Blanes is located in the Spanish region of Catalonia on the Costa Brava. The resort is popular with Spanish holidaymakers and also attracts international tourists due to its location just 60 kilometres north of Barcelona airport. It's a quieter and altogether more relaxing holiday destination than its lively neighbour Lloret de Mar. Teenagers may find it a little dull but for families and couples seeking an easy going "sea, sun and sand" holiday, Blanes has much to offer.
This was once a small fishing town and still retains some of its original charm though the main beachfront is now lined with high rise buildings and all the trappings of modern tourism.
The resort's four-kilometre stretch of coastline consists of wide sandy bays and small rocky coves, most of which are well served with water sports and other tourist facilities.
The beaches are the main attraction for the vast majority of tourists but are never over-crowded. And if you tire of the beach there are plenty of interesting day trips and local excursions to be enjoyed within easy reach of the resort.
Back from the seafront you'll find evidence of a town steeped in history, with ancient monuments, churches and buildings still standing as reminders of this area's colourful past. The medieval castle of Sant Joan still looks down on the town though it's seen a few changes since its construction started in the 13th century?no modern yacht marina, cheap "Chinkies" and pedaloes for hire way back then.
The first settlers are thought to have inhabited the area as far back as the third century BC and archaeologists have excavated the remains of houses from the first century BC.
The town thrived as a ship building centre in the 19th century but its fortunes declined in the first half of the 20th century, particularly during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) when the local population suffered bombing, famine and repression.
Modern tourism arrived in the 1950s and over the next 20 years Blanes started to flourish once again, developing into a popular international holiday destination.
Now you'll find international restaurants, ice cream parlours and high rise hotels alongside the traditional Spanish street markets, fiestas and folk dancing fairs.
Blanes is famous for its two botanical gardens which boast 11,000 different plant species including some of the most important collections of yucca palms, aloes and cacti in Europe. The gardens, developed from the local habitat and contributions from private collections and nurseries around the world, attract more than 300,000 visitors a year.
A little further afield, there are the major visitor attractions of Barcelona (with its famous fountains and fabulous Gaudi architecture) and the Benedictine monastery in the extraordinary mountainous region of Montserrat, to the north west of Barclona.
Kids will love a day out at Water World, Europe's biggest water park near Lloret de Mar, the Marineland complex just south of Blanes and Port Aventura, the Universal Studio theme park near Tarragona.
