Playa de Palmones

About Playa de Palmones

Playa de Palmones is the beach of Palmones, a coastal village in Los Barrios municipality on the Bay of Algeciras in the Campo de Gibraltar. It sits on the right bank of the mouth of the Río Palmones, which you cross on the way from Algeciras. The beach is about 750 metres long and 30 metres wide, with golden sand and calm, shallow water inside the bay, although the wind can be strong.

What makes it distinctive is the setting. On one side is the Marismas del Río Palmones natural area, a protected estuary of dunes about a kilometre long, salt marsh crossed by tidal channels, and salt-tolerant plants such as glasswort and rushes. On the other side are the Palmones industrial estate and the Acerinox steelworks port. Across the bay, the Rock of Gibraltar fills the view.

It is a busy urban beach, with a seafront promenade lined with restaurants known for fish, plus boat hire, showers, toilets and a lifeguard service in season. Anglers fish from the river end.

June and September are the best months for swimming. Come in the morning, when the wind is usually lighter, or in the evening for dinner on the promenade with the lights of Gibraltar across the water.

Playa de Palmones in pictures

What you’ll find

• Beach boatsBoat rentalRent
• Beach lifeguardSupervised swimmingFree
• Public showersWash bodyFree
• Public toiletsPersonal SanitattionFree
• Sandy beachRest on beachFree
• Sea shoreSwimmingFree

Nearby places to visit

Inland from the bay, the Algeciras Municipal Museum (5 km) covers the history and archaeology of Algeciras. Across the bay, Playa de Poniente (6 km) in La Línea looks straight at the Rock of Gibraltar. On the Mediterranean side of the isthmus, Playa de la Alcaidesa (12 km) is a long, quieter beach. Close to it is La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links (13 km), a 36-hole resort, while San Roque Golf Club (13 km), near Sotogrande, was Seve Ballesteros's base for Europe's 1997 Ryder Cup team. The A-7 links them all, so a morning at the museum fits easily before lunch in Palmones.