The country keeps a top-five spot worldwide, while Praia de Mira completes forty unbroken years with the flag — a distinction few beaches anywhere can claim.
Portugal reached 396 Blue Flag beaches in 2026, keeping the country among the five nations with the most awarded beaches in the world. The Algarve alone concentrates 94 of the country’s certified sites, while the Azores archipelago, made up of nine islands, accounts for 57.
The most striking story of the year came from Praia de Mira, on the Atlantic coast. When the flag was raised there on 8 June 2026, the beach completed 40 consecutive years with the certification — since the very start of the programme — making it, according to reporting, the only beach in the country to have held such an unbroken run.
Cifras clave: 396 Beaches · 94 in the Algarve · 57 in the Azores · 40 years for Praia de Mira
A four-decade milestone
Portugal’s presence in the top five reflects a long-standing commitment to coastal management across a territory that spans the mainland Atlantic coast and two Atlantic archipelagos. The programme evaluates bathing-water quality, safety, waste and water management, accessibility and environmental education before awarding the flag.
Forty unbroken years at a single beach is a rarity that only a handful of sites worldwide can claim.
The result places Portugal alongside Spain, Greece, Turkey and Italy as the countries that consistently concentrate the largest share of the world’s Blue Flag beaches, edition after edition.
Sources: Reported figures from ABAE and Portuguese coverage via Condé Nast Traveler and Infobae, June 2026. Reported and summarised by Blue Flag News. Full data at bandeiraazul.abaae.pt.
A Blue Flag beach in the Algarve, Portugal. Photo: Unsplash
