Tarifa
Tarifa lies 100 km from Cádiz and 21 from Algeciras. It has 16,743 inhabitants. The town lies on the main A-48 (N-340) road between Cadiz and Malaga. There are daily bus services to Cadiz , Algeciras , Seville and the Costa del Sol as well as a ferry link with Tangiers ( Morocco ). Located on the most southern tip of Europe, next to the sea, it is only 14 km from the coast of Africa . and 22 km of the ruins of Bologna .
Tarifa is one of the most popular tourist towns in the province of Cadiz , mainly because of the frequent Levante (easterlies) and Poniente (westerlies) winds that have turned this beautiful town into an international windsurfing centre. Many boutiques, specialist shops, pubs, restaurants, workshops, craft shops etc have grown up around this sport, thanks to which Tarifa has an extraordinary young and lively atmosphere which is enhanced by the nearby hotels and numerous camping sites.
Built by the Arabs with narrow streets and surrounding walls, it still retains, however , the customs and more authentic traditions of Andalusian towns. Tarifa has Phoenecean and Roman origins, but its current name comes from the Berber commander Tarik Ben Malek who arrived here after crossing the Straits of Gibraltar in 710. Historically, Tarifa's great moment was the feat of Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (also known as Guzmán The Good ) when he heroically defended the town against Arab troops. He preferred to sacrifice his son rather than surrender the town.
Its traditional economic activity is fishing and now tourism. Its fishermen use the "Almadraba" system of fishing nets especially for catching tuna and bonito. Exquisite fresh fish and the famous confectionery are served in the local restaurants. Stud farms for fighting bulls and beautiful horses are scattered through the surrounding countryside.
Beaches
Tarifa possesses white and beautiful, almost wild fine sandy beaches. Their transparent waters are ideal for underwater fishing from a boat or from the shore.
The best beaches are:
- The Lances.
- Punta Paloma
- Bolonia.
- The Plata Beach (near Zahara de los Atunes).
MONUMENTS
- The Castle of Guzmán the Good built by Abderrahman III.
- The Church of San Mateo - 16th century Gothic.
- The Church of San Francisco also 16th century.
- 8 km from the town is the Shrine of the Virgen de la Luz which is typically Andalusian in style.
- It is very interesting to visit to the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia, (actually Bologna ) which are about 12 kilometres from Tarifa where one can find the remains of temples, forums, thermal baths and a Roman theatre.
The countryside is of extraordinary ornithological interest as it is possible to observe from the coast large migrations of birds between Europe and Africa . It is also a good site for whale watching.
