Playa de la Barrosa, Chiclana: Cadiz and Costa de la Luz beach guide
A very long and very popular beach on the southwest coast of Spain, near to many quality golf resorts
The beach of La Barrosa is a long, sandy beach located on the Costa de la Luz in Spain, in the town of Chiclana de la Frontera. It is often visited alongside and confused with the nearby beach of Sancti Petri to the immediate north, from which it is separated by a cliff.
The beach faces onto the open water of the Atlantic Ocean, so there are sometimes very big waves and the water can be very choppy. It is still a popular place to swim, and also for water sports such as windsurfing, kitesurfing and regular surfing.
Playa de la Barrosa is extremely popular among Spaniards from all over the country, who choose it as one of their main coastal holiday destinations, and it is also well-known among international tourist crowds. This means that in the tourist high season in summer it can get very full, but it is such a large beach that it rarely feels crowded.
It consists of a sandy stretch of beach an incredible 6 kilometres long. Running parallel to the beach are high sand dunes and vegetation that mean it is only possible to access the seashore via the wooden walkways placed every few hundred metres. This ensures the beach is sheltered from the traffic of the road behind it, and makes it a quiet, relaxing beach, despite its popularity.
Next to the couple of roads that run behind the dunes are countless bars, restaurants, ice cream parlours and supermarkets. The main attraction for many visitors is the fact that there are several large golf courses and resorts just behind this, including Sancti Petri Hills Golf, the Iberostar Real Novo Sancti Petri Golf Club and more.
There is plenty of parking along the road too and a good number of villas which are rented by the week and used as tourist rental accommodation, so there are plenty of places to stay. For the months of July and August, the cost of short-term rental accommodation can become much more expensive.
In the tourist high season in summertime, there are lifeguards on duty on the beach during the day. There are also itinerant salespeople who walk up and down the beach all day selling cold drinks, snacks and souvenirs.
There are also some toilets, showers and footwashing stations which are available to use in summer.
Dogs are allowed on the beach in the low season, between October 15 and March 15.
How to get to the Playa de la Barrosa
By car
It is located in the town of Chiclana, between Cadiz city and Tarifa, about 7 kilometres from the A-48 main road.
By train
There are several train stations in Chiclana, including Pelagatos, which is on the Cádiz Trambahía tram line. There are also La Hoya station and Nuestra Señora de los Remedios station, but all of these are in the town of Chiclana rather than near the beach.
By bus
The two buses that go from Chiclana de la Frontera to the beach of La Barrosa are the L-8 and the L-11.
There are also coaches from La Línea de la Concepción (near Gibraltar), San Fernando and Cadiz that pass by close to the beach.
By plane
The closest Spanish airport to La Playa de la Barrosa is Jerez de la Frontera airport. Other tourists who choose to visit the province of Cadiz often fly to Seville airport as it is larger and has more connections, and is only about an hour away from Cadiz by train or car.
For British tourists, flying to Gibraltar airport from the UK is also a popular option when visiting Cadiz as there are lots of flight connections and it is also only about an hour away.
Image 1: Junta de Andalucía
Image 2: Cadiz Turismo
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