natural wonder
Rock of Gibraltar
The iconic limestone monolith guarding the strait between Europe and Africa, home to the famous Barbary macaques.
9 km · about 15 min drive
EuropeSpainAndalusia
Algeciras
Andalusia, Spain · Europe
About Algeciras
Algeciras is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Los Barrios, 9km from Rock of Gibraltar.
Algeciras is in Andalusia, Spain, with about 120,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Los Barrios, about 7 km away.
Algeciras (Spanish: [alxeˈθiɾas] ) is a city and a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. With a registered population as of 2020 of 123,078, it is the most populated municipality of the Campo de Gibraltar. The city is located in the western shore of the Bay of Gibraltar (Bahía deRead more
Algeciras) opposite the Rock of Gibraltar, around the mouth of the Río de la Miel, now mostly culverted in its lower course, near the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula and continental Europe and the Strait of Gibraltar.
The area was inhabited in Antiquity, including archaeological strata generally identified with the Roman city of Iulia Traducta. Founded soon after the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula on the mouth of the Río de la Miel, al-Jazira al-Khadrā became the head of a rump taifa kingdom after Umayyad state collapse in the 11th century. In 1275, the Emirate of Granada ceded the place to the Marinids, who founded the new walled precinct of al-Bunayya after 1282 on the opposite bank of the Río de la Miel. The twin medinas were conquered in 1344 by the Crown of Castile. Medieval urban continuity came to an abrupt end when the town was torn down by the Nasrids circa 1369–1385. The ruins were repopulated and the town eventually refounded upon the arrival of refugees from the 1704 Anglo-Dutch capture of Gibraltar.
The Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and the world in three categories: container, cargo and transshipment. The surrounding metropolitan area also includes the municipalities of Los Barrios, La Línea de la Concepción, Castellar de la Frontera, Jimena de la Frontera, San Roque and Tarifa, with a population of 263,739.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Algeciras?
Within an hour or so of Algeciras: Rock of Gibraltar (9 km), Tarifa (19 km), Playa de Bolonia (29 km), Vejer de la Frontera (48 km).
Are there any good drives near Algeciras?
The nearest famous roads are A-397 Ronda to San Pedro Road and A-397 San Pedro to Ronda.
Where is Algeciras?
Algeciras is in Andalusia, Spain, about 7 km from Los Barrios.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 121,414
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Spain
- Region
- Andalusia
- Timezone
- Europe/Madrid
- Coordinates
- 36.1333, -5.4505
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Spain
Guardia Civil (traffic police): 062. Two warning triangles required in vehicles.
Full driving guide for SpainTags
Worth the detour from Algeciras
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Tarifa
Continental Europe's southernmost point, a windswept town where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, beloved by kitesurfers.
19 km · about 20 min drive
beach
Playa de Bolonia
A wild dune-backed Atlantic beach beside the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia, with views across to Morocco.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Vejer de la Frontera
A dazzling white town crowning a hill above the Costa de la Luz, a maze of Moorish lanes and flower-filled patios.
48 km · about 55 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Cap Spartel
A lighthouse cape west of Tangier where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, near the Caves of Hercules.
57 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Algeciras
- 57 kmCap SpartelA lighthouse cape west of Tangier where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, near the Caves of Hercules.
- 66 kmA-397 Ronda to San Pedro RoadA sweeping mountain road climbing from the coast at San Pedro over the Serranía de Ronda, all long curves and cork-oak hills.
- 66 kmA-397 San Pedro to RondaA smooth, empty mountain road climbing from the Costa del Sol into the Serrania de Ronda, all long radius curves.
- 72 kmRonda Puente Nuevo ViewpointThe 18th-century bridge spanning the 120-metre-deep El Tajo gorge, splitting the town of Ronda in two with dizzying views into the abyss.
- 73 kmPuerto de las Palomas, GrazalemaThe 1,357 m 'Pass of the Doves' on the hairpinned CA-9104 between Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema: the signature drive of Andalusia's white villages, with griffon vultures overhead.
- 76 kmArcos de la FronteraA dramatic white town balanced on a narrow limestone ridge with sheer drops on three sides above the Guadalete River.
Driving in Spain
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.55/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€4.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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