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Arenal de Balarés, Ponteceso (A Coruña)

This beach on Galicia’s Costa da Morte is perfect for the hottest days of Spain’s sometimes grueling summer. Although this beach gets very busy, the icy waters of the sea, the lush surroundings (including a pine forest), and estuary views make up for the lack of peace and quiet. No visit here is complete without an obligatory hike up Mount Branco, and history buffs will be interested to know this is the point from which Nazis shipped supplies of wolfram, necessary for munitions production, back to Germany.