Playa De Bolonia(Bolonia Beach, Playa de Bolonia à Bolonia)

Located in the Southern Spanish village of Bolonia, Playa Bolonia - also known as Playa de Bolonia - is a two-mile long beach with white sand. This beach is situated within a bay named Bolonia Bay which is also known as Ensenada de Bolonia (meaning Bolonia Cove in Spanish). Playa Bolonia is a part of a protected natural park named El Estrecho Natural Park (known in Spanish as Parque Natural del Estrecho). This beach has an amazing background of vegetation-covered oceanfront mountains. 

Playa Bolonia has many amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, and water-sporting equipment rentals. 

Playa Bolonia offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, hiking, wildlife watching, swimming, snorkelling, windsurfing, kitesurfing, paddleboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, and boating. The water near Playa Bolonia is generally shallow and has gentle lapping waves, which makes it ideal for children, beginner swimmers, and paddleboarders. The water’s clarity also makes it ideal for snorkelers, who often enter the water near Playa Bolonia to explore its vibrant underwater biodiversity. The beach also gets occasionally windy, which makes it great for kitesurfers and windsurfers. If you are a beginner windsurfer, Bolonia Windsurf Center offers windsurfing lessons. However, if you are planning to go into the water near Playa Bolonia, we recommend being careful as the water here has occasional unpredictable rip currents.

The Duna de Bolonia is a 30-meter tall sand dune which is present near the western end of Playa Bolonia. This large sand dune is 200 meters wide and has sparse coastal vegetation. Visitors can climb this dune’s summit, which offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Andalusian shoreline and even the distant North African coastline. In addition, this sand dune also offers a fun sand-sledding experience. A wooden boardwalk is also present around Playa Bolonia which offers an interesting way to explore Southern Spain’s vibrant coastal landscape. In addition, hiking trails are also present in the forested hilly areas near the beach which offer a fun hiking experience. 

Getting to Playa Bolonia is easy - from the N-340 highway, you need to turn towards the CA-8202 road, which will eventually lead to Playa Bolonia. We recommend being careful while driving to Playa Bolonia as some parts of the road to the beach can be winding and narrow. There is a large paid parking lot near this beach. We recommend visiting Playa Bolonia early during summers as the parking lot near this beach often fills up quickly during this season. If you are planning to travel to Playa Bolonia by bus, microbus services for the village of Bolonia are available from the city of Tarifa between July and August.

As an interesting fact, this popular beach was named as the tenth best beach in Europe and the second best beach in Spain by TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice awards for beachesin 2015. 

There are many attractions near Playa Bolonia. The Archaeological Site of Baelo Claudia (known in Spanish as Conjunto Arqueológico de Baelo Claudia) is an extremely important historical landmark that has been designated as a National Historic Monument. This site has the remains of an immensely well-preserved city named Baelo Claudia which dates back to the Ancient Roman Era. This site offers a unique and intriguing insight into the vibrant history of Southern Spain. As an interesting fact, this ancient Roman city was also known to be a manufacturer and exporter of garum, which was a fish sauce widely used by ancient Romans. Faro De Camarinal is a lighthouse that was originally built as a watchtower in the 16th century for protection against pirates. Currently, this lighthouse has been designated as an Asset of Cultural Interest (known in Spanish as Bien de Interés Cultural) by the Spanish Government. Los Algarbes Necropolis is a local historic site that is 18 minutes away by car. This historical site has fifty artificial caves and funerary structures which date back to the third millennium BC. Many important archaeological artifacts including ancient pottery and jewelry pieces have also been recovered from this site. Some of the caves on this site also exhibit exquisite rock-art engravings. In addition, the historical presence of other later cultures has also been documented on this site including the Phoenicians, Ancient Romans, and the Muslims. If you are looking for another attraction near Playa Bolonia, La Cueva del Moro is a sandstone cave that has an interesting variety of cave-art paintings and engravings dating back to the Paleolithic Era. However, if you are planning to visit this cave, please note that the cave is situated on a steep cliff-wall around 40 meters above ground level, and only experienced rock climbers are advised to access this cave.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Playa Bolonia. If you are looking for an upscale restaurant, Restaurante Antonio is 35 minutes away by car and offers a pleasant oceanfront dining experience. The restaurant also serves amazing seafood and is famous for its delicious tuna dishes. In addition, the restaurant has also been praised by the renowned Spanish culinary guide Guía Repsol. Sirocco Bolonia offers outstanding Spanish seafood, steaks, burgers, and chicken nuggets. In addition, the restaurant also serves Japanese, Thai, Moroccan, and Italian dishes.  The Otero Restaurant is a popular restaurant that offers a casual ambiance. In addition, the restaurant serves a variety of amazing dishes prepared from fresh and locally caught seafood. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Playa Bolonia, Restaurante Pizzeria La Marisma is famous for serving an excellent variety of pizzas.  

If you are looking for a hotel near Playa Bolonia, there are many great nearby options within a 30-minute drive. The 4-Star Hotel Tarifa Lances offers many amenities including a pool, a children’s pool, multiple restaurants, a bar, a gym, a watersports center, and a spa that offers a hydrotherapy pool and massage treatments. In addition, the hotel also hosts live music performances. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Beach Hotel Dos Mares which offers many amenities including a pool, a tennis court, a seasonal windsurfing and kitesurfing school, and a gym. In addition, the hotel also offers massage services and horseback riding sessions. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Playa Bolonia, the 2-Star Hotel Restaurante La Torre, Tarifa offers many amenities including two restaurants (including one with a fireplace and a terrace), a garden, a hot tub, a sauna, and complimentary breakfast.