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Playa de la Caleta, Cadiz: Costa de la Luz beach guide
A small and welcoming beach in the heart of Cadiz city’s historical old town that has been used in many movies
La Caleta is the closest beach to the Casco Antiguo city centre of Cadiz, Andalucía, and it is quite a small beach, so it is understandably very busy and gets full quickly. One way to access the beach on foot is through the old historical doors of the fortress wall.
The beach consists of a stretch of sand barely 500 metres long, so there’s not a lot of space considering how popular it is, and especially in comparison with the extremely long beach nearby, the Playa Victoria.
Right next to the Caleta beach is a 18th-century fortress, which is in the middle of the sea and is connected to the land by a stone walkway around 500 metres long, as long as the beach itself. It is one of the top tourist attractions to visit in Cadiz city and many people like to walk along this spit of land, with the tumultuous sea and rockpools full of crabs on both sides, although you cannot actually get inside the fort at the end.
Other iconic Cadiz sightseeing spots are located close to the beach, including the two massive Ficus trees outside the University which are over 100 years old and were brought to the city from India by travelling missionaries – an awe-inspiring sight if you get the chance to see it.
This beach has been used many times for filming scenes in movies and TV shows. Due to its similarity to Havana, Cuba, it has appeared as a substitute for the Carribean city on film countless times, in such productions as the James Bond caper ‘Die Another Day’ and 2008 flick ‘Manolete’ starring Adrien Brody and Penélope Cruz.
There’s not a lot of parking for cars near the La Caleta beach as it’s right in the busy city centre, but this does mean that public transport links are good, and there is no shortage of hotels and tourist rental apartments close to the beach.
Venturing into the city a short way from the beach, you can find bars, restaurants and shops, but on the beach itself there are not ‘chiringuito’ beach bars and the itinerant salespeople who walk up and down many Spanish beaches selling cold drinks, snacks and souvenirs are rare on the Playa de la Caleta.
How to get to the Playa de la Caleta
By car
It is located parallel to the Avenida Duque de Nájera, but parking close by is hard to come by.
By train
The Cádiz train station, which is the last on the Cádiz Cercanías, Renfe Media Distancia train and Trambahía tram lines, is a 25-minute walk from the beach.
By bus
Buses numbers 2 and 7 both stop close to the Playa de la Caleta.
By plane
The closest Spanish airport to Cadiz is Jerez de la Frontera airport, which has a direct connection via Cercanías train, although there are only about four trains per day going in each direction that go all the way to the airport, which is at the end of the line.
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.
Images: Junta de Andalucía
