Spain · Biscay
Playa la Arena - Zierbena
Biscay, Spain
On the beach
Right now
Sample dataIllustrative conditions — the live Open-Meteo marine feed wasn't reachable, so these are deterministic placeholder values that will be replaced automatically once the feed is available.
7-day outlook
Sample dataModeled placeholder forecast for demonstration — will be replaced by a live marine-weather feed.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 26.8 | 0.5 |
| Thu 3 | 26.5 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 26.0 | 0.5 |
| Sat 5 | 25.6 | 0.5 |
| Sun 6 | 25.7 | 0.5 |
| Mon 7 | 26.1 | 0.5 |
| Tue 8 | 26.6 | 0.5 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Excellent2023
- 2024: Excellent2024
- 2025: Excellent2025
Excellent in the most recent season, and 11 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Excellent |
| 2024 | Excellent |
| 2025 | Excellent |
Typical sea temperature by month
Modeled estimatePlausible seasonal climatology derived from latitude, for illustration — not a measured average.
Monthly sea temperature
Typical range across the year, °C
View as table
| Month | Typical sea temp (°C) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 16 |
| Feb | 15 |
| Mar | 16 |
| Apr | 17 |
| May | 20 |
| Jun | 22 |
| Jul | 24 |
| Aug | 24 |
| Sep | 24 |
| Oct | 22 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 18 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Playa la Arena - Muskiz478 mBiscay
- Playa Dicido6.7 kmCantabria
- Playa de Arrigunaga7.6 kmBiscay
- Playa de las Arenas8.1 kmBiscay
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
- Bus stop: La Arena, about ~300 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest town: Muskiz, about ~3.3 km away.
- 10 places to eat within 1 km Closest is Maloka, about ~210 m away.
- 1 place to stay mapped nearby Closest is ApartaHotel La Arena, about ~350 m away.
- 1 shop nearby, about ~340 m away
What kind of beach is this?
This beach belongs to a small coastal village. It's usually calmer than a resort or town beach, though a popular village spot can still fill up on the best summer days.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
- Families
- Water sports
Is the water clean at Playa la Arena - Zierbena?
Thinking of swimming at Playa la Arena - Zierbena? The short answer: its official EU Bathing Water rating for 2025 is Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment. That rating is set once a year under the EU Bathing Water Directive, from a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli reported to the European Environment Agency the following spring, so the 2025 season's grade appeared in spring 2026 and the 2026 season won't be graded until spring 2027. In addition to that yearly rating, some national authorities — for Croatia, the national environmental authority — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It's been a consistently reliable spot too — the rating has held at Excellent for 11 straight years. There's parking about ~250 m from the beach.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. If you're timing a visit around water temperature rather than crowds, July–September is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch. The nearest town, Muskiz, is about ~3.3 km away.
“Excellent” is one point on a four-step scale — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — assigned once per year from that season's water samples, not a live reading. It describes how the site performs on average across the season, not the exact water quality this afternoon; for day-to-day sea conditions, see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above. There are 10 places to eat within a kilometre — Maloka is the closest, about ~210 m away.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to go in the water at Playa la Arena - Zierbena?
Playa la Arena - Zierbena is rated Excellent for 2025 — the top EU Bathing Water classification — with 11 of 11 classified seasons rating Excellent or Good, so yes. It's also held steady at Excellent for 11 straight years.
What is the sea temperature at Playa la Arena - Zierbena today?
The figure above (about 26°C) is placeholder data — the live marine-weather feed wasn't reachable when this page was built, and the real reading will appear automatically once it is. That's the reading right off Biscay. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When is the best time to swim at Playa la Arena - Zierbena?
For swimming, July–September is usually the best call — that's the modeled window when the sea here runs warmest. That applies to the water around Biscay. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
Where does the water quality rating come from?
Once a year, national authorities report a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli to the European Environment Agency, which grades the season Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A handful of countries, including Croatia via IZOR, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report — Playa la Arena - Zierbena doesn't have that feed set up yet.
Is there parking near Playa la Arena - Zierbena?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is La Arena, about ~300 m away. The nearest town is Muskiz, about ~3.3 km away.