Tarifa

Just to the west of Tarifa, you’ll find more than six miles of wide, gorgeous beaches. The white sand simply begs any visitor here to tread across this beautiful shoreline. The water is cool and blue, and on most days (when there isn’t any fog) you can see across the narrow Straits of Gibraltar to Africa and Morocco. Mountains loom in the distance, jutting high over the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Ocean to the east.

Tarifa is famous for its consistent and constant wind. That makes these pristine beaches prime acreage for surfers, kite surfers and windsurfers alike. Not surprisingly, the land is full of windmills, miles upon miles of them. The windmills take advantage of the awesome wind power available up and down this stretch of Spanish coast. Don Quixote would have been proud to tilt his lance at any one of them.

Tarifa was once a small, obscure fishing village. The town came into global prominence when the Moors invaded from Africa at the beginning of the eight-century. Tarifa was one of the Muslim conqueror’s closest, and main staging points when landing in Europe.

The little seaside town is delightful, full of narrow lanes and small cafés, with superb views across the water to Africa, and the Moroccan port of Tangier (which lights up at night). Inside the city proper, you’ll come across the Jerez Gate, as well as the Castle of Guzman the Good, which some people speculate was built on top of Roman ruins.

There are day excursions available to Morocco, plus dolphin and whale watching boat trips that leave from the main ferry terminal downtown. The pace of life in Tarifa is slow and laidback, and the food (especially the seafood) excellent. You’ll meet plenty of warm and inviting people here, and during the season, a ton of surfers and beach lovers. Tarifa is a great place to just hang out, and spend a lazy summer afternoon or evening with a glass of Spanish wine in your hand.