Palos de la Frontera

Why visit Palos de la Frontera

On 3 August 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos with the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa María, crewed largely by local sailors led by the Pinzón brothers. The town on the Tinto estuary still lives with that story, and the sites linked to the voyage are among the most important places in Spain's history with the Americas. Beyond them lie strawberry fields, pine woods and the long Atlantic beaches of Mazagón, on the edge of Doñana. Palos suits history lovers, families and beachgoers looking for a quieter alternative to the Costa de la Luz resorts further east.

What to see and do in Palos de la Frontera

The Franciscan Monastery of La Rábida, where Columbus found support for his plans, keeps cloisters, frescoes and rooms associated with the voyage. Below it, the Muelle de las Carabelas displays full-size replicas of the three ships, which you can board, with a small museum of fifteenth-century life. In town, the Martín Alonso Pinzón House Museum honours the captain of the Pinta, and La Fontanilla is the well where the ships took on water. On the coast, Mazagón's beaches, including Playa de Castilla, Rompeculos and Las Maravillas, run for kilometres beneath sandy cliffs and pines. Huelva city, with its estuary and markets, is just across the river.

A day in Palos de la Frontera

Visit the Monastery of La Rábida in the morning, then board the replica caravels at the Muelle de las Carabelas. After lunch in Palos, see the Martín Alonso Pinzón House Museum and La Fontanilla well. Spend the late afternoon on Mazagón's beaches, and finish with prawns from Huelva.

Food and local life

Palos is one of Spain's main strawberry-growing towns, so look for strawberries in spring. The coast brings white prawns from Huelva, fried fish, coquinas (tiny clams) and tuna, and the Condado wine region is nearby.

Around Palos de la Frontera

Palos is in the Metropolitana de Huelva comarca, around the Tinto and Odiel estuaries. Moguer, birthplace of the poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, is next door, Huelva city lies across the river, and Punta Umbría has more beaches. Doñana National Park begins east of Mazagón, and the Odiel marshes are excellent for birds.

See every town and village on the Metropolitana de Huelva page.

Getting there and around

Palos de la Frontera is in the Metropolitana de Huelva comarca, about 15 minutes from Huelva city and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Seville airport by car. Buses link Huelva with Palos, La Rábida and Mazagón, but a car is easier for the coast. The beaches are at their best from May to October.