Even on a city break you can cool off in the sea this summer. Ok, so the water may not be as sparkling as that of Capri’s and the sand not white as the Caribbean. But when the temperature tops 30 degrees in the city you are unlikely to be complaining.
Barcelona’s 9kms of beaches barely existed before 1992, the year the city hosted the Olympic Games. The sand has been drudged in from off-shore (and has a rather gritty, dusty feel) and depending on the tide, you may find yourself swimming with a few foreign objects, but that doesn’t stop the shoreline getting packed in July and August. The beach with the
Barcelona beach
biggest ‘scene’ is Barceloneta, where you will be entertained by musicians and sand-hawkers, whilst nudists can head to Mar Bella beach in Poble Nou.
The island of Lido in Venice is another way of beating the heat in this famously sticky city. The only thing is, you’ll have to pay for it. To rent a sun-bed and colourful parasol expect to pay about €15- € 20 per day on one of the ‘private’ beaches, or prime stretches of sand owned but the grand hotels that line the foreshore. Either that or head to the overcrowded public beach at the southern end of the island.
Although you’ll find Atlantic chilly waters you will also be lying on find golden sand at Lisbon’s beaches. A short trip by train or car along the coastal road from the centre of the city and you are at the ‘Portuguese Riviera’. Casacais was once a quaint little fishing village but is now visitors flock to its sandy beach. The neighbouring town of Esotril is also a popular bathing spot.
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