Tarifa Guide — Apt Tino Tarifa

The old town

Whitewashed Andalusian lanes inside Moorish walls — tapas bars, surf shops, and the Puerta de Jerez gate. Evenings start late and end later.

Twenty minutes up the coast: a giant white sand dune, a wilder beach, and the ruins of a 2,000-year-old Roman town right on the shore.

Dolphins year-round, pilot whales in summer, and orcas passing through — boats leave from the harbour, ten minutes' walk from town.

The ferry crosses to Tangier in about an hour — souks, mint tea and a different continent, back in Tarifa for dinner.

Tarifa runs on tapas, tuna and beach bars. A few habits worth picking up:

Almadraba tuna

The local catch, caught the same way for 3,000 years. Order it everywhere, in every form.

Chiringuitos

Beach bars on Los Lances and Valdevaqueros — sunset drinks with your feet in the sand.

Late everything

Dinner at 9pm is early. Embrace the siesta and the long, slow evenings.