Exploring the 10 Most Famous & Noteworthy Ports to Visit in Spain

In this article, we will be going through the journey of exploring some of the most famous Ports in Spain.

Also called the Kingdom of Spain, it is nothing but a country filled with pure serenity, located in Southwestern Europe, with its largest part in the Iberian Peninsula. Its territories range to the mid-Atlantic Ocean across the Mediterranean Sea.

Among other European countries, Spain is also notable for its stunning tourist attractions, port services like cargo and fishing ports, islands, sports like football, scenery, and many other fun activities.

Spain is undoubtedly a country covered by water bodies. Hence, this makes it a perfect choice for fishing. There are various ports in Spain as well. Therefore, they are best for cargo ships to enrich their port business, shipping facilities, and local economy.

Many ports in Spain help increase national and international trade interests as trading helps improve relations, boosting passenger traffic and other income-generating activities.

Also, Spain’s dry ports are one of the most attractive elements of its infrastructure. One example is the Dry Port of Madrid/Coslada, which is located in the Spanish municipality of Coslada, Madrid. These include the four first Spanish ports – Algeciras, Valencia, Bilbao, and Barcelona.

Cruise ships and their tours feature facilities for comfortable stays. Some popular ones are the BBQ cruise, Barcelona and Mediterranean Sailing, Lobos Island Cruise, Sunset Sailing Cruise, and many more.

1. Unheard Famous Ports in Spain

The Port of Malaga, situated in Malaga on the Costa del Sol Mediterranean coast, is one of the oldest known ports in Spain. It is well known for its breakbulk and vehicle carriers.

Previously, it maintained a surprising 4.4 million tons of cargo tonnage in 2021 despite being the oldest port. It also includes a fishing fleet in it. The Ports of State altogether hold the responsibility of preservation of all the ports throughout. It is a government-owned company and is called Puertos del Estado.

Spain consists of many other ports like commercial, cargo, and fishing ports, and the largest and biggest fishing port globally is the Port of Vigo. It is also one of the container terminal ports of Spain and holds numerous fishing docks and vessels, of which two are Beiramar and O Berbes.

Located in Aviles in Asturias, Spain has the Port of Aviles. This port holds the capability of handling liquid bulk, breakbulk, and general bulk alongside leisure craft and fishing facilities. The Port Authority of Aviles maintains this port.

Next up, we have the Port of Seville, located on the Guadalquivir, inland and the only commercial river port in Spain. It is managed by the Autoridad Porturia de Seville. Muelle de las Delicias is one cruise ship dock that comes under the port of Seville.

However, we will talk about the top 10 most famous Spanish ports and other major European ports well known for their fishing and trading activities. They are also a source of generating passenger traffic.

2. Top 10 Famous Ports in Spain

2.1. Port of Algeciras

Algeciras is a city located in the province of Cadiz of Andalusia. It has the Port of Algeciras, the largest port of Spain in terms of gross material weight that passes through annually.

It is a significant port positioned near the Strait of Gibraltar. It is essentially used as a commercial, fishing, and passenger port, making it one of the global bustling transhipment hubs.

The Algeciras port is also the largest container port in Spain and a focus for the trade of tobacco, fishing, oil, and agriculture. It also has facilities like fishing fleets, cruise shipping operations, and fuel handling.

Previously, it had nearly 100 million tons of cargo in 2015. The recent one was 109.4 million tons in 2019 and 107.3 million tons in 2020. Its annual container volume was 5.1 million TEUs in 2020. The Port Authority of Algeciras Bay handles this port.

2.2. Port of Valencia

Situated in Valencia, Spain, we have the Port of Valencia, the fifth busiest port in Europe and the only busiest port on the Mediterranean coast.

Previously, its annual cargo tonnage and container volumes were 81.1 million tons and 5.4 TEUs in 2019, respectively. Valencia Port Authority operates it. It maintains three ports in total, namely the ports of Valencia, Suganto, and Gandia. It holds 15,000 employees working to ensure its effective functioning.

The port area includes 12 km of quay length and 1.2 km of storage area. Puerto de Valencia has a lot of fishing spots that are perfect for some good leisure time.

The Valencia cruise port is a major attraction for tourists as it offers two berths which are close to the Valencia passenger terminal, and the tourists can have access to a duty-free shop, tourist information office, restrooms, internet access and other valuable facilities, thus helping in enhancing their cruise market.

The North Extension of the port of Valencia consists of two quays that can accommodate huge ships. It supplies its goods and products over a radius of 2000 kilometres, including North Africa and the European Union.

Nonetheless, this port is the Western Mediterranean’s central hub and the first and last port for the constant shipping lines functioning in the respective area.

2.3. Port of Barcelona

Placing itself in the list of other major ports of Spain is the Port of Barcelona, the largest port in Catalonia, Spain, ranking 3rd and 9th most prominent in the country and Europe, respectively, in terms of container port. The Port Authority of Barcelona handles this port, owned by the Ports of State.

The port of Barcelona held a container volume of 3.42 TEUs in 2018. Its annual cargo tonnage in 2019 was 67.7 million tons. This port eases the trade of Asian products in the country, and attracting tourists also helps strengthen the country’s economy.

Three zones, having an old port named Port Vell, a commercial port, and a logistics port, are placed into the port of Barcelona, with an area of 7.86 kilometres.

The Port Vell looks after the fishing ports, yacht harbours, cruise ships, and the maritime station for ferries.

The industrial port handles every industry-based activity. The logistics port of Barcelona is a free trade zone called a freeport.

There are three passenger terminals in Port Vell: Terminal Drassanes, Terminal Ferry Barcelona, and Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona. In addition, the port has seven cruise terminals, which are near La Rambla.

A special mention goes to Maremagnum, a well-known shopping centre near the cruise port so people can access different facilities and products.

For example – clothing, jewellery, footwear, electronics, ornaments, and renowned brands like H&M, Lacoste and Bershka.

2.4. Port of Bilbao

The Port of Bilbao is located in the Bilbao Abra Bay, alongside the Estuary of Bilbao, Biscay, which falls under northern Spain. This port is also called the Exterior Port or the Super Puerto.

It falls within the European Atlantic Arc. It also links to the American Continent, Africa, Northern Europe and the East.

Through the help of this port, trade is carried out with countries of the European Atlantic Face, the Baltic Sea, and the British Isles. The main facilities include the Santurtzi and Zierbena municipalities.

Bilbao is the fourth busiest port in Spain. It covers a land area of about 3.13 square kilometres and a water-covered area of 16.94 square kilometres. Indeed, it is the largest port in Spain. This port handled 35.5 million tons of annual cargo tonnage in 2019.

It carries within an annual container and passenger volume of nearly 1 million TEUs and a quarter-million, respectively. The Bilbao Port Authority maintains and handles it. Crude oil and Liquid Nitrogen Gas are two liquid cargoes processed at the Petronor and BBG facilities.

2.5. Port of Huelva

Among the other major ports of Spain, we have another famous port that lies within Huelva and Palos de la Frontera, in the Andalusia region, located off the Spanish southwestern coast.

It is the Port of Huelva, which is also known for being a cargo and fishing port. After the port of Algeciras, it is the second biggest port in the Andalusia region. Its primary function is to process liquid bulk, solid bulk, and container traffic as general cargo.

This port is also called Puerto Exterior because it contains large vessel drafts. Previously, this port handled over 7 million tons of solid cargo, 26 million tons of liquid cargo, and 70,000 TEUs in 2018. The Port Authority of Huelva operates this port.

2.6. Port of Las Palmas

The Port of Las Palmas, also called La Luz Port or locally known as Puerto de la Luz, is located in the city of Las Palmas, in the north-east of Green Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain,

It is one of the first and longstanding ports in the Canary Islands of Spain and the Mid-Atlantic area. This old port has facilities for fishing vessels, commercial vessels, pleasure crafts, and passenger ships from around the region.

It previously maintained over 1 million TEU volume of containers alongside the passenger traffic of 1.2 million in 2018.

Frozen products, mainly fish and other food products, are among the most significant raw materials that pass through this port.

2.7. Port of Castellon

Bulk minerals, fertilizers, crude oil, cereals and other chemicals are imported here. Goods like citrus fruits, refined oil products and chemical fertilizers are exported from the Port of Castellon.

The Valencia International Airport and the Castellon Airport are attached to this port. Castellon is also home to Valencia’s only oil refinery, which produces 5.5 million tons per annum and 110,000 barrels per day.

2.8. Port of A Coruna

The Port of A Coruna is located in Coruna, Spain, 7 kilometres from the north-western Spanish coastline. Port Authority of Coruna handles this port.

This port is close to another minor port named Ferrol. It covers 1.15 square kilometres of land area, 9.94 square kilometres of water-covered area, and 7 kilometres of waterfront.

Three regions come under this port – commercial docks, fishing basins, and the Marina & Antedarsena basins. The port’s battery dock handles all the general cargo, roll-on/roll-off traffic, and bulk cargo.

2.9. Port of Santander

The Port of Santander is located in Cantabria in Spain and is notable for its trade. To clarify, it is situated in Santander Bay.

The port’s cruise ships attract countless tourists every year, which is also because of the largest bank in Spain, whose headquarters is here. It is called the Banco Santander. The Santander station nearby is also well-linked with the port.

Also, the local harbours routinely offer ferry services, which include Portsmouth and Plymouth in the UK, Cork in Ireland, and other coastal cities in Spain. This port also consists of a fishing dock.

Previously, it handled 6.6 million tons of annual cargo tonnage in 2019. Autoridad Porturia de Santander is the area’s operating authority.

The harbour of the port can accommodate ships ranging up to 500 feet.

2.10. Port of Santa Cruz De Tenerife

Finally, we have the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a cruise and ferry serving port located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the Atlantic Ocean and is among the most important ports of Canary Island.

It handles services like ferry service, cruise liners and pleasure crafts throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Americas.

The passenger transit of this port ranges from 2-3 million individuals annually, ranking it second after the Port of Barcelona.

Therefore, this port comprises a Border Inspection Post (BIP) and Customs Patrol to counter safety issues and illegal entry into the European Union. It also carries out the islands’ transport for 23% of passengers.

Closing Remarks

Spain boasts diverse ports, each with unique offerings and contributions to the country’s economy. From the bustling transhipment hub of Algeciras to the cultural charm of Barcelona and the trade-focused Port of Valencia, these ports play a vital role in facilitating global commerce, tourism, and fishing activities.

Noteworthy mentions include the historic Port of Malaga, the extensive Port of Bilbao, and the strategic Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. These gateways showcase Spain’s rich maritime heritage, significantly encouraging international trade, passenger traffic, and economic prosperity.