This beautiful beach is located in the center of the city, and the cruise ships dock right next to it. So if you cruising in there is no need to pay for a beach excursion, just pack up a bag and walk over along the Paseo de Gómiz promenade to this massive sandy coastline. From the beach you can look back over your shoulder and enjoy the view of Santa Bárbara Castle. The beach will be full of locals and tourists. Between the promenade and the beach are many cafes, restaurants, and bars for buying refreshments. I also saw a few porta pottys available. And several volleyball and soccer spots. Beach access is free. Since I walked over I can't vouch for any parking areas. I didn't see any obvious ones. Several tram and bus lines stop right out front. read more

Beautiful urban beach right by the city with views back up to the Castle Santa Barbara overlooking the cities. Lovals, tourists, old and young. Free spirits, water and sun lovers, as well as people just relaxing, having a drink, or socializing. Nice sand. Beautiful water. Not secluded or out in nature and I imagine it gets busy in the summer, but absolutely lovely. Friendly peeps. Very near lots of al fresco dining options and the hike or elevator ride up to the fortress to look back down on the beach. Eurooean style swimwear and more conservative attire is fine. I recommend going full narizona and one piece. Share the Love. read more

The sand is smooth, the beach clean (I saw attendants actively picking up what little trash was there), and the water fairly warm. Castle Santa Barbara at the rear makes for a great scenery. The water is pretty shallow for a while - no sudden drop off. Out a ways in the water is an inflatable playzone for the kiddies. There are several lifeguards on duty. In the morning, the crowd tends to be elderly locals claiming their spots along the shore. By the afternoon you can expect the beach to be packed on a nice day (the sand much more so than the water) and it'll stay that way until dinner time. You can rent a cabana or 2 lounge chairs with an umbrella for 18 euro/day (7am-7pm). While the cabana feels more posh, the umbrella is better for repositioning as the sun moves. They don't rent by the hour (except for the plastic chairs), but if you get there late enough in the day they'll only charge you 12 euro. They accept credit cards. Get your money's worth and make a day of it; if you get hungry run across the street for great takeaway pizza. There's a stand on the sand that sells really good, very large sangria (easily 2 servings) for only 5 euro. Plus, they have fun super long straws so you can leave that oversized sangria in the sand and not even have to be bothered it move your arms to pick it up. Now that's what I call relaxing on the beach. read more