What to do in Blanes from the sea: 7 routes and plans 2026

Blanes has two sides that few travel guides spell out: the inland side, with its botanical garden and long beaches; and the seaward side, where coves you can’t reach on foot, Blue Flag rocky bottoms and stretches of Costa Brava that only open from the water come into view. Setting off from the harbour changes the postcard completely.

This guide covers seven real things to do in Blanes from the sea, ordered from low to high effort. Some you can do at the helm yourself; others need a larger boat with a crew. Both options run from the same harbour, and the choice depends more on your day and your group than on your budget.

If you’re still deciding whether Blanes fits the trip, have a look at the complete guide to what to do in Blanes — it explains why the sea matters so much to this town.

1. Round Sa Palomera by water and see it from the proper side

Sa Palomera is the rock outcrop that separates Blanes beach from S’Abanell, and from land everyone photographs it the same way. From the water it’s a different thing: monumental, with the seaward face (the one you can’t see from the promenade) full of cracks and gull nests.

It’s the perfect 30–45 minute route if you’ve hired a boat in the morning and want to get the feel of it before heading further. The distance is short (out and back with hardly any fuel used). No boating experience needed.

2. Short route to Cala Sant Francesc and Blue Flag waters

This is the classic half-day route from Blanes heading north. You leave the harbour, hug the coast, and after about 20 minutes of easy cruising you reach Cala Sant Francesc: fine sand, almost always clear water, sandy bottoms perfect for anchoring. The cove has held Blue Flag for years and is sheltered by a wooded cliff that makes it particularly photogenic.

It’s accessible on foot, so you’ll see some swimmers, but arriving from the water has the advantage of anchoring away from the busiest patch and dropping in for a dip. A solid morning is three hours: out, an hour at anchor, back.

3. The wild-cove sector: Cala Bona and Cala Treumal

Heading a bit further north, you enter a stretch of coast with coves only reachable from the sea. Cala Bona and Cala Treumal are the two best-known stops, both with sandy bottoms, pine-clad rock walls and a real sense of isolation when you go midweek or outside August.

This is the plan that justifies a half-day hire. Here you need a bit of head for proper anchoring (posidonia zones are marked and forbidden) and for managing the westerly wind that comes in during the afternoon. If you don’t have the experience, ask the rental operator about the safe zones the day before.

4. Snorkelling at Cala Portopí and the rocky bottoms

Cala Portopí is a small inlet just north of Blanes with rocky bottoms and shallow water, ideal for snorkelling: marine vegetation, rock-dwelling fish (sea bream, salema, young gilthead) and water that stays clear most of the summer.

To reach it you have two real options: pilot yourself (from Blanes it’s 15–20 minutes on a no-licence boat) or join a guided trip. The most popular guided option is a guided boat trip on a large vessel from Blanes that includes snorkelling gear, a stop at Cala Portopí itself and bilingual commentary; it’s set up for families and groups who’d rather not handle the helm themselves.

If you’re going independently, bring your own kit and respect the marked anchoring zones.

5. Sunset from a boat out of the harbour

The golden hour on this stretch of coast is especially generous: the sun sets behind the Sa Palomera cliff and stains the water orange for a long stretch. Watching it from the water, engine off, is a different experience from watching it from the promenade.

Two ways to do it:

• Independently: if you’ve got the boat for a half day, plan the return to coincide with sunset. Important: most operators require the boat back before nightfall, so check before you plan the route.
• On a guided trip: there are evening and sunset departures that aim precisely at the sunset. They usually include an apéritif or light dinner on board.

6. The Blanes-Tossa de Mar crossing by sea

This is the most ambitious plan you can do from Blanes in a single day. The crossing to Tossa is 8–9 nautical miles, which a 15 HP boat handles comfortably — about an hour out, an hour back. Along the way you pass Lloret, its coves and a couple of stretches of cliff that earn a stop.

Anchoring off the medieval castle of Tossa seen from the sea is one of the images that stick most from the Costa Brava. To do it comfortably you need a full day and good weather (calm sea, light wind). Set off early: the Garbí picks up in the afternoon and the return can get bumpy.

For more on planning the crossing, see the dedicated guide to Blanes to Tossa by boat.

7. Recreational fishing at anchor

Fishing from a boat is allowed with the regional recreational fishing permit (online via the Generalitat website, around 25 €/year). The classic spots are the bottoms off Punta Santa Anna, the posidonia meadows around Sa Palomera (mind the no-anchor rule on posidonia) and the cliff falling off north of Cala Sant Francesc.

Not a plan for everyone: it needs a permit, your own gear (rental operators don’t include rods), and knowledge of species and minimum sizes. But if fishing is your thing, this stretch delivers.

How to organise the day: boat options in Blanes

The two real ways to get out from Blanes are piloting yourself on a no-licence hire or joining a large skippered boat. Each serves a different audience:

Pilot yourself (no-licence boat, up to 5–6 people)

Spanish law lets you handle boats of up to 15 HP and 5 metres without any formal licence. Several operators at Blanes harbour run fleets sized exactly to this limit, all with a pre-departure briefing, fuel included and fixed prices from 70 €/hour.

Most relevant options at the harbour:

• Costa Brava Rent a Boat — 4.8★ on Google, 310+ reviews, all-inclusive model with no surprises, detailed briefing (~15 min). The option I’d recommend most for a first-timer. More on how to hire a boat without a licence on their site.
• EricBoats Blanes — mixed fleet with-and-without-licence boats, similar profile.
• Blanes Boats — long-established harbour operator with small-group boats.
• RentaBoat Blanes — competitive options for half-day hires.
• Marketplaces like Samboat — variable prices, less consistent service than local operators.

If it’s your first time, set off early (mornings are always flatter), book ahead in peak season, and pick an operator with a thorough briefing: the difference between a great day and a stressful one comes down to that, not the model of the boat.

Guided trip (large skippered boat)

If you’re several, with kids or simply not interested in piloting, the sensible move is to join a large boat with a guide. Several guided trips run from Blanes:

• Atlantis Experience — a 24 m vessel with bar, toilets and shaded zones, 4.9★ on Google with 320+ reviews. Morning (families), afternoon and sunset departures. Includes snorkelling gear at Cala Portopí, bilingual ES/EN commentary, drinks and snacks. 100% cancellation in the event of rain.
• Local operators with tourist catamarans and regular coastal lines (they vary each season — best to ask at the harbour office on the day).

The difference with self-service hire: no thought needed on navigation, all the thought on enjoying. The price is per person, not per boat, so for couples or small groups self-service usually works out cheaper; for families or large groups, a guided trip pays off.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence to head out to sea in Blanes? No, if you hire a no-licence boat (up to 15 HP and 5 m). On a guided trip, obviously not either.

Which months are good for going out from Blanes? May to October. July and August have the warmest water (24–26 °C) but the coves are busier. June and September are usually the sweet spot: water at 22–25 °C and coast with fewer people.

Can you combine a boat outing with something on land? Yes. The usual move is the boat plan in the morning and something on land in the afternoon (Marimurtra, Castell de Sant Joan, the old town). The other way round works less well: the westerly picks up in the afternoon.

Do the guided boats carry life jackets and kids’ kit? Yes — every serious operator provides age-appropriate life jackets and, on guided trips, kids’ snorkelling gear too. Always confirm at the booking stage.

Are there night departures? Yes, on larger skippered boats. Sunset trips are the most popular; some operators also run night cruises with dinner on board in peak season.

In short

Heading out to sea from Blanes is probably the best decision you can make to understand why this town opens the Costa Brava. If you’re a couple or small group and you want autonomy, hire a no-licence boat and put the route together yourselves. If you’re a family or large group, a guided trip with a skipper sorts everything and lets everyone enjoy without thinking about the helm.

To go deeper into either route, follow on to how to hire a no-licence boat in Blanes or to the hidden coves of Blanes only reachable by sea.