The beautiful seaside town where Spanish people go to escape British tourists

The arrival of good weather, summer and rising temperatures mean that the eight provinces that make up Andalucía in the south of Spain receive a significant wave of tourists from all corners of the globe.

According to the media in the UK, there is one destination in the province of Cadiz that Spanish holidaymakers go to to avoid British tourists, who mainly head to the Costa del Sol: Tarifa.

Tarifa has miles and miles of coastline and beaches with crystal clear waters and golden sands where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. Among them the most famous are Los Lances beach, Valdevaqueros and Bolonia beach, which with its spectacular dune and the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia, was named by TimeOut as the second best beach in Spain in 2024.

Tarifa is one of the European meccas for water sports like kitesurfing and windsurfing. These beaches have ideal conditions for these sports and fans from all over the world come to this corner of the Cadiz coast to enjoy these activities all year round. There are also boat trips around the areas surrounding the Strait of Gibraltar with the chance to go whale and dolphin watching.

Tarifa also has a beautiful and interesting historic quarter. Strolling through the narrow streets of the centre gives strong reminders of the town's Islamic past, with Gúzmán El Bueno castle or the Puerta de Jerez.

On days when the horizon is clear, the nearby mountains of north Africa seem close and another option when visiting Tarifa is to catch one of the many ferries that cross daily to Tangier in Morocco.

Tarifa is a place that has absolutely everything, including exquisite gastronomy and a lively nightlife, making it the ideal place to visit at any time of year.