These Gold Quality beaches are spread across Portugal, with 370 in vibrant coastal areas (85%), 53 in scenic inland regions (12%), and 11 in unique transition zones (3%). Quercus noted the Tagus/West and Algarve regions stand out as the "most awarded," boasting 93 and 86 beaches, respectively.

Vila Nova de Gaia and Albufeira each have 19 distinctions in 2026. Almada tem 17, Matosinhos 13, Vila do Bispo 12 e Torres Vedras 12.

Quercus celebrated the remarkable growth in the North, Madeira, and Algarve regions, which saw increases of 5, 3, and 2 beaches with Gold Quality compared to 2025.

Alentejo suffered a slight decrease, with two fewer classified beaches than in 2025. Quercus noted that Tejo/Oeste, Centro, and Azores regions kept the same number of distinctions as last year.

Excitingly, Fontes beach (inland), in Abrantes (Tejo/Oeste region), and Boaventura beach (coastal), in Santa Cruz (autonomous region of Madeira), are making their debut on the prestigious Gold Quality list.

The association explained that the Gold Quality distinction has been awarded annually for 15 years, just before the start of the bathing season, which runs from April to October.

To obtain the Gold Quality classification, beaches must have "excellent" water quality for the five bathing seasons prior to the current one (for 2026, between 2020 and 2024).

They must also have achieved better results in all analyses from the most recent bathing season in 2025 for certain bacterial indicators.

For coastal and transitional waters, all analyses must show values below 100 CFU/100 ml for intestinal Enterococci and below 250 CFU/100 ml for Escherichia coli. Quercus specifies this as one of the bacterial indicators.

In inland waters, all analyses must show values below 200 CFU/100 ml for intestinal Enterococci and below 500 CFU/100 ml for Escherichia coli.

To receive the award, beaches must have completed the last bathing season (2025) without any warnings, prohibitions, or temporary closures.

This year, the bathing season runs from 15 April to 31 October. Municipalities set their own bathing season within this period, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette.

The bathing season kicked off energetically on 15 April at Porto Moniz beach in Madeira. On Friday, 1 May, 13 beaches in Cascais (Lisbon district) and four in Madeira eagerly opened for visitors.

Gold Quality and Blue Flag offer different ways to celebrate beach excellence. Gold Quality spotlights the consistent excellence of water quality over five years, while Blue Flag recognises broader achievements such as surveillance, cleanliness, accessibility, and environmental education.