6 beaches on the Costa Brava to go with children

Pretty flat, perfect sand (not too fine or too coarse) and basic services such as showers, toilets and even a bar. The beaches of Sant Feliu de Guíxols are ideal for children, and the Sant Pol beach is a great example of that. What's more, in the summer it has kids' clubs with monitors who keep the children entertained with workshops, games and more. This marvellous bay on the outskirts of Sant Feliu is the beach that many locals recall from their childhoods. Invaded by brick in the past 30 years, there is still a lot of beauty: the beachfront houses from the start of the last century built by entrepreneurs who made their fortune in the Americas before returning home, the elegant S'Agaró Vell residential area, and the sumptuous Hostal de la Gavina, which gives onto the start of one of the most spectacular parts of the Camí de Ronda coastal path.

Lloret has magnificent beaches but they're not all suitable for families. The Santa Cristina beach is one that's perfect for the young ones: it's wide, with shallow waters, easily accessed and has various amenities. What's more, it's managed to maintain the difficult balance between mass tourism and its wild nature. Painter Joaquin Sorolla immortalised the light, greens and blues of Santa Cristina in one of his more fiercely Mediterranean paintings.

Fine sand, a regular slope into the sea and a public park ideal for picnics. For those reasons alone, the beach of Empúries is ideal for children. But it also has an exciting history that will thrill beach-goers of all ages. In the past, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans disembarked there and each created their own cities; in fact as you head down to the beach you can still see the remains of a Hellenic windmill. In the medieval period, the village of Sant Martí d'Empúries was constructed, built in a Romanic style, while in the 21st century other features have arrived in the form of kiosks and a belle époque hotel with its own vegetable garden.

The cove of Aiguafreda is not quite as accessible as the other beaches on our list. Situated between Sa Tuna and Cap Sa Sal beaches, there are two ways to get there: walking 15 minutes along the Camí de Ronda coastal path or, if you go by car, park in the nearby car park. The beach doesn't have a huge sandy section, but the water is crystal clear and shallow, and there are basic amenities available: beach bar, restaurant and picnic area. In addition, there's a diving centre where you can hire kayaks or sign up for an underwater outing.

This is one of the best unspoiled beaches to go with children: it's easy to get to by car, the car park is nearby and it has two beach bars. In the summer, there are toilets and a kiosk plus kayaks to hire. A mass effort by locals saved the land around this beach from the developers and in Castell you'll still find virgin spaces as well as talk of their legendary achievement. Interestingly, the two noble houses that flank it to the north and south have hosted celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich and Salvador Dalí, while on the left-hand side of the cove is an Iberian village from the 6th century BC.

Cala Sant Francesc, also known as Cala Bona, is located on the outskirts of the centre of Blanes, and year after year it's been awarded a blue flag for the quality of its waters and services (showers, deckchairs for hire and a beach bar). It's a semi-urban cove ('cala'), mid-sized, and surrounded by pine forests and houses. The sand is fine, and children usually love it because it also has groups of rocks of different sizes and the possibilities for playing are infinite. It's also an ideal place for going snorkelling in shallow water.