Where to stay in Tarifa

Hotels, hostales and holiday flats

The municipality of Tarifa has 3,270 registered places to stay with a total of 27,157 beds. Holiday flats make up the largest share: of the 2,999 flats, 2,913 are let as a whole and 83 by the room. The figures cover the whole municipality, which also includes Bolonia and the beaches of Atlanterra.

• 29 hotels, eight of them with four stars and one with five stars
• 19 hostales, all but one with one star
• 22 guesthouses and 7 albergues
• 44 apartment complexes and 2 aparthotels
• 138 rural holiday flats and 3 casas rurales
• 7 campsites

Which place suits you depends less on the type than on the location. The old town, the beach and the coast differ mainly in how far you are from the port, the wind and the place to swim.

In the old town

The old town begins behind the Puerta de Jerez, the gate in the town wall. Its narrow, winding lanes date from the Moorish period, and the church of San Mateo is among them. The Castillo de Guzmán el Bueno stands by the port, and little Playa Chica is right next to the old town. The ferries to Tanger Ville leave from the port, so for a day trip to Tangier on the Tarifa - Tangier ferry, a place in the old town keeps you close to the boat.

If you come by car, the parking rules are part of choosing where to stay. Since 16 October 2026, Tarifa's traffic bylaw has allowed residents-only streets. They are marked by signs and road markings, and if you park there illegally your car may be towed away. In the blue zone, for example on Avenida de Andalucía and behind the castle, parking is limited to two hours from Monday to Friday 10:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays 10:00 to 14:00. Whether a place has its own parking space is shown in each listing. Buses and parking in detail are covered under Getting there.

On Los Lances beach

North-west of the town comes Playa de los Lances. Its southern stretch, Los Lances Sur, is urban, followed by a natural stretch under special protection and Los Lances Norte, a good 4 km of natural beach. Playa de los Lances is protected as a Paraje Natural, and the lagoon on the beach is a protected bird area where water sports are banned.

With children, the urban part is an obvious choice. There are two lifeguard towers, showers and footbaths, and the bathing zone between the flags is kept separate from the water sports zone. Six of the year-round kite school zones are at Lances Norte, so for a kitesurfing holiday, staying on this stretch saves you journeys. Flags and season times are explained under Beaches.

On the coast towards Valdevaqueros and Bolonia

Further north-west come Valdevaqueros, Punta Paloma and the bay of Bolonia. Valdevaqueros is a natural stretch of just under 2 km with six more kite school zones. At Bolonia a shifting dune rises over 30 m high, and near the dune lie the ruins of the Roman town of Baelo Claudia. The CA-8202 leads to Bolonia from km 71 of the N-340.

If you stay on this stretch of coast, the beach and the wind are on your doorstep. The old town and port, however, are further away, which matters most if you want to catch an early ferry to Tangier.

Camping

There are seven campsites in the municipality, five with three stars and two with two stars. Most are on the N-340, two of them near Valdevaqueros. Pitching a tent or sleeping on the beach is banned all year round, and even lying down on the beach just to sleep counts as camping under the beach bylaw. From 1 June to 15 October, fires are banned in Andalusia in and around woodland, including at campsites in these areas. Sites and rules for tents and motorhomes are under Camping, and the fire rules under Weather.

In August 2027

On 2 August 2027, a total solar eclipse will cross the Strait of Gibraltar. The path of totality covers almost the whole province of Cádiz, and in Europe the eclipse is only total in Spain. In Tarifa the partial phase begins at 9:40. The sun is totally eclipsed from 10:45 to 10:49, for about 4 minutes and 38 seconds in all, when it stands about 38 degrees high in the east. The eclipse ends shortly after 12:00.

The day falls in the high season on the beaches, so it makes sense to plan accommodation around 2 August 2027 early. Times for every municipality in Spain and advice on safe viewing are available from Spain's National Geographic Institute on its eclipse page.

How to get to Tarifa is covered under Getting there and Airports. Places to swim and season times are explained under Beaches, and wind and climate through the year under Weather.