One of the best things about Cádiz is its proximity to the ocean. The smooth sand and perfect blue waves and sky of the beaches make the trip feel more like vacation than study abroad.

La Caleta

La Caleta is the beach closest to the University de Cádiz and Parque Genovés. This beach is famous for being a filming site for the James Bond movie Die Another Day. La Caleta is also right next to two castillas and is, in my opinion, the most picturesque place to watch the sunset from. There are many cafes and restaurants located nearby. Because of its convenient location right inside the old town, it is usually the most crowded beach.Other drawbacks of La Caleta are that it is the smallest and has lots of seaweed on the sand.

La Playa Del Caleta on a sunny afternoon.

The beach in the evening.

Halle Berry and Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day.

Playa Santa María Del Mar

Santa Maria is my host mom’s favorite beach. It is located right outside the walls of the old town part of Cádiz, a few minutes away from Plaza de San Juan. The beach is enclosed on all sides by a tall wall and two rocky jetties reaching out into the Mediterranean Sea on the right and left. It looks very picturesque but causes the beach to be overly windy sometimes. There are restaurants on each side and a view of most of the Cádiz skyline. Pictures cannot even come close to conveying how gorgeous this beach is!

View of Santa Maria Beach from the ramparts.

The water at Playa Santa María is an acceptable temperature for swimming.

Playa de la Victoria

Unless walking almost three miles in a bathing suit is on your to do list, Playa Victoria is only accessible by car or bus. Both the 1 and 7 bus lines go straight to the beach and cost 1.10 euros each way. The beach stretches all the way down the cost for miles parallel to Av de Cayetano del Toro, a road lined with shops and restaurants. There are also many restaurants on the beach and comfy beach chairs available to rent. This beach had the most runners, joggers, and walkers. Allegedly the coast of Morocco is visible from the shore but we did not see anything on the horizon besides boats. Although Victoria is not surrounded by nice, old, architecture like the other beaches, its size makes it well worth the trip.

The Cádiz bus map. We took line 1 and got off around where line 7 ends at Ingeniero La Cierva.

Victoria is by far the largest of the three beaches.