Mazarrón beaches: Playa del Puerto

A very popular 500-metre-long urban beach with fine sand and full facilities

Playa del Puerto is an urban Mediterranean beach, in the centre of Puerto de Mazarrón and is among the most popular of the 33 Mediterranean beaches which stretch for 35 kilometres along the Mazarrón coastline between the boundaries with Cartagena to the east and Lorca to the west.

It is a 500-metre-long sandy beach with an average width of 14 metres and joins with Playa Rihuete, sweeping around in a long curve until the cliffs enclose it and it meets the fishing port and sporting marina which occupy the end of the bay.

This is a high density urban beach during the summer months and a glorious empty expanse of soft sand during the winter, a wonderful place for locals to enjoy the many bars and restaurants along the paseo and marina, followed by a stroll along the beach afterwards.

Its popularity is due a number of factors: it's wide and sandy, it has full facilities, the palm-tree lined Paseo Marítimo (seafront walk) runs alongisde it, packed with restaurants and shops, it has easy access, and it is next to the sporting port and marina, with underground car parking. At the same time, on the other side of the Paseo are numerous holiday apartments dating from the tourism boom of the 1970s.

The Playa del Puerto is a Blue Flag beach, which indicates that it has been recognised by an international body set up to encourage environmentally friendly beaches, the FEE, the flag indicating that the beach provides quality of the services as well as attesting to the cleanliness and water quality.

Mazarrón beaches: Playa del Puerto

Services:

During the summer there are lifeguards and medical personnel, activities for those with disabilities including assisted bathing by Red Cross volunteers, drinking water, sailing boat and water sports equipment hire, sunbed and sunshade hire, parking for bicycles, footwashes, bins, recycling containers, wooden walkways onto the beach and right down to the shoreline, tourist information point, bathing seats, children’s play zone, protected bathing area and plenty of restaurants.

In summer this is a busy area, with lots of night-time activities and entertainments. There are usually boat trips along the coast on offer, and yacht charter, and there are also diving schools in the marina, offering beginner and refresher courses, as well as trips for more experienced divers.

The Paseo is a shaded palm tree walk which runs right along the seafront of Puerto de Mazarrón from Playa Rihuete to the fishing port, with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants.

Mazarrón beaches: Playa del Puerto

Parking and access

Parking is always a problem for users of these high density urban beaches during the summer, when the population of the municipality increases from 30,000 to 150,000 for two months.

This beach is serviced by a car parking area at the El Alamillo beach end, near to the Petanca Club, but in summer this is totally inadequate as most of the spaces are taken by holidaymakers renting the apartments opposite. Those who have vehicles may prefer to drive to one of the lower density beaches where more parking is available.

There is also an underground car park by the marina (pay by the minute) but only very limited parking in the streets behind the Paseo. Visitors tend to park wherever they can if driving down into the centre !

For this reason, those who are driving often select other locations if they just want to stretch out and enjoy a swim and sunbathe.

In the autumn, winter and spring this is still a relatively popular beach, especially among locals who enjoy a stroll along the sand from the marina, about a kilometre, then wander back along the Paseo stopping for a drink or a bite to eat.

There are 2 parking bays reserved for disabled vehicles and parking for bicycles.

The beach is also serviced by the urban bus on the Mazarrón-Murcia route.

For more local information go to the home page of Mazarrón Today, or here for an overview of all 33 beaches in the municipality of Mazarrón.