Playa de Riazor and its continuation Playa del Orzán form a long urban beach right in the centre of La Coruña, backed by apartment buildings on the Ensanche seafront. The two beaches together stretch about a kilometre and are popular with swimmers in summer and surfers year-round when the Atlantic swell comes in.
The beaches face northwest, which catches the prevailing Atlantic swell. When it builds, the waves at Orzán attract experienced surfers; the conditions can be serious. In calmer summer periods the water is cold by Mediterranean standards but perfectly swimmable, and the beach gets crowded on hot weekends.
The seafront above the beaches is one of the best examples of La Coruña's galería architecture — the glazed balconies stacked up the buildings create a spectacular glistening facade in the afternoon sun.