Spain: Harbours, bridges and formalities for sailors

333 harbours · 7 bridges and locks

Spain: 333 harbours, 7 bridges and locks, clearing in, papers and fees. Plan your trip with weather, tides and route.

Formalities

EU memberSchengen AreaEU customs unionCurrency: Euro

Clearing in: No clearance within the Schengen area. From the United Kingdom, Gibraltar or Morocco: border control (Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil) in a port with a border crossing point and customs declaration. For long stays, check the rules on Spanish registration tax for boats.

Documents: Licence according to your home country's rules, SRC for the radio, boat papers and third-party insurance covering the Spanish minimum amounts.

Fees: Harbour dues per night; in the Balearics in season, mooring buoy fields with reservation.

Fairway: Atlantic: tidal streams in the rías and around Cape Finisterre, strong winds on the Costa da Morte. Strait of Gibraltar with Levante and Poniente, currents of several knots and a busy traffic separation scheme. In the Mediterranean hardly any tide, but Tramontana, and Mistral towards the Golfe du Lion.

Nature: Seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica) in the Balearics are strictly protected; anchoring on them is prohibited. The Cabrera and Illas Atlánticas de Galicia national parks only with a permit, applied for online in advance.

Emergency: 112; Salvamento Marítimo, VHF channel 16 and DSC.

Sources: Salvamento Marítimo, Agencia Tributaria, Aduanas (as of 2026-10-20)

Local winds

Tramontana: cold, dry north-westerly to northerly through the gap in the Pyrenees, strongest at Cap de Creus and in the Gulf of Roses; increases quickly away from the coast, and the sea builds rapidly offshore
Tramontana (Balearics): northerly wind, often the tail end of the Mistral and Tramontana; high seas on the north coasts of Mallorca and Menorca, north-facing bays become untenable, shelter on the south coasts
Levante: easterly, funnelled and strengthened in the Strait of Gibraltar (often Bft 7 to 8 off Tarifa while it blows only moderately further east); humid air with low cloud over the Rock, short, steep seas against the east-going current
Poniente: westerly, strengthened in the Strait of Gibraltar and often lasting several days in the Alborán Sea

Harbours by cruising area

Asturias (Llanes to Figueras)

Barcelona and Garraf

Basque Country (Hondarribia to Bilbao)

Bay of Cádiz (Rota to Barbate)

Cantabria (Castro Urdiales to San Vicente)

Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Dénia)

Costa Brava (Blanes to Portbou)

Costa da Morte (Malpica to Fisterra)

Costa del Sol (Sotogrande to Málaga)

Costa Tropical and Almería

Guadalquivir and Seville (Chipiona to Seville)

Ibiza and Formentera

Mallorca

Menorca

Murcia (Garrucha to Mar Menor)

Northern Galicia (Ribadeo to A Coruña)

Rías Baixas (Muros to A Guarda)

Southern Catalonia (Ebro Delta, Tarragona)

Strait of Gibraltar (Tarifa, Algeciras, La Línea)

Valencia and Castellón

Western Costa de la Luz (Guadiana, Ayamonte, Huelva)

Bridges and locks

Movable bridges

Fixed bridges (1)

Brücke bei Marina empuriabrava 0.5 m

Frequently asked questions

Spain: Do I need to clear in?

No clearance within the Schengen area. From the United Kingdom, Gibraltar or Morocco: border control (Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil) in a port with a border crossing point and customs declaration. For long stays, check the rules on Spanish registration tax for boats.

Spain: Which documents do I need on board?

Licence according to your home country's rules, SRC for the radio, boat papers and third-party insurance covering the Spanish minimum amounts.

Spain: What fees apply?

Harbour dues per night; in the Balearics in season, mooring buoy fields with reservation.

Spain: What is the emergency number at sea?

112; Salvamento Marítimo, VHF channel 16 and DSC.

Spain: Which local winds blow there?

Tramontana, Tramontana (Balearics), Levante, Poniente.

Spain: How many harbours does Sailseer cover?

Sailseer covers 333 harbours with harbour info, weather and route planning. Plus 7 bridges and locks with opening times and clearances.