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Playa de Sancti Petri, Chiclana: Cadiz and Costa de la Luz beach guide

Visit this idyllic and scenic tourist beach on the southwest coast of Spain

The beach of Sancti Petri is a long, sandy beach located on the Costa de la Luz in Spain, in the town of Chiclana de la Frontera. It is often visited the same time as, and sometimes confused with, the neighbouring beach of La Barrosa just to the south, from which it is separated by a cliff.

Half of the beach faces onto the open water of the Atlantic Ocean, where there are sometimes big waves and where the water can get choppy, while the other half is sheltered within the Sancti Petri canal, where it is a bit calmer.

La Playa de Sancti Petri is incredibly popular and famous among Spanish people, who come from Madrid, Barcelona and all over the country for their vacations here. It is also well-known among international tourist crowds, meaning that in the tourist high season in July and August it can get quite full, but the beach is so large that it doesn’t feel too crowded.

It consists of a sandy stretch of beach around 2 kilometres in length. Running parallel to the beach are sand dunes and vegetation that make access the shore possible only by using wooden walkways which are placed every few hundred metres. This means the beach is sheltered from the traffic of the roads behind it, and makes it a quiet, relaxing beach, in spite of its popularity.

On the roads that run behind the dunes are several bars and restaurants, as well as some small supermarkets and other businesses. There is plenty of parking along the road too and official car parks too, not to mention loads of villas available for short-term lets as tourist rental accommodation. In the summer, given the high level of demand in the area, the price of holiday lets can go up significantly.

During the tourist high season, lifeguards are on duty on Sancti Petri beach during the day. It is a popular place to do water sports like kitesurfing and windsurfing, mainly on the Atlantic side of the beach. It is common to see itinerant salespeople walking up and down the beach and selling cold drinks, snacks and sunglasses.

There are also some toilets, showers and footwashing stations which are available to use in summer.

Dogs are allowed on the beach in the low season, between October 15 and March 15.

How to get to the Playa de Sancti Petri

By car

It is located in the town of Chiclana, between Cadiz city and Tarifa, about 7 kilometres from the A-48 main road.

By train

There are several train stations in Chiclana, including Pelagatos, which is on the Cádiz Trambahía tram line. There are also La Hoya station and Nuestra Señora de los Remedios station, but all of these are in the town of Chiclana rather than near the beach.

By bus

The two buses that go from Chiclana de la Frontera to the beach of Sancti Petri are the L-8 and the L-11.

There are also coaches from La Línea de la Concepción (near Gibraltar), San Fernando and Cadiz that pass by close to the beach.

By plane

The closest Spanish airport to La Playa de Sancti Petri is Jerez de la Frontera airport. 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.

Image 1: Cadiz Turismo

Image 2: Junta de Andalucía