Spain · coast guide
Understanding the coast of Spain
This guide explains the coast of Spain on the Atlantic, the Mediterranean; calculations, observations and product limits remain distinct.
Read a local tide
Spain includes Atlantic, Cantabrian and Mediterranean coasts as well as archipelagos. The Navy Hydrographic Institute’s predictions are read by port: a time for A Coruña cannot be moved to Cádiz, the Balearics or the Canaries. Keep the port and datum attached to the table you read.
Tidal range and coast
Tidal range changes among rías, estuaries, open coasts and islands. A national comparison erases those differences and does not show when a particular stretch is uncovered. To understand a beach, start with the prediction for the nearby port and local mapping or signs.
Prediction, model and observation
An astronomical prediction is not a water-level observation. Swell, wind and pressure can change the actual situation, especially on exposed shore. Keep the port table, any measurement and official marine notices separate; the absence of data is not a favourable condition.
Plan a coast visit
Rules for bathing, access, recreational fishing and shellfish harvesting are published by community, municipality or the competent authority. Before visiting a ría, cove or urban beach, consult those publications and information on site. This guide gives provenance and context, not permission for an activity.
Reviewed source
This page cites and links to this public reference; it does not reproduce its tables.
Reviewed 2026-09-11.