If you ask me what makes Jávea genuinely special after ten years of living here, the beaches come up every single time. Not just one or two — but an extraordinary variety packed into a surprisingly small stretch of coastline. Rocky coves where the water is so clear you can see the bottom at eight metres, wide sandy bays with chiringuitos and sunbeds, wild natural inlets you can only reach by kayak. No other town on the Costa Blanca quite matches that range.
This guide covers every significant beach and cove in Jávea, with honest opinions about what each one is actually like, who it suits best, and the practical details that most travel sites skip over. Whether you're visiting in September (honestly one of the best months — warm sea, far fewer crowds) or planning ahead for next summer, bookmark this page.
And if you haven't sorted accommodation yet — holiday rentals in Jávea booked directly through JV Properties save you up to 18% compared to what you'd pay on Airbnb or Booking.com. More on that at the end.
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Find rentals →The Three Beaches You Absolutely Cannot Miss
Playa de la Grava — The Heart of the Port
La Grava is Jávea's most central beach, right in front of the port area. It's not the most glamorous — it's a dark-pebble beach rather than sand — but it's packed with character. The water clarity here is exceptional because fine-sand beaches actually cloud the water; pebble beaches don't. On a calm September morning, you can lie on the stones and peer down into perfectly clear green water.
What La Grava does brilliantly is the scene around it. The promenade stretches the length of the beach with excellent restaurants right on the waterfront — La Bohème does an outstanding arroz a banda, and Restaurante La Marina is perfect for a long lunch watching the fishing boats. Sunbed hire is available, there are full facilities (showers, WCs, lifeguard in summer), and the whole vibe is relaxed local rather than tourist-factory.
Best for: Couples, food lovers, anyone staying near the port. Easy walk from most of the port apartments.
Parking: There's a paid car park right behind the beach (the blue-zone street parking fills by 10am in August).
Playa del Arenal — The Classic Sandy Beach
Arenal is what most people picture when they think "Spanish beach holiday." It's a proper sandy crescent, about 800 metres long, backed by a busy promenade lined with restaurants, ice cream shops and a good supermarket within two minutes' walk. The water shelves gently making it ideal for families. In July and August it gets genuinely packed — I avoid it between 11am and 6pm in peak weeks — but September is a different experience entirely. You can still get a sunbed without planning an assault operation, and the sea temperature in September typically sits around 25°C.
The chiringuito at the northern end, Restaurante Arenal, is where I'd send anyone who wants cold beer and grilled fish with sand between their toes. There are pedalos and kayak hire right on the beach, and the snorkelling along the rocky edges at each end of the bay is genuinely rewarding.
Best for: Families, first-timers to Jávea, anyone who wants the full sandy-beach experience with all facilities.
Parking: The large car park behind Arenal (signposted from the main road) costs around €3-4 per day in summer. Arrive before 9:30am if you want to guarantee a spot in August.
Playa de la Granadella — The Jewel in the Crown
I've shown Granadella to dozens of visitors over the years and the reaction is always the same: jaws drop. Tucked inside a steep wooded valley about 8km south of the town centre, this small rocky cove feels like a secret even though it isn't one. The water is an almost implausible shade of turquoise — genuinely the most photogenic spot in Jávea and among the best I've seen anywhere on the Mediterranean.
Granadella is small and parking is the big practical challenge. There's a single narrow road down through the pines, and the car park (paid, €3-5 depending on season) fills by 9am in peak summer. The solution: go early, or come in September when it's manageable. The beach has a very good restaurant-chiringuito right on the shore (the grilled sea bream is excellent), a small area of sunbeds, and crystal-clear water that makes snorkelling spectacular — the rocky sides of the cove are teeming with fish.
Best for: Everyone. Seriously — make the effort.
Parking tip: If the main car park is full, there's limited parking on the road above. In September you'll usually find space without too much drama.
The Coves Worth Seeking Out
Cala del Portitxol
Portitxol is a natural rocky inlet below the Cap de Sant Antoni headland — not a sandy beach, more a series of flat rocks leading into the sea. Locals use it for swimming and snorkelling, and it's one of the best entry points into the marine reserve waters around the cape. The water here is exceptional — protected, clean, with good fish life. You'll need decent footwear to scramble down to the rocks. It's free, there are no facilities, and it's rarely packed even in summer.
Cala Blanca
Small, rocky, and harder to find (take the path from behind the Parador hotel — allow 20 minutes on foot). Cala Blanca rewards the effort with a peaceful pebble cove, clear water, and usually far fewer people than the main beaches. No facilities, so bring water and snacks.
Playa del Surrac
A quieter sandy alternative to Arenal, tucked just north of it. Popular with locals, less signposted for tourists. The beach bar here (Bar Surrac) is brilliant for a cold Estrella and some patatas bravas in the afternoon.
Practical Beach Information for September
September is genuinely one of the best months to visit Jávea's beaches. The sea temperature is at or near its annual peak (24-26°C), the crowds have thinned dramatically since August, and the light in the late afternoon is extraordinary for photographs. Most beach restaurants and chiringuitos are still fully open through the end of September.
Lifeguards operate on La Grava and Arenal until the end of September. Granadella may have reduced hours after mid-September — check the flag status when you arrive.
Water shoes are useful for most of Jávea's beaches — La Grava and many of the coves have pebbles or rocky entries.
Getting Between the Beaches
Jávea's beaches are spread across different parts of town. The port (La Grava) and Arenal are about 3km apart — connected by a flat cycle path that runs the length of the seafront, making it an easy bike ride. Granadella requires a car or taxi (around €12-15 from town). The coves around Cap de Sant Antoni can be reached by kayak from Portitxol, which I strongly recommend — water sports and kayak hire in Jávea is a dedicated topic with full details.
Book Direct and Save Up to 18%
If you're planning a trip to Jávea and want to stay near any of these beaches, the smartest move is to book a villa or apartment directly rather than through one of the major platforms. JV Properties is a local agency based on the Costa Blanca — when you book direct through our site, you save up to 18% compared to Airbnb or Booking.com prices for the same property, and you get direct contact with people who actually know the area.
For stays near Arenal or the port, browse our Jávea holiday rentals — we have apartments walking distance from La Grava, and villas with private pools closer to Granadella.
September availability is still good but moving fast. Don't leave it too long.
