoon sun with no shade on the promenade.
How many days are enough for Blanes and Lloret de Mar? 3-4 days are enough for both resorts together, but if you are also planning trips to Tossa de Mar or Girona, allow 5-6 days.
Is it better to stay in Blanes or in Lloret de Mar? If you want a calmer holiday with the option of an easy trip out for nightlife, choose Blanes. If nightlife is the priority, stay in Lloret de Mar directly.
How far is Lloret de Mar from Blanes? Just 7 kilometres, about 10 minutes by car, 15-20 minutes by bus.
How do I get from Barcelona to Blanes without a car? The easiest way is the R1 line train from Barcelona Sants station, the journey takes roughly 1 hour and 20-30 minutes. You then continue to Lloret de Mar by bus.
Where to stay in Barcelona, neighbourhood by neighbourhood: Barri Gotic, Sagrada Familia, El Raval, Poble-sec and Les Corts. Real prices per night, the tourist tax and how to get in from the airport.
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