There are loads of great places around Tarifa to ride a bike – ancient pine forests, mountains and coastal roads. If you want ride to a destination rather than just ride, Bolonia and Baelo Claudia are both well worth a visit and in easy reach by bike.
Bolonia is a small coastal village built around a natural bay and framed by mountains. It’s a beautiful location with its sandy beach, large sand dunes and Roman ruins at Baelo Claudia. There are excellent fish restaurants and bars by the water if you want to eat, drink and relax. For cheese lovers, there is a farm that produces its own goat cheese that you can tour and sample the produce.
You can kitesurf here too – for more details see our Tarifa Kite Spots section.
Getting there: 17km from Tarifa. The last few kms are either a tough but scenic ride through the mountains, or taking your bike over the sand to avoid the mountain roads.
Baelo Claudia is an ancient Roman town situated on the Costa de la Luz, some 15km north of Tarifa, next to the town of Bolonia and the beautiful beach. Its history lies in the trade routes serving Europe and North Africa – the town’s strategic position on the coast near the Straits of Gibraltar made it a crucial stopping-off point between the two continents. The ruins of Baelo Claudia, with its impressive temple, forum and basilica, and especially the large fish-salting factory, show how important the town was. Deriving its wealth from the fishing industry, Baelo Claudia supplied the popular Roman delicacy, garum (fish paste) to the whole Roman Empire. It was thriving at the time of Emperor Claudius (41-45 AD), who gave the town his name.
For more information on Baelo Claudia visit Andalucia’s Website
Getting there: 17km from Tarifa. The last few kms are either a tough but scenic ride through the mountains, or taking your bike over the sand to avoid the mountain roads.
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Tarifa is well served by buses, but it’s quite a long way from a lot of places! You can take a bus trip from Tarifa to Gibraltar in a hour to explore the rock and meet its famous monkeys, or take a longer trip to Cadiz or Seville (2-3 hours each way, so plan carefully if you’re going for the day!)
Gibraltar is just a bus ride from Tarifa – once you get there you will be entering an Overseas Territory of the UK so to get through Customs and onto the Rock you will need your pass port. Most of Gibraltar is a designated nature reserve, which is home to around 250 Barbary Macaques, the only wild monkeys in Europe.
As you climb higher on the Rock you will enjoy spectacular views over Europe and Africa. You can also visit the Great Siege tunnels and St. Michaels Caves, set 300 metres above sea level and an amazing example of what time and water can do to limestone.
When you’re leaving, don’t forget that electronic goods, cigarettes and alcohol are cheaper than in Spain due to Gibraltar’s tax free status. The official currency is Pounds Sterling but you shouldn’t have any trouble spending your Euros if you don’t get round to changing them.
Getting there:
You can get a bus direct from Tarifa to La Linea, the border with Gibraltar (which is also the airport runway!) From there you just walk through the border checkpoint and that’s it, you’re in Gibraltar.
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Useful contacts:
Visit Gibraltar
tel: +350 20074950
Don’t forget: Your passport, duty free limits!
Tarifa’s history is based around the sea and its proximity to Africa. You can explore both of these by taking a boat trip to the Spanish colony of Ceuta or to Tangier in Morocco. Boats leave regularly, prices are reasonable and it’s only an hour each way.
Tangier is a magical place, a taste of Africa that’s only a 35 minute ferry trip from Tarifa but a whole continent away. To get there simply buy a ticket and walk down to the ferry port at Tarifa and climb on board. Once you’re there we’d recommend you get out of the ferry port and take a petit taxi to the Café de France, sit outside for half an hour to familiarise yourself with the pace of life, then head off to explore.
Things not to miss are the medina, souk and Kasbah, although you should be prepared to be offered many things you may or may not want at prices you may or may not be willing to pay! Some other things to see are the Church of St Andrew, the Caves of Hercules, the Grand Mosque and the view of Tarifa from the Rif mountains.
It’s well worth a visit and we recommend finding out more about local customs, currency, landmarks and language to make the most of your time there.
To get there, just go to Tarifa Ferry Port – it’s only a 35 minute ride.
Ceuta is a little bit of Spain in Africa. You can only get there by boat, it’s about an hour’s trip from Tarifa Ferry Port. Once you are there you can see the world’s largest bronze statue – Hercules holding apart the pillars, symbolising the mountains to either side of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Ceuta was once a Carthaginian city, and has been under the control of many rulers. This is reflected in its varied culture and many landmarks. Visit the Plaza de Africa, Casa de Los Dragones and El Conjunto Monumental de las Murallas Reales to get a taste of Ceuta’s history, and any of the many wonderful restaurants and bars for a taste of Ceuta as it is today.
Ceuta is less than an hour away – simply catch a ferry from Tarifa Ferry Port
Andalusia has a wealth of fascinating sights and history – the only problem is that it’s a big place, and to visit a lot of them a car is your best option. You can take in the magnificence of Seville, historic Granada and mighty Cadiz, visit the world’s oldest bullring in dramatic Ronda or sip a sherry in genteel Jerez.
Granada sits perched high on a hilltop, its commanding views over the local countryside making it clear why the Moors chose Granada as their main fortification in Spain. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the finest existing example of a Moorish palace.
More information about Granada here
Driving time: 3 hours
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Seville is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. It is the capital of Andalusia, the home of both flamenco and the world’s largest cathedral, and a magical place to enjoy some tapas and a drink as you watch the locals promenade.
More information about Seville here
Driving time: 2 hours
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Cadiz is a truly historic city – it is the oldest city in Europe, the gateway to the Americas and Africa and the spot where Halle Berry showed us her bikini in Die Another Day. The city is still a major port as well as a historic site. When you visit you will see the juxtaposition of the ancient and modern at every turn.
Jerez de la Frontera is most famous as the home of sherry. Home to numerous wineries (bodegas), the town has a strong link to Britain which is somewhat reflected in the slightly patrician culture of the city. Jerez is also a home of riding – not kiteboards, but horses and motorcycles, both of which have major events and a strong history here.
More information about Jerez here
Driving time: 1 hour 15 minutes
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