Town · Costa Occidental · Huelva province

Cartaya

An inland town whose coast includes the fishing village of El Rompido and the wild sand spit of the Río Piedras.

Why visit Cartaya

Cartaya is a market town surrounded by pine woods and farmland, but most visitors come for its stretch of coast, where the Río Piedras runs parallel to the sea behind a long sand spit, the Flecha del Rompido. The former fishing village of El Rompido, with its lighthouse and boats, looks across the river to beaches that can only be reached by ferry or on foot. Nuevo Portil adds pine-backed beaches and golf. Cartaya suits families, golfers, kayakers and anyone looking for a calm Atlantic base on the Costa de la Luz.

What to see and do in Cartaya

In summer, a small ferry crosses from El Rompido to the beaches on the Flecha del Rompido, a protected natural area of dunes and open sand; you can also explore the river by kayak, with calm water and views of the marshes. Playa El Rompido and the beaches of Nuevo Portil are lined with pines. Golfers can choose between the two courses at Golf El Rompido and Golf Nuevo Portil, and families have the Aquopolis water park. In Cartaya town, the restored Zúñiga castle and the main square make a short stop. The beaches of Islantilla and La Antilla are a short drive west.

A day in Cartaya

Take the ferry across the river from El Rompido to the Flecha for a morning on the beach. Return for a seafood lunch by the harbour, then spend the afternoon kayaking the Río Piedras or playing a round of golf. Finish with a walk to El Rompido's lighthouse at sunset.

Food and local life

El Rompido's seafood restaurants by the harbour serve fried fish, coquinas, white prawns and grilled fish of the day. Inland, Cartaya is known for its strawberries and citrus. The local Condado wines are worth a try.

Around Cartaya

Cartaya is in the Costa Occidental comarca. The beaches of La Antilla and Islantilla are short drives west, Punta Umbría and Huelva lie east, and the pine forests and marshes around the Piedras river are protected. Seville is just over an hour away.

See every town and village on the Costa Occidental page.

Getting there and around

Cartaya is in the Costa Occidental comarca, about 25 minutes from Huelva and 1 hour 15 minutes from Seville airport by car. Buses run from Huelva, but a car is easier for the coast. The ferry to the Flecha runs mainly in summer. Summer is busy; May, June and September are pleasant and quieter.