Arenal Javea (Playa El Arenal)
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- The Arenal is one of the main areas of Jávea.
- The Arenal is the only sandy beach in the entire municipality.
- The beach is 480 metres long and features shallow waters and coarse sand.
- Urban and vibrant, Arenal is a hub for both locals and visitors with plenty of restaurants, bars, shops and experiences.
Arenal Beach & Sea
The Arenal beach, otherwise known as Playa El Arenal, is one of Javea’s most popular beaches, often called the ‘golden beach of Javea’ for its long stretch of soft golden sand.
Extending 480 metres along the coast, it is the only sandy beach in Javea. With a gentle slope into the calm waters of the Mediterranean, El Arenal is ideal for families with children.
Arenal cleanliness
The Arenal beach used to earn a Blue Flag but lost it in 2023 due to repair works and leakages on the underwater outfall.
For now, I recommend swimming in the Port’s Playa de la Gravas beach, Granadella, or Cala Blanca, which have been awarded with blue flags.
Children’s play areas
There are several play areas for children – from the red climbing frame at the northern side of the arenal, to slides and climbing equipment further down the beach.
These are available to the public at any time and can be used by anybody.
Volleyball nets
There are several of volleyball nets scattered around the main beach. These are available to the public at any time – you can go up and use them instantly without needing to book them.
Sea & Beach Services
Lifeguards and Aid Stations
Lifeguards are on duty across the whole beach to ensure the safety of visitors.
You can find two lifeguard aid stations run by the Jávea Red Cross, which attend to injuries and incidents.
One is on the northern part of the beach neat the tourist centre, and the other on the south of the beach, near The Good Burger and La Perla de Javea.
You can find one lifeguard tower in the centre of the beach, opposite the restaurant Ammos and the shop Alehop. The tower will also show the flag to signal how safe or dangerous the sea is that day.
If the flag is green, its calm and safe.
If the flag is yellow, its rougher than usual with big waves. You should take caution.
If the flag is red, you should not swim in the sea as it’s too dangerous.
Assisted Bathing & Accessibility
From July to September, the Arenal beach offers a free assisted bathing service, catering specifically to individuals with reduced mobility or functional diversity.
This is located on the beach’s southern end and managed by the Red Cross.
It is fully equipped with specialised facilities, including amphibious chairs and crutches, to ensure a comfortable and accessible experience for all visitors.
Additionally, the area features fully adapted restrooms, complete with a changing table, shower, and toilet, to accommodate the needs of its users.
While free, prior reservation is needed. Call the Red Cross Jávea (+34 96 579 19 61) to make an appointment.
The service hours are every day of the week, from 11am to 7pm.
Jetskiing, Flyboard, Hoverboard, and Jetpacks
The Arenal is home to MAREMOTOsports, which offer a range of jet ski excursions and rentals in Javea with no license required for the excursions. Maremoto Sports is located in the Fontana Canal in the Arenal beach.
They also offer FlyBoard, HoverBoard and JetPack experiences.
Scuba Diving Experience
If you want a scuba dive experience, Mardays is a SCUBA and PADI instructor in Spain. They’re located in the Canal de La Fontana.
Boats
I’ve written up about renting boats in Javea here.
Sea Rent Javea is located at the Marina Nou Fontana port in the northern end of the Arenal. It offers a vast fleet of boats, ranging from sleek motorboats to spacious catamarans to rent.
What to do in the Arenal
The Arenal beach is surrounded by a lively promenade, full of bars, restaurants, and shops.
In the summer evenings, market stalls are set up along the promenade offering goods such as jewellry, accessories, paintings, and even live art.
Arenal Bars
See a complete list of bars below:
- Chabada
- La Bambula
- Fanatical
- Xabia Txokoa bar
- Octopus
- Baltasar
- Khandala
Arenal clubs
- Achill: Entrance is €10 which comes with a drink (yes it can be a cocktail, but beware, Spanish alcohol measures are lethal!)
- Khandala – the main Shisha bar on the Arenal
- Socco
- Octopus
- Karaoke Bora Bora: says it all in the name. The local karaoke bar!
My recommendation for an Arenal bar crawl AFTER your restaurant of choice:
- Chabada – have at least 2 Desatre fishbowls with your group
- Khandala: Enjoy a shisha with a round of beers or cocktails
- Baltasar: Order mixers and shots
- Achill: finish at the club and dance until sunrise at 5am. For the true warriors, stay out and have breakfast
Restaurants
See a complete list of the restaurants in the Arenal below with overviews of food they offer:
Southern end of the Arenal:
- La Bambula: Mediterranean food
- Acqua Bar & Steakhouse: Steak & Mediterranean food
- La Perla De Javea: Michelin Star restaurant
- The Good Burger: American food
- Espak: Kebabs, pizza and takeaway
- Botanico: Mediterranean food
- Restaurante Tula: fine dining
- Restaurante Kathmandu: Indian food
- Semana Ocho: Japanese food
- Bistronomia Belga: Belgium food
- Montaña de Oro: Chinese food
- Contrastes: Spanish food
- Bar BBQ Fuego: BBQ Grill & Meats
Middle to Northern end of the Arenal:
- Lungo Mare: Italian food
- Geographic: European food
- Charlie’s Beach Club: European food
- Es tapa ti Jávea: Spanish tapas
- Carnaval: Mexican food & sushi, as well as delicious vegan food
- Bacan: Pizzas, burgers, kebabs and takeaway
- Ammos: American & Italian food
- Chabada: American & Mediterranean food
Pepe Pizzeria: Pizza restaurant - 100 Mondaditos: Spanish tapas
- Restaurante Posidonia: Spanish food
- Alma Del Mar By Freda: Swiss food
- Restaurante Bohemians: European food
- El Chiquitin: Spanish food
- A la Chingada: Mexican food
- Restaurant La Fontana: Spanish restaurant
Outside the main promenade:
- Chihiro Ramen: Ramen bar
- Woody’s: Brunch food
- Buddha Palace: Nepalese food
- Nepali Bindia Restaurant: Indian, Asian, Nepalese food
- La Plaza No. 6: German food
- The Wok Javea: Chinese & Asian food
Cafes
There are a number of lovely cafes in the Arenal to have cafe con leche and a generous slice of cake, with views of the sea.
- Austrian Café Wien
- Nostro Cafe
- Canela Café Bar
Icecream Shops
For those hot summer days when you just want a sweet treat!
- Peca2
- Heladeria La Jijonenca
- Smooy
- Bico de Xeado
- Helados Espí
- Froyosi
Shops
- Alehop
- Jakarta
- Pepa G
- Naowind
- Fresh Shoes
- Hi Shoes!
- Nakuti
- Bazar Shanghai
Supermarkets
- Carrefour (small convenience shop)
- Chihiro (Asian Supermarket)
- Masymas (far back from the Arenal on Avda. del Pla-Ctra del Cabo de La Nao. An 11 minute walk from the beach)
Sports
Tennis and Padel
Padel courts are available at Paris24 Padel, or Club de Tenis, a short walk from the beach. Tennis courts are also available at Club De Tenis.
Read our guides to Tennis in Javea and playing Padel in Javea for more information.
Gyms
Sparta Gym is open in Calle Rennes 2. It includes a strength zone, a cardio zone, a double-cable zone and fighting equipment. Read more in the Javea gyms guide.
Transport
Taxi Rank in the Arenal
At the Arenal beach, you can find a taxi rank on Avenida de la Libertad at the below stand, just a street away from Socco Javea.
On the late hours of the weekend, the taxi rank is very busy. I would recommend calling and booking a taxi with Radio Taxi Javea to avoid the drama of the taxi rank at 3am after a night out. There is no official queuing system and it can be a free-for-all during the late hours.
Parking
The Arenal beach has lots of free parking spaces on the street and located right on the beach. You do not need to register your vehicle at majority of these.
During the summer, it is difficult to park your car near the beach as its a lot busier. I recommend parking a little further back in the backstreets near Restaurante Semana Ocho. There is usually a lot of free spots, and it only takes a few minutes to walk to the promenade and beach.
Public Bus Stops in the Arenal
The local bus service that connects the main areas, including the Javea Old Town, Arenal Beach, and the Port area.
There are two bus stops on the Arenal:
- One on the Canal de la Fontana bridge (northern part of the beach)
- Another a few metres before starting the section of Segundo Montañar.
See the timetable below:
Bus routes aren’t very frequent and run every hour, so we recommend to checking the timetable in advance to plan your journey.
Tourist Train Stop
Javea’s tourist train stops at the Arenal carpark on the southern side. It runs every hour, tickets are valid for the whole day (meaning you can hop on and off) and will take you to the Port, and the Old Town in the most stylish way possible.
Bikes & Scooter Rental
Javea Bikes offers reasonable. You can walk up to their shop in the centre of the Arenal and rent bikes, scooters, eScooters (age 16+) from them for the day.
They also offer beach lockers to rent for €5 for the day, which is handy if you want a place to store your belongings while on the beach.
Arenal Javea Hotels
As the Arenal is one of the main areas of Javea, booking a hotel there might be a suitable option for you. There are a few options to choose from (links take you directly to affiliate links)
