Mojácar Beaches Guide: Which Almería Beach to Choose

How the coast divides

Think of Mojácar's coast in two halves. The northern half, from Marina de la Torre down through El Cantal, Las Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal, is where the fine sandy beaches and most of the services sit; these are the stretches the municipality highlights as the most popular with families. The southern half, from Macenas through Cala Bordenares, Cala Sombrerico and Cala Granatilla, is the quiet end, with small coves close to the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.

The municipality names Marina de la Torre, El Cantal, Cueva del Lobo, Las Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal among the beaches awarded European Union Blue Flags or covered by quality plans, which is the clearest published marker of where facilities and family infrastructure cluster. If you want a straightforward day with services, start there; if you want a cove to yourself, head south.

Marina de la Torre

Marina de la Torre is the northern bookend of the coast, sitting in front of the golf course on the border with Garrucha. It is one of the beaches the municipality lists with a Blue Flag, which signals managed facilities and a family-oriented setup, and it appears in the 2026 lifeguard schedule. For travellers based in Garrucha or arriving from that direction, it is the natural first stop.

Rumina and El Palmeral

Rumina and El Palmeral form a gentler, greener alternative close to town, listed among the municipality's named beaches. It is a sensible choice if you want to stay near the village and combine a swim with a walk or a meal rather than commit to a full day at a larger beach. Pair it with the town beaches further south if you are working your way down the coast.

Descargador and Piedra Villazar

Descargador and Piedra Villazar sit mid-coast and are among the stretches included in the extended July and August lifeguard cover, which lists Marina de la Torre, Descargador, Piedra Villazar, El Cantal, Lance Nuevo, Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal. These are straightforward swimming beaches rather than destination coves, useful when you want sand and water without the crowds of the best-known spots.

Vista de los Ángeles and El Cantal

Vista de los Ángeles and El Cantal are the family end of the coast in practice: El Cantal appears in the peak-season lifeguard roster for July and August, and both are named among the municipality's beaches. The fine sand and the concentration of services here make them the easiest choice for small children and for groups who want everything within a short walk.

Lance Nuevo and Cueva del Lobo

Lance Nuevo and Cueva del Lobo bridge the town beaches and the wilder coves. Cueva del Lobo is one of the Blue Flag beaches the municipality lists, while Lance Nuevo appears in the lifeguard schedule from 28 March to 5 April and again across the summer. They suit travellers who want a managed swim but a slightly quieter setting than Ventanicas.

Las Ventanicas

Las Ventanicas is the best-known sandy beach on the coast and the one most associated with a full day out. It is a Blue Flag beach, features in the municipality's family-beach list, and has lifeguard cover across the published 2026 season, from the spring dates that begin on 28 March to the autumn weekends. For a first visit to Mojácar with children, it is the most straightforward choice.

Venta del Bancal

Venta del Bancal is the last of the serviced beaches before the coast turns wild. It is a Blue Flag beach, sits in the family-beach group, and has lifeguard cover throughout the peak season and into the autumn weekends running to 1 November. If you want a managed beach with space, it is a good compromise between the busy town sands and the southern coves.

Macenas and the Sopalmo coves

Macenas and the coves of Cala Bordenares, Cala Sombrerico and Cala Granatilla make up the quiet end of the coast, close to the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park and the boundary with Carboneras. These are small coves reached via the southern stretch of the coast road; they reward travellers prepared to carry what they need for the day. For a broader look at the protected coastline next door, see the guide to Cabo de Gata beaches.

The Granatilla dry river bed marks the southern end of the municipality's coast, a few kilometres from the start of the natural park. If you are building a wider Almería itinerary, the Almeria beaches guide sets these coves alongside the rest of the province.

Del Perulejo

Del Perulejo is the municipality's designated dog-friendly beach, listed first among the named beaches on the tourism site. If you are travelling with a dog, it is the one stretch explicitly labelled for that use, which saves you the guesswork of turning up at a family beach with an animal.

Getting around without a car

The coast is linear, strung along the road between Garrucha in the north and the Sopalmo coves in the south, and the beaches are spread across the full 17 kilometres. Without a car, the practical approach is to pick one half of the coast per day and use local buses or taxis between beaches rather than trying to cover the whole stretch. The tourist office in Mojácar can confirm current bus routes and taxi contacts.

Best time to go

The municipality publishes a detailed 2026 bathing-season lifeguard calendar. Cover starts with 11:00-19:00 service from 28 March to 5 April on the beaches of Marina de la Torre, Lance Nuevo, Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal, then widens to seven beaches on selected weekends through spring, including 16-17 May, 23-24 May, 30-31 May, 6-7 June and 13-14 June. From 1 July to 31 August, service runs 11:00-19:00 daily, extending to 11:00-20:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

After August, cover continues at 11:00-19:00 from 1 to 13 September, on 19-20 and 26-27 September, on 3-4 and 10-12 October, and on 17-18 and 24-25 October, ending with 31 October and 1 November. July and August are the busiest months, so if you want warm sea without peak crowds, spring and September weekends are the sweet spot.

Facilities and accessibility

The municipality points travellers needing step-free access to the accessible beach guide published by FAAM, which covers the province's adapted beaches. If accessibility is a deciding factor, use that guide to narrow the choice before you commit to a stretch of coast. The tourism office can also advise on which beaches have adapted access in the current season.

The municipality notes that beach conditions and the incline of sea access can vary with seasonal change, tides and winds. That is worth planning around: on a windy day, the more sheltered town beaches are the safer bet, while the southern coves can be exposed.

Who each beach suits

Families with small children should look first at Las Ventanicas, El Cantal, Venta del Bancal and Marina de la Torre, all with lifeguard cover in the published season. Swimmers who want a straightforward dip will find Descargador and Piedra Villazar convenient, while quiet-seekers should head south to Macenas and the Sopalmo coves.

If you are comparing Mojácar with other Almería bases, Roquetas de Mar beaches offer a more urban, year-round resort alternative, while the coves here suit travellers who want a wilder edge. If you are weighing up a different stretch of the same Andalusian coast, the guide to the best beaches in Murcia is a useful comparison.

Nearby beaches to combine

Mojácar's southern coves sit on the doorstep of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, so a day at Cala Granatilla or Cala Sombrerico can be combined with a drive into the park. Further south, Agua Amarga beach and Playa de los Muertos, Almería are classic add-ons for travellers touring the province.

Safety in the water

Lifeguard cover on Mojácar's beaches follows the published calendar, so outside those dates you should not assume a patrol. The municipality confirms that cover operates from 11:00 to 19:00, with 11:00-20:00 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 July to 31 August. Check the flag at the beach entrance and ask at the tourist office if you are unsure about conditions.

Where to base yourself

Garrucha in the north puts you closest to Marina de la Torre and the town beaches, which suits families and travellers who want restaurants and shops within walking distance. Mojácar village and the Sopalmo end suit quiet-seekers and anyone planning to spend most days in the southern coves or the natural park.

The two halves are close enough to visit from either base, but choosing the right end saves you a daily drive along the coast road. If you are weighing up other bases in the province, the beaches guide to Roquetas de Mar gives a contrasting resort option.

Which Mojácar beaches welcome dogs

If you are travelling along this stretch of the Almería coast with a dog, the official beach listing for Mojácar singles out one beach as dog-friendly: Del Perulejo Beach, labelled as such in the town's own rundown of its seventeen kilometres of coast. The other named beaches in that same list — Marina de la Torre, Rumina and El Palmeral, Descargador, Piedra Villazar, Vista de los Ángeles, Cantal, Lance Nuevo, Cueva del Lobo, Ventanicas, Venta del Bancal, Macenas, Cala Bordenares, Cala Sombrerico and Cala Granatilla — carry no such label, so the distinction is worth noting before you decide where to lay your towel.

The same source describes Mojácar's coastline as running from Marina de la Torre, in front of the golf course on the border with Garrucha, to the Granatilla dry river bed in Sopalmo, a few kilometres from the start of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park and the border with Carboneras. Within that stretch it distinguishes between virgin beaches suited to those seeking solitude and busier beaches with numerous services. The fine sandy beaches it names as the most popular with families — among them Marina de la Torre, El Cantal, Cueva del Lobo, Las Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal — are the ones awarded European Union Blue Flags or covered by quality plans, which is a useful signal of how developed and how busy a given beach is likely to be.

Bathing-season cover, which matters if you want company in the water or help on shore, is set out by beach and by date. Lifeguards on Marina de la Torre, Lance Nuevo, Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal work from 11:00 to 19:00 on 28 March to 5 April, 16 and 17 May, 23 and 24 May, 30 and 31 May, 6 and 7 June and 13 and 14 June, and again on 1 to 13 September, 19 and 20 September, 26 and 27 September, 3 and 4 October, 10, 11 and 12 October, 17 and 18 October and 31 October and 1 November. Between 1 July and 31 August the service extends to Marina de la Torre, Descargador, Piedra Villazar, El Cantal, Lance Nuevo, Ventanicas and Venta del Bancal, with hours of 11:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 11:00 to 20:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. The same page notes that seasonal changes, tides and winds can alter the beaches and the incline of access to the sea.

Plan Your Visit

Pick your half of the coast first: the Blue Flag sands from Marina de la Torre to Venta del Bancal for services and family swimming, or the Macenas and Sopalmo coves for quiet. Build the day around the published lifeguard hours and the tide and wind forecast, and use the tourist office in Mojácar for current bus and taxi details.