Tarifa is a popular destination for water sports, but it is even better to go from Spain to Morocco. How to go from Malaga to Tarifa by bus, train and car.
Read more about:
- Day trips from Malaga
- How to plan the perfect trip to Malaga
From Malaga to Morocco via Tarifa
Only 14 km of water separate Tarifa from Tangier in Morocco. If your main reason for going to Tarifa is to take the ferry to Morocco , you may consider taking a guided tour, especially if you want to visit Morocco as a day trip. Read more about traveling from Malaga to Morocco or see this.
However, Tarifa is more than just a ferry port. The meeting point between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic is a great place to learn kitesurfing (and other water sports).
- Compare accommodation prices in Tarifa
- Tarifa Tourist Guide
Tarifa to Malaga by bus and train
The Cadiz to Malaga bus route will take you from Tarifa to Malaga (or the other way around). The service is provided by TG Comes . There are usually about four buses in each direction. Alternatively, connect in Algeciras.
Avanzabus has a bus service from Malaga to Tarifa, although it does not appear to be running at the moment.
There are no trains from Tarifa to Malaga. If you have a Eurail Pass for Spain or just want to go by train, you will have to go to Algeciras, change at Antequera, and then take a bus from Algeciras.
- Everything you need to know about buses and trains in Spain, but forgot to ask .
Tarifa to Malaga by car
The 160 km route from Malaga to Tarifa takes about two hours by car. Driving on the A-7 / AP-7, you will pass through the entire Costa del Sol, including Marbella and Gibraltar. Be aware that there are tolls on this road. Compare car rental prices in Spain
Number of days to spend in Tarifa
You could spend an entire summer learning how to windsurf, but if you just want to get a taste of what Tarifa has to offer, you can do it in an action-packed day.
Things to do in Tarifa
There are three things to do in Tarifa: three great things to do in Tarifa, but only three things to do in Tarifa. They are: windsurfing (and all the novel variants like kitesurfing, etc.), whale and dolphin watching and trips to Morocco. Getting to Africa is covered above: see below for details on the other two.
Windsurfing in Tarifa
Windsurfing made this small coastal town a magnet for water sports enthusiasts. Don’t be afraid if you’ve never windsurfed before – there are many courses for beginners. Take a walk through the Batalla de Salado, the main street of Tarifa, and check the prices. Sail & Board rental for a day is about € 50, the lessons are similar. The largest school in Tarifa is Tarifa Spin Out . Kitesurfing is also becoming very fashionable.
Whale and dolphin watching from Tarifa
There are a number of tour companies that offer a three-hour boat trip to see whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Walk through the old town (at the end of c / Batalla de Salado) and you will find a number of schools.
What NOT to do in Tarifa
Many people associate water sports with beach holidays and imagine that where there is windsurfing there will be good beaches. But where there is windsurfing there is wind , which is not good when you want to sunbathe without coming home with sand everywhere .
How to get to Tarifa from elsewhere (and where to go next)
Tarifa is the perfect stop between Cádiz and Ronda . Tarifa does not have a train station, so you will have to travel by bus or rent a car. There is a direct bus from Cádiz that takes 1h30 to 2h (the trip is with TG Comes. To get to Ronda, take a bus to Algeciras and then a train. It is also possible to travel to and from Seville , but the route is tortuous: you it is better that you break up the trip by going to Cádiz (the travel time is the same but you see an extra city.
First impressions of Tarifa
The bus’ station ‘(a car park with a small shelter and a rarely manned ticket office) is located on c / Batalla de Salado, the main street of Tarifa, and just a few minutes walk from the excess of surf shops that’ they say hello ‘when you get to town. At the end of the street there is a large arch and beyond the old town. The old town is a nice collection of windy, medina-style streets, it’s a shame the commercialism of the windsurfing community has sucked the city out of most of its charm. Going down from the arch, you will arrive at Plaza San Martín.
Turn right to get to the beach (for windsurfing) and the port (for trips to Morocco).
