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TOP 13 Day Trips from La Línea de la Concepción

Viva las day trips! Who doesn’t like a short getaway to breath in some ‘fresh air’? Especially when one lives in La Línea de la Concepción? Let’s get out of the city and find ourselves wandering through one of the most beautiful places in the whole Andalusia. Check out my 13 best day trips from La Línea and explore both Costa del Sol and Costa del Luz.  

Vest Day Trips Around La Linea and Gibraltar

It was my 4th La Línea anniversary in May 2020, and I was feeling very nostalgic and emotional (although there were many other factors which could have influenced this state of mind of mine). In a few days I will leave this place without a proper opportunity to say goodbye (yes, because of the C-19 thing…).

This made me to write another ode about La Línea which is not definitely the best place to live but it might be a great place to explore the beauties of Andalusia! Many natural gems and charismatic towns are just ‘a few minutes’ away from Campo de Gibraltar which make them a perfect place for a day trip from La Línea!

This is not an ultimate list of all trips one can manage to do from La Línea, Gibraltar and surrounding residential areas. There are many extraordinary places in Andalusia which are worth visiting but I omitted them (Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba) because they are more than a couple of hours away and all are suitable for a weekend getaway rather than a day trip. I also didn’t include the places which aren’t really close to my heart – Sotogrande or Marbella (they are way too posh and artificial for my taste).

13 Best Day Trips from La Linea, Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar

I based this selection on my own travel experience, as well as on the ideas or opinions of my friends and acquaintances. Therefore, if you are aware of any other day trip from Campo de Gibraltar area, please write a comment below!

Tarifa and surrounding beaches

Camino de la Pista, Tarifa
Camino de la Pista, Tarifa

This surfing paradise is definitely one of the most favourite day trip destinations from Campo de Gibraltar! After I arrived to La Línea I asked my new friends and colleagues about places worth seeing around, and 99% of them confidently said: Tarifa it is! Many of them have been even dreaming of living there to enjoy the free spirit and hippie kind of life. Why is Tarifa so popular? It is just so charismatic and easy-going! The cute centre with whitewashed houses hides many great places to take a lovely brunch, lunch or dinner; but it is mostly the long stunning beaches which attract people of all ages.

Yes, Punta Paloma in Tarifa is a great spot for INSTA photo-shooting!

The golden sand is soft like a baby’s bottom and the water is chilled & crystal clear! Moreover, the secluded beaches around Tarifa don’t even look real! You feel like being stuck in a well ‘photo-shopped’ Instagram picture with a fancy filter on. The all coast around Tarifa shines in unlimited beauty! Finally, there are also many spots for hiking, so you’re not surrounded just by golden dunes and perfectly blue water, you got also many green bushes to crawl through!

Beaches to see: Playa Chica, Playa Lances, Valdevaqueros, Punta Paloma, Bolonia.

How to Get there: By bus (check the connection here), by bus through Algeciras, by car (all within 1 hour).

Casares

Casares sunset in Spain Andalusia

Casares is one of the pretty white villages (or Pueblos Blancos) of the Andalusian region. For the first time settled in ancient times, Casares was built at 435 metres above sea level so the views from this tiny place are just magnificent! There is nothing around but nature with hiking trails, so the place really asks for some peaceful adventures!

Always hungry people will appreciate the high ranked restaurants and bars offering stunning views to Costa del Sol. Casares is a great place for a weekend day trip from La Línea, perfect spot for all view lovers with always empty bellies!

How to get there: by car; the bus connection between La Línea and Casares is miserable.

Gaucín

Hike around Gaucin
Hike in Gaucin

Just a little farther from the white village of Casares there is another pretty Pueblo Blanco worth visiting. Its name is Guacín and it is surrounded by hills, mountains and nature parks with great possibilities of nature hiking, biking or walking with a great view to all the greenery and blue waters set around.

After visiting one of the most popular attractions of Gaucín –  Castillo del Aguila, you can treat yourself with a glass (or more) of wine at Cezar Viñedos y Bodega S.L. which offers wine tasting and home-made tapas. Poor those who will have to drive back! Because there is no direct bus connection between Gaucín and La Línea.

How to get there: by car.

Istán

Beautiful views taken from El Coto de Istan
Beautiful views taken from El Coto de Istan

Aren’t two white villages enough? Nope, they are not! Even though they may look all the same at the first glance, each of them radiates a unique kind of vibe and — of course offers a different view! One of your day trips from La Línea: but just in case you got a car – can be headed to Istán, which is situated in the middle of such nature treasures like Sierra Blanca, Sierra de las Nieves, La Concha and Embalse de la Concepción Reserve. Like all Pueblos Blancos, Istán is a perfect place for all views catchers and local cuisine admirers!

How to get there: by car.

Beaches of Manilva

Picture of beautiful Playa de las Conchas de Manilva
Playa de las Conchas de Manilva

Do you fancy a long beach day away from crowded Levante and Poniente coasts of La Línea? What about exploring the beaches situated around the town of Manilva? There are a few to choose from: popular Playa de la Chullera in San Diego, Punta Chullera with its less accessible as well as less occupied rocky surface or tiny Cala de la Sardinia with a pretty beach afterwards — Playa de las conchas de Manilva.

How to get there:  by bus and by car.

 

Estepona

Old town Estepona Spain
Old town of Estepona

What do I like about Estepona? I saw there my very first dolphins in Andalusia! I also love the H10 hotels complex (yeah posh but beautiful), long beaches, the charming whitewashed old town, wide selection of excellent restaurants and plenty of other things to do around. It’s a lovely place to walk around the city, to get nice sea views and also to do some fancy shopping.

How to get there: there is a pretty frequent bus connection from La Linea + you get there easily by car.

Ronda

Ronda views mirador

Andalusia is not ‘just’ about splendid beaches, parties and fancy resorts near Marbella. This Spain’s most southern region is very rich in history, specific Flamenco culture and it is strongly influenced by the Arabic invasion during the Middle Ages. One of the both historical and natural gems of this region is Ronda which was firstly occupied by Celts around 600 years BC! What fascinates travellers and tourists the most is the elevation and the terrain of the town.

Ronda was built on a giant canyon El Tajo of the high of 750 metres above sea level. Moreover, there is a Guadalevín river running through the canyon which divided the town into several parts, nowadays connected with bridges. The most well-known is Puente Nuevo which creates the romantic atmosphere and stunning views Ronda is famous for.

How to get there: by train from San Roque (lovely journey full of gorgeous views but not that frequent for a day drip); by car (much better for a day trip!).

Cádiz

Genovese gardens Cadiz
Genovese Gardens in Cadiz

This ‘cradle of the European history’ is just 1,5 hours away from La Línea! Cádiz is according to many sources the oldest inhabited city in Europe and apart from the rich historical and cultural life it can be proud of its Andalusian cuisine (some legends say that tapas was invented in Cádiz!) and beautiful beaches as well as one of the most stunning sunsets in the whole Europe. No wonder that Halle Berry walked in her sexy orange bikini through Cádiz’s Caleta beach to throw a flirty eye on Pierce Brosnan 007! Did you know that Cádiz hosts some coolest carnivals in Europe?

How to get there: by car for a day trip, by bus for a weekend getaway.

Zahara de los Atunes

Zahara-de-los-Atunes-cadizenred
Gorgeous Zahara, source & picture credit: Cadizemred.com

Another beach paradise of Costa del Luz! Situated just a few kilometres away from Tarifa, this small town is known for its long golden sand beaches, azure waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the love for tuna! Every year it hosts a tuna festival ‘Ruta del Atún’ with a selection of the best dishes from freshly and locally caught tuna fish. Zahara de los Atunes is a perfect place to catch some sea breeze, get tanned and enjoy the peace of nature beaches.

How to get there: by car, there is no direct bus connection.

El Palmar

Playa El Palmar: https://www.vejerdelafrontera.org/playa-el-palmar/
El Palmar, Source & Pic Credit : vejerdelafrontera.org

Why is it that all Costa del Luz is so laid-back and unspoiled? While the eastern coast of Andalusia — Costa del Sol is known for the luxurious vibe, fancy hotels, expensive restaurants and ‘body to body because there is like thousands of people’ beach clubs, her western sister keeps its relaxed atmosphere and unspoiled look for years. Thanks God! Even though the places around El Palmar, Chiclana and Conil de la Frontera are slowly getting more and more attention; the beaches of El Palmar are being carefully preserved. The sand is golden, the water shines like a diamond and the air can’t be any fresher!

How to get there: by car

Conil de la Frontera

Conil_de_la_frontera_13gm-1-bungalowsclub
Conil de la Frontera – source & picture credit: bungalowsclub.com

Although, Conil de la Frontera is not a real ‘Pueblo Blanco’ which are known to be built uphill and are tied to a deep Moorish influence, it still kind of looks like one! The tiny and charming old town follows the white-washed fashion of Andalusian architecture and the beach spreads in space so wide that you can look for an unspoiled piece of land just for yourself!

How to get there: by car; there is also a bus from La Línea but it is not very frequent.

  

Jerez de la Frontera

sherry-jerez-de-la-frontera-https://www.moderngentlemanmagazine.com
Jerez de la Frontera, source & picture credit: moderngentlemanmagazine.com

Does the word ‘Jerez’ sound familiar? Muy bien, you’re not mistaken if you’ve already heard a similar word before. Jerez is the home of sherry, fortified white wine strong in aroma and even more powerful in taste! No beaches or surfing this time, guys! Rather a guided wine tasting session in one of the ‘bodegas’ and sophisticated culture wandering it is what’s waiting for you in Jerez.

How to get there: by car for a day trip, by bus for a longer stay.

 

Vejer de la Frontera

Main plaza at Vejer de la Frontera
Pretty Plaza of Vejer de la Frontera

White village, here you come again! Vejer de la Frontera is one of the biggest Pueblos Blancos around Campo de Gibraltar so it has to be definitely on your list of ‘day trips from La Línea’. Just to compare, the sizes, Vejer has nearly 13,000 inhabitants while villages like Istán or Gaucín are homes to less than 2,000 people. Like all the white villages, Vejer is also  situated on a hill surrounded by nature and plenty of gorgeous views. Just sit down, enjoy the local kitchen, a glass of nice Spanish wine and get away with the mysterious atmosphere of the medieval times!

How to get there: by car. Vejer is hardly accessible from La Linea by bus.

All those places sound wicked, right? And they‘re all less than 100 minutes away from La Línea! Would you still prefer visiting something closer to the city? Fair enough! There is a bunch of places which are literally on the doorstep of LA.

Castillo de Castellar: monplamar.com
Castillo de Castellar. Source & Picture Credit: monplamar.com

Castillo de Castellar is a little fortress in La Línea’s nearby village of Castellar de la Frontera. It gives you a several hiking trails and a nice view to the lake of Embalse del Guadarranque. Unfortunately, you can get there just by car, the bus connection is very poor.

El Pinar del Rey is a perfect spot for a weekend picnic and forest walk. This natural park is located just outside of San Roque. You also need a car to get there. Other option is to take a bus to San Roque and walk from there which takes only 49 minutes.

There are also several hiking tours around La Línea like Sendero Valdeinfierno, Torre Vigía del Rayo, Dolmenes de Caheruelas, Guadalmesi and much more1

The options for a day trip from La Línea are truly unlimited! Whether you wear hiking shoes all year around or you’re a sunny kid from the block you will definitely find your cup of Andalusian tea here! I write about more places to visit in the area in my Andalusian Road Trip article, as well the generic piece about Best Places in Andalusia. If you don’t mind spending more than 4 hours in a car, you can also visit Sevilla, Zahara de la Sierra, Malaga or Nerja, although I really thing that these are much more enjoyable for a weekend getaway as they offer many places to discover!

This is what I’ll miss so much after leaving LA – those numerous stunning places to explore around. Andalusia is one of those places where summer feels like never-ending holidays!  Enjoy your monthly portions of travelling around La Línea and if you discover a new place around let me know in the comments below. Adios Muchachos.

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