Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz
The ruined town of Baelo Claudia is one of Andalucía's most important Roman archaeological sites. These majestic beachside ruins – with views across to…
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Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz
Arriving on the Costa de la Luz from the Costa del Sol is like flinging open the window and breathing in the glorious fresh air. Bereft of tacky resorts and unplanned development, this is a world of flat-capped farmers, grazing bulls and furtive slugs of dry sherry with lunchtime tapas. Throw in beautiful blonde, windswept beaches, a buzzing surfing/kitesurfing scene and a string of spectacularly located white towns, and you’re unequivocally back in Andalucía. Spaniards, well aware of this, flock to places like Tarifa, Zahara de los Atunes and Los Caños de Meca in July and August. It's by no means a secret, but the stunning Costa de la Luz remains the same old laid-back beachy hangout it's always been, admittedly with a little upmarket flair creeping in around Vejer de la Frontera.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas del Barbate
Los Caños de Meca
This 50-sq-km coastal park protects important marshes, cliffs and pine forest from Costa del Sol–type development. Its main entry point is a 7.2km (two…
Tarifa
Sprawling between 7km and 10km northwest of Tarifa, to the great white dune at Punta Paloma, Valdevaqueros is one of Tarifa's most popular kitesurfing…
Tarifa
One of Andalucía's most fabulous beaches, Punta Paloma, 10km northwest of Tarifa, is famous for its huge blond sand dune. At its far western end, you can…
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Los Caños de Meca
About 7km northwest of Los Caños, lovely, long El Palmar beach has Andalucía's best board-surfing waves from about October to May. In summer it's busy…
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Tarifa
Though built in 960 on the orders of Cordoban caliph Abd ar-Rahman III, this restored fortress is named after Reconquista hero Guzmán El Bueno. In 1294,…
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Vejer de la Frontera
Enclosing the 40,000-sq-metre old town, Vejer’s imposing 15th-century walls are particularly visible between the Arco de la Puerta Cerrada (of 11th- or…
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Vejer de la Frontera
Just below the castle is a lookout guarded by this statue of a woman dressed in Vejer's cloak-like, all-black traditional dress, the cobijada, which…
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Taste the best of Cádiz: seafood, sherry and southern Spanish cuisineSep 18, 2019 • 7 min read
