Spain’s 8,000-kilometre coastline has never exactly been short of places to stick a towel, but this year the country has decided to really lean into the whole 'eco-friendly and safe' thing. The Blue Flag International Jury has just awarded Spain a record 677 flags for its beaches, plus 111 for marinas and six for tourism boats, bringing the grand total to a staggering 794. That's 44 more than in 2025, which is enough to make runner-up Greece (657 flags) and third-place Türkiye (625 flags) contemplate a very salty swim of defeat.
Spain’s 677 Blue Flag beaches now account for 15% of all Blue Flag beaches worldwide. A total of 713 beach entries were submitted by the country's various municipalities, cities and autonomous regions, continuing a strong run from 2025 when it secured 750 flags. The Valencian community led the pack with 151 Blue Flags across 48 municipalities, followed by Andalusia (143), Galicia (118), Catalonia (101) and the Canary Islands (52). For marinas, Catalonia, Andalusia and Valencia took the most flags, while the six tourism boat awards were split between Andalusia and Valencia.
“Spain has never achieved such outstanding results in the Blue Flag programme,” said Rosario Sánchez, the Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, in what we assume was a speech delivered while standing on a very clean beach. She credited the success to “collaboration between municipal, regional and national entities, marinas, businesses, universities, foundations, associations and citizens,” all of whom apparently enjoy meeting the programme’s demanding criteria in environmental education, management, water quality, accessibility and safety. The Spanish State Secretariat for Tourism celebrated the milestone on X, congratulating all recognised municipalities in the way only a government account can.
So grab your swimsuit, sunglasses and sunscreen - Spain’s Blue Flag beaches are calling. Highlights include La Malvarrosa in Valencia, which went from a swampy area in the mid-19th century to a popular urban beach with golden sands, volleyball courts, and beachfront restaurants. Then there’s El Encinarejo in Andalusia, which became Jaén province's first inland Blue Flag beach in 2024, offering calm reservoir waters and rugged scenery. And if you’re in Madrid, Playa de la Virgen de la Nueva on the San Juan Reservoir serves up beige sands, turquoise waters and mountain biking for those who can’t decide between land and sea.
The Blue Flag programme itself is an internationally recognised eco-label founded in 1985 by the French arm of the Foundation for Environmental Education. It expanded to Spain, Denmark and Portugal as an environmental education initiative, and is now present in 51 countries across five continents in more than 5,000 locations. Each year, an international jury of experts - including reps from the United Nations Environment Programme, UNESCO, and the European Environment Agency - evaluates destinations before handing out the flags. With 40 consecutive editions now under its belt (1987-2026), the programme is basically the Olympics of beach cleanliness, minus the doping scandals.