The ideal life for many is being able to take a short drive from home to the beach, or from work directly to the beach to unwind after a hard day.
People who either need to stay in a city for work or people who just prefer city life, for whatever reason, tend to find themselves shorter on options for where to live with nearby beach access.
Whether your goal for a city beach is to have a place where you can center yourself in the mornings, unwind after a long day, go for a nice jog, enjoy a relaxing swim, or take part in some watersports, there are cities in Latin America where you can have the best of both worlds.
Here are ten of the best city (and near-city) beaches in Latin America.
1. Salinas, Ecuador
Salinas is a coastal city in Ecuador that has several nice beaches. The most popular is Salinas Beach or Playa las Salinas. This beach is wonderful for families, it is active, there are many activities to participate in, such as volleyball for those interested in staying onshore, or gentle waves for beginning surfers. You can find vendors nearby if you get hungry and forgot to pack something,
If you’re specifically searching for a great surfing beach, Punto Carnero is a short ten-minute drive from Salinas. The beach’s name means “ram point”, in reference to the rocky outcroppings at the southeast end of the beach, although the beach itself is sandy and not rocky. Be aware that this beach has been chosen several times for both national and international competitions. The waters can be rough.
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2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Copacabana is probably the most famous beach in Brazil. And for good reason… boasting truly magnificent views of both the natural and the modern man-made, Copacabana is a 2-and-a-half-mile beach with calm turquoise water through most of the beach, and choppy waves to surf on the northern point of the bay. The beach and the waters are stunning, and with a backdrop of towers and mountains, it is hard to ask for a more picturesque city beach.
3. Cancun, Mexico
Of course, we have to include Mexico on this list. Mexico has several of the most amazing city beaches in the world and could probably fill a top ten list all by itself.
Cancun itself has several nice beaches, but today we will be focused on Playa Delfines. Playa Delfines stands out for one main reason…. The dolphins!
Playa Delfin offers peaceful, azure waters and a stunning white sand beach to pitch your tent or lay down under one of the existing straw ones. You can take your picture by the sign that says CANCUN and go unwind. In spite of being a public beach, it tends not to get that crowded, and if you go early in the morning, you can watch the dolphins that will swim right up to the docks to say “Hello!”.
4. Cartagena, Colombia
While Cartagena does have beaches that are way closer to the city, such as Bocagrande, there are several issues with the beach, and it’s rather underwhelming overall.
To get to the best beach near Cartagena you have to travel for roughly ten minutes by boat to Punta Arena on Isla de Tierra Bomba. This beach has hammocks, shaded areas, restaurants nearby and is a pet-friendly beach with decent surfing.
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5. Mar de Plata, Argentina
Playa Varese is near the downtown area of Mar de Plata and draws many visitors every year. Most importantly, it offers a spectacular view and is a great place for swimming, snorkeling, and fishing.
In Argentina, there are also beaches where you can go see some amazing wildlife, such as the chillier Playa el Doradillo where people go frequently to watch the whales.
6. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
There are breathtaking views all over in the Dominican Republic and one of the biggest things that attract so many visitors to this beautiful country is the beaches.
Punta Cana is the most popular resort destination in the Dominican Republic, and the best beach is Barceló Bávaro Beach.
This picturesque beach stretches for miles and is surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters. Plus, the water is fairly calm and is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. And, a little further out in the water, visitors frequently travel in boats and parasails.
Note, this is an adults-only resort with a casino, nightclub, sports activities, and all sorts of options for water sports.
7. Ambergris Caye, Belize
Ambergris Caye is filled with resorts and while some beaches can seem a little uninviting, due to being on resorts, it is important to keep in mind that in Belize the shoreline 60 feet in from the water is government land and therefore accessible to the public between sunrise and sunset.
For example, one of the closest beaches to the city is Central Park Beach in San Pedro. This is a public beach and a good spot to go wade in and enjoy the views.
8. Taboga Island, Panama
While the closest beach to the city is Playa Veracruz, this beach is rather underwhelming. Firstly, it is okay, and it can be a fun visit if you just want to go to a beach, but it’s nothing special and can feel rather bland.
On the other hand, if you are willing to take a twenty-minute ferry ride, Isla Taboga has a much nicer beach.
9. Punta del Este, Uruguay
In Spanish, mansa means calm. And that is exactly what you can expect to find at Playa Mansa.
The waters here tend to be very calm and this beach is the perfect location for families to bring their children for a day of swimming and relaxing.
The waters are usually warm. However, they do get chilly during the winter months in Uruguay.
10. Iquique, Chile
Playa Cavancha is a nice and relaxing beach where people tend to be pretty laid-back and relaxed. There are many food vendors along the beach to satisfy any cravings and there are good waves for surfers to enjoy.
