17 best beaches in Cadiz
In the province of Cádiz, there is an offer that satisfies all types of swimmers: from hidden coves and vast windswept bays to charming urban beaches. Aptly known as the “Costa de la Luz”, Cádiz boasts miles and miles of golden sandy coastline lapped by the sparkling turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Read on as we take you through our selection of the best beaches in Cádiz and its surroundings.
Contents
- Bologna Beach
- Germans Beach
- Trafalgar Lighthouse Beach
- Zahora Beach
- Duck Cove
- Sancti Petri Beach
- Camposoto Beach
- The Cove
- Levante Beach
- Valdelagrana Beach
- Wall Beach
- Fuentebravia Beach
- Punta Candor Beach
- Whale Beach
- Playa de las Piletas Beach
- Arches Beach
- Zahara-El Gastor Reservoir
1. Bologna Beach
Playa de Bolonia is one of the most beautiful and cleanest beaches I have visited in Cádiz. It is just 20 minutes drive from Tarifa, which is very popular for kitesurfing and partying. The huge dunes at the end are the great attraction of this beach, in addition to its crystal clear waters and white sand.
The Dunes of Bolonia are a protected natural area surrounded by pine trees, making the landscape unique. I highly recommend going up the dunes for a fantastic coastline view, but do it early before the sand gets unbearably hot.
Bolonia is also home to the archaeological site of Baelo Claudia, the ruins of a 2nd-century Roman city that sits literally on the beach.
It is not hard to see why it is considered one of the best beaches in Cadiz and one of the best beaches in Spain.
2. Germans Beach
A short drive along the coast towards Zahara de Los Atunes will take you to one of my all-time favourite Spanish beaches: Playa de Los Alemanes (or Playa del Bunker). It does not have the soft white sand of Bologna, but it is located in a beautiful place with a spectacular entrance.
Its transparent waters make it the perfect beach to practice snorkelling and see some of the fish that swim around. It gets its name from the rumour that the Nazis received land to build houses here from Franco. The beach is also home to a World War II bunker built for defensive purposes.
I think it is one of the best beaches in Cádiz to spend a day.
Tip: Make sure to check the weather before visiting this beach. Its position between the cliffs means it can be very windy, and the hard sand hitting your skin can be quite painful. However, it is slightly sheltered from the wind by the cliffs so that it won’t be as windy as other beaches in the area.
3. Trafalgar Lighthouse Beach
If you continue going up the Costa de la Luz, you will arrive at Playa del Faro de Trafalgar, a beach with a lot of history behind its name.
The Romans had a temple built on the spot where the lighthouse now stands, and later there was an Arab watchtower built on the same spot. But probably the best-known historical event that took place here was the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, in which the British fought against the combined Spanish-French fleets to become the world’s greatest maritime power for the next century.
Trafalgar Lighthouse Beach is located between Los Caños de Meca and Zahora, and you will need a car to get to it, as there are no public transport options.
It is another unique place in Andalusia and one of the best beaches in Cádiz if you like the most virgin Spanish coasts.
4. Zahora Beach
If you feel like walking along this impressive stretch of the Costa de la Luz (past the lighthouse), you will end up at Playa de Zahora. It’s also only a 15-minute drive from the lighthouse, but make sure you take your GPS as the small streets leading to the beach can be very confusing.
It is one of the lesser-known beaches in the area and is more of a residential beach for the people who live nearby and are connected to it by the various trails. It is a great beach to spend the day away from the big crowds.
If you don’t have time to spend the day here, I recommend you visit around sunset to see how the sky lights up with all sorts of colours. It is one of the most secret beaches on Costa de la Luz and very close to Conil de la Frontera, so if you are nearby, do not forget to go to Zahora Beach.
5. Duck Cove
Speaking of Conil de la Frontera, I recommend you go to Cala del Pato if you want to visit a truly spectacular Spanish beach. The name is because one of the rocks is shaped like a duck.
It is one of the most impressive coves in Conil, with clear, icy water and golden sand, surrounded by cliffs that give off a reddish hue.
What impressed me the most was the views of the beach from the top of the cliff, where you have to park before going down a bunch of steps. Anyone who has been here before will understand why I consider it one of the best beaches in Cadiz.
We arrived at sunrise and weren’t aware that the beach was covered in shadows until just before noon, but that meant we had the beach almost to ourselves to explore the rocks that emerged as the tide started to go out.
Tip: La Cala del Pato is the most nudist beach in Cadiz (again, something we didn’t know), so don’t be alarmed if you see some naked people walking around.
6. Sancti Petri Beach
A little less than an hour from Conil, heading north towards Cádiz, is Playa Sancti-Petri. It is located in Chiclana de la Frontera, a very long beach with many parking lots available.
We had no problem finding a place to settle on the beach at a good distance from other people. The sand is not as soft as the previous beaches I mentioned, but it is still a pleasant beach to visit, and it is one of the few beaches I have visited in the province of Cádiz where the water was not freezing.
It has entered my list of the best beaches in Cádiz because there is a castle located on an island that you can access by boat or rowing. The island was once home to the most important temple in the West, first built by the Phoenicians and later converted into a place of worship for Hercules by the Romans (it is rumoured that he is buried here). Today it houses an 18th-century castle that played an important role in resisting a Napoleonic invasion.
7. Camposoto Beach
Camposoto Beach is another beach in Cádiz with an interesting story. It is located on the outskirts of San Fernando and is one of the longest beaches in southern Spain.
Although it is located in an urban environment, there are no commercial buildings near it due to its location within a military zone, making it one of the few virgin beaches in the province. It is also one of the best beaches in Cádiz for surfers and paddleboarders.
There are several entrances along the beach, with wooden walkways for easy access and plenty of parking.
Camposoto Beach also has two war bunkers in its sands that date back to the Spanish Civil War.
8. The Cove
If you go into the city of Cádiz, you will come across a couple of nice beaches, but the most popular is La Caleta. The beach is located in the historic centre and is just a short walk from places like Cadiz Cathedral, making it very easy to add to any day trip to Cadiz.
It is completely isolated from other city beaches, making it the smallest, so it can get quite crowded in the summer. For me, it is one of the best beaches in the province of Cádiz because on both sides you will find two castles.
The Castillo de San Sebastián and the Castillo de Santa Catalina are very easily accessible from La Caleta and are two of the best places to visit in Cádiz. How can you say no to a beach with two castles? There are plenty of beaches near Cadiz, so don’t forget to pull out a map of southern Spain and start your research!
9. Levante Beach
We found a beautiful place to cycle through a natural park not far from Cádiz, on the outskirts of El Puerto de Santa María. Los Toruños Natural Park is a beautiful area with a mix of ecosystems that you can explore by bike (which you can rent on the spot) or on foot.
While cycling, we found a path that took us to Playa de Levante a few hours before sunset. Although we did not have time to try this beach, it is one of the best beaches in Cadiz for windsurfing, and it is very isolated with minimal services near it.
Tip: This is another nudist beach in Cádiz, but a specific area is marked for nudists.
10. Valdelagrana Beach
Valdelagrana Beach is one of the few beaches I have included in my list of the best beaches in Cádiz that are very touristy. The reason? Well, it was one of the first beaches I visited in Cadiz, and the water was very calm and warm, which is a nice change from the freezing water of most beaches in the province.
This area gets very crowded in the summer, but when we passed through it, there was plenty of room to spread out from other groups of people. There are also many apartments, restaurants and shops along the seafront.
11. Wall Beach
One of my favourite places, and one that well deserves a place on my list of the best beaches in Cádiz, is Playa de La Muralla, located in Puerto Sherry, El Puerto de Santa María.
It is a very small beach and is still relatively unknown to tourists, but it is very popular with locals and those who live in the surrounding area.
It is another very quiet beach with white sand, and there are several restaurants and tapas bars along the promenade. I recommend you try the pizza at Pizzeria Blanca Paloma at sunset so that you can enjoy your meal with beautiful views.
Playa de la Muralla may be small, but it still has room for the remains of a 16th-century castle to dominate: El Puerto de Santa María’s Castillo de Santa Catalina.
12. Fuentebravia Beach
Playa de Fuentebravía is another beach in a built-up area, but it is quite a long beach, so you should be able to find a more secluded spot. It is also located in Puerto de Santa María, which in case you haven’t noticed, already has some of the best beaches in Andalusia.
It is the perfect beach for water sports, although we had problems trying to jump on our inflatable flamingo in the small waves.
There is a naval beach nearby, so part of the beach is restricted, but it is very obvious which part of the beach it is. The beach is located at the foot of a cliff, which can only be accessed by going down several steps.
13. Punta Candor Beach
Punta Candor Beach is less than 20 minutes by car from Fuentebravía Beach. It is one of the many beaches in Cádiz classified as a virgin beach, which means that there are relatively few buildings around it.
Its transparent waters, the dunes and the pine forest surrounding it are a great attraction for people, as are the orange sunsets on the beach.
We didn’t enjoy the beach as much as we could, because we forgot to check the wind speed before we got there: it was very windy and quite cold.
Tip: Always check the wind before visiting any beach in Cádiz.
14. Whale Beach
Another fantastic golden sand beach is Playa de La Ballena, located in Rota. It was one of the closest beaches to where we were staying in Jerez de la Frontera, so we visited it quite a few times.
I would check the tide times for this beach because, at high tide, there is hardly any sand left, and everyone is glued to it. Several wooden ramps cross the dunes for easy access, and there are also restaurants and bars nearby.
Playa de La Ballena is known for its impressive sunsets and its beautiful natural landscape, making it one of the best beaches in Cádiz to spend the day.
15. Las Pilates Beach
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a great attraction for people due to its abundance of beaches. We visited Sanlúcar on a day trip from Jerez, so we only had time to watch the sunset at Playa de Las Pilates.
It is the most central and crowded of the Sanlúcar beaches, meaning it has many services in and around it. Playa de Las Pilates is famous for its annual horse races, which have been held here since 1845.
From the beach, you can see the Doñana National Park on the other side of the Guadalquivir river. If this doesn’t make it one of the best beaches in the province of Cadiz, I don’t know what will.
Fun fact: The Guadalquivir River is the only navigable river in Spain and reaches as far as Seville. In Roman times it was navigable to Córdoba!
16. Arches Beach
It is not your typical Spanish beach. It’s not even on the coast. Arcos Beach is located inside a lake in the impressive white village of Arcos de la Frontera.
It is an artificial beach, but those who have moved away from the coast will know how hot the towns can be, so I think it is a great idea to have a small beach nearby.
We only saw the lake from one side, so we didn’t get to the actual beach, but we saw a few people kayaking and doing other water sports. Is it one of the best beaches in Cádiz? No. But I thought it was unique and deserved mention.
17. Zahara-El Gastor Reservoir
What do you think of this view? If you have not been to Zahara de la Sierra, I highly recommend you visit this white Andalusian town. Zahara is just over an hour’s drive from Jerez, and it’s also very close to Ronda, so it’s a place you can easily add to your road trip in southern Spain, for example.
La Playita is an artificial beach that takes advantage of the course of the river to create a small oasis to cool off. It is an artificial bathing area, so there is a small entrance fee to pay, as well as specific opening hours. Another option is to do some kayaking or paddleboarding in the reservoir itself.
Again, it’s not the best beach in Cadiz, but you might appreciate it if you go up to the viewpoint we did.
There are so many beautiful beaches in the province of Cadiz to choose from, and this list only touches on their tip. But I hope that some of this list of the best beaches in Cadiz will be added to your itinerary when you start planning a trip to the south of Spain.
The weather in the south of Spain is quite pleasant all year round, so chances are if you visit in the low season, you will have some of the best Spanish beaches almost to yourself.
17 best beaches in Cadiz