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Travel guide with pictures and reviews for Bolonia

The bay of Bolonia, which was first settled by the Romans, is known to be the most beautiful beach on the Costa de la Luz. 
Being on holidays at the Costa de la Luz, you shouldn't miss this highlight. 

Nestled between Roman ruins and the majestic mountain of San Bartolo, Bolonia is a picturesque little village along the 4km long beach of your dreams. Several times in the past the award for the nicest beach in Andalusia was given to Bolonia.

The Romans already recognized the beauty of this bay at the end of the second century before Christ and the favourable geographical position as a trading port with the coast of North Africa. The ruins of this port city with the name "Baelo Claudia" were partially exposed and can now be visited by tourists.

The mountain of San Bartolo, which seperates the bays of Bolonia and Tarifa, reaches up impressively above the small village. This place used to live from tuna fishing until tourism brought up an additional income. 

Large hotels or apartment complexes cannot be found here. Nevertheless, we offer a variety of cozy holiday apartments and some very nice hostels. 

Gourmets will be deeply impressed in Bolonia. The local tuna is always on the menu in the local restaurants. A delicacy, which absolutely should be tried.

Fun & leisure in Bolonia

Beach bars in Bolonia

Instead of crowded bars or clubs you will find in Bolonia the so-called Chiringuitos (beach bars) situated along the beach promenade. Good music as company to some drinks and a very relaxed atmosphere are guaranteed in Bolonia. 

Those who look for intense nightlife and disco fever will find themselfs a bit lost in Bolonia. Nevertheless, even this can be arranged: a 15min car drive from Bolonia brings you to Tarifa where especially in the summer the party never ends. 

Right after the exit to Tarifa from the N340 national road (in the Poligono la Vega) several clubs and even the famous Cafe del Mar from Ibiza opened their gates in 2007.

Restaurants in Bolonia

The gastronomic landscape of Bolonia can be described as traditional Andalusian and simply delicious. The general rule is to judge the restaurants in Bolonia not by their appearance, but according to the quality of their food - which is absolutely great! 

Try the typical Andalusian recipes for fresh local fish like the tuna and sword fish, the unbeatable "Jamon" of the black Andalusian pigs or a filet of the best Spanish beef. 

We recommend to join the food with a bottle of Rioja and for dessert a glass of sherry from the nearby vineyards around Jerez de la Frontera.

Shopping in Bolonia 

Bolonia provides some smaller shops selling food, drinks, beach accessories and sun cream. 

The shopping offer in Tarifa, however, is much more versatile and complete. The quantity of kitesurf shops, windsurf shops and fashion stores is amazing here. Tarifa also provides three large supermarkets opening from 9am until 21.30pm every day except for Sundays.

Day-trips from Bolonia

Bolonia is a perfect base for many interesting nearby destinations reachable within little time. We recommend to rent a car for your holidays in Andalusia, so you wouldn't have to depend on public transports.

Here just a few day-trip destinations, not more than 1,5 hours away from Bolonia:

Sports offers in Bolonia

Bolonia offers ideal conditions for windsurfing and between October and May also for surfing. 

Kite surfing is not allowed in Bolonia. So if you are looking for the perfect kite surfing spot, you should choose one of the many other beaches of the Costa de la Luz. 

Outside the water Bolonia provides other sports possibilities such as climbing on the mountain of San Bartolo or horseback riding along the beach. You could also rent a mountain bike to explore the surroundings of Bolonia.

Thanks to the warm climate you can practice your favourite sports in Bolonia at any time of year.

Windsurfing in Bolonia - Spot, wind and windsurf station

Bolonia on the Costa de la Luz is a secret spot amongst windsurfers. Compared to Tarifa, Bolonia has about 1-2 beaufort less wind on strong Levante days and provides more constant winds being less gusty.

Two winds are dominating this part of the coast: the strong and warm Levante wind, and the weaker and cooler Poniente wind. Depending on your level of windsurfing you may want to choose between the spots of Bolonia and Tarifa.

The best months for windsurfing are between April and October. During that time, the Levante is particularly strong and it's sufficient to wear a short neoprene suit.

In the summer of 2006 a windsurfing station has opened in Bolonia. You can rent windsurf material here or take some lessons to have the proper access to this sport or improve your abilities.

Kitesurfing is not allowed at all in Bolonia and windsurfing has to be practiced at the left end of the bay. The rest of the Bolonia bay is marked with signs to be swimmers-only zone.

Climbing in Bolonia - Climbing routes, climbing lessons, free climbing

About 200 fantastic climbing routes on the mountain of San Bartolo wait for you to be explored. 

There are walls between 5m and 80m of hight, with a degree of difficulty between 3 and 8a. The multitude of different walls ensures that it is never overcrowded.

Even with strong winds there's always a wall protected by the wind. The low probability of rain in the region and the mild climate even in the winter let the climbing season in Bolonia never end. 

The climbing routes can be found on the mountain of San Bartolo, which seperates the bays of Tarifa and Bolonia. Follow the signs to the small village named "Betis' on this mountain in order to find the walls. From Bolonia to Betis it takes about 5min with a car. 

Golf in Bolonia - Between the best golf courses in Europe

One of the finest golf resorts in Europe is the Dehesa Montenmedio Golf & Country Club. This beautiful golf course is not situated right by the sea, so you might prefer to reside in one of the comfortable holiday apartments in Atlanterra and drive the 17km to Montenmedio for playing golf.

Besides this one there are many more superb golf clubs around Atlanterra. Combine the best of these clubs to the Andalusian golf vacation of your life time!

Thanks to the climate, the golf season never ends in Andalusia and even in January you can play in thin clothing.

Here some more recommendations for golf clubs in Andalusia:
 

1. Costa Ballena Golf
2. Sancti Petri Golf
3. Benalup Golf
4. Dehesa Montenmedio Golf

The beach of Bolonia

Playa de Bolonia

The beach of Bolonia is one of the most beautiful ones in all of Andalusia. The fine, white sand comes up to the expectations of even the most demanding visitor. 

We recommend to all sun bathers to use enough sunscreen, because the Andalusian sun can cause a sun burn within a very short time. 

Who longs for cooling down in the heat, jumps into the crystal-clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which even in summer never exceeds the mark of 20 ° C mark. In winter time the temperature hardly drops below 16 °C. 
To water sports enthusiasts we always recommended to wear a wetsuit protecting from cooling out. 

The water is very clean and there is no danger of strong currents while swimming. Jellyfish and other unpleasant marine animals won't be encountered here. 

The bay of Bolonia with its sand dune at the top end of the bay is amazingly similar to the bay of Tarifa. One can say that the bay of Bolonia a miniature edition of the bay of Tarifa. 

Particularly between October and May we recommend the beach of Bolonia for surfing, when the shape of the bay assures that the Atlantic swell hits directly on this part of the coast. 
Waves between 2m and 3m height are not uncommon here in winter time.
 

Climate & weather in Bolonia

While temperatures in the summer at the Andalusian coast are comfortably warm, it may be unbearably hot just 20km further in the country. Seville, for example, is used to have above 40°C every day while on the coast you only feel 25°C.

In winter time it hardly gets any colder than 16°C, except for the nights which could end up being around 10°C. The temperatures also depend on the wind direction: Levante brings warmer air from the land, Poniente brings cool air form the sea.

The average humidity in summer is around 30%, in the winter it is above 50%.

The probability of rain is very low apart from January til April. Statistically the Costa de la Luz provides more than 300 days of sunshine per year. In fact, rain is always welcome to assure the water supply in summer.
 

Arrival to Bolonia

Useful information about Bolonia