Why Traveling in Southern Spain Totally Sucks (and No One Wants to Admit It)

Cádiz on the Atlantic Ocean

It’s time to come clean and just share the truth. That’s right, traveling in Spain sucks. Yep, not even going to sugarcoat it: for me, it downright blows giant monkey chunks. 

I know what a positive way to start a travel blog, but honestly, what’s the point in lying or misleading you on the ease, or lack thereof, of getting around in Southern Spain? After my recent weekend trip to Cádiz, I thought it might be different, but no chance. 

Now I can report on either direction when leaving the small port city of Tarifa. Before I do just that, let’s backtrack a hair to almost two years ago, when, while researching the possibility of moving to Tangier, I was under the impression that it would be a user-friendly, travel-rich experience getting to Spain and, in turn, Europe. For that matter, my future colleagues even mentioned how close we were to Spain, just 10km away. 

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The Ferry Fiasco: When 10 Kilometers Feels Like 10 Hours

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We weren't looking for the Bull but we found him!

Certainly, that means easy access, right? Let’s look at the ferry service for starters. 

When I first moved to Tangier, I believe there were three companies operating daily routes from Tangier to Tarifa. We are now down to two. Last spring, many people I know were stranded on the Tarifa side when FDS just decided to call it quits. There was no advance notice, on a holiday weekend no less, and people had to figure out how to get back to Morocco or Spain. Talk about a headache, right? 

Thankfully, I didn’t get slapped around by that fiasco, but on recent trips, the ferry hasn’t been on time once, and on the weekend adventure to Cádiz, they outright canceled our scheduled time without any notice. Sheesh, my friend and I were practically running from the bus station on the other side of town to make the ferry, only to see the sign for the newest schedule. God forbid you actually update your website in the morning or send out prompt notifications. I still feel for those schleps who had car reservations and were waiting in line, not knowing what their immediate options were.

With winter underway, rain and wind are common. Again, ferry service is spotty, and while I understand canceling some trips due to wind, outrightly canceling an entire weekend (days in advance) without being open to a change in the forecast can be frustrating. I can still see the sun now and the gentle kiss of nothing in the air, for that entire Saturday morning where no ferries ran across the sea. 

Let’s presume the ferry is running on time and you don’t have your own personal vehicle to wander the Spanish countryside. This leaves you in a bit of quandry. If you are staying in Tarifa, life is wonderful. But if you want to get to Gibraltar, get ready to figure out the bus schedule. Sure, it’s only thirty miles away, but it might as well be two hundred miles based on travel possibilities. 

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Planes, Trains, and… Wait, Where Are the Trains

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The entire trip was planned to see this one church

An Uber or Bolt will run you a tab well over $60, depending on whether they want to scam you that day. I’m not criticizing those companies because I use them ALL THE TIME in the Baltics and in Poland. No, I’m simply stating it’s not cheap to go a short distance. While your app might say it has service, that’s not always the case. 

For example, we decided to take a Bolt from Tarifa to Cádiz because the app said it would cost around $65.00, which seemed reasonable given it’s 55 miles away. But when I clicked on drivers, there were none, period. I could schedule a drive, thirty minutes out, and magically the price went to $150.00. No joking here. It was practically the same price, without the wait, taking a local taxi there. All told, we paid around $175.00, which is bloody absurd. Honestly!!!!

You might be asking yourself, why didn’t you just take the bus. Funny, you mention that, we arrived at 11:30 am, and the bus wasn’t going that way until three or four in the afternoon. With only an overnight trip planned, we were going to spend a chunk of the afternoon just getting to Cádiz. We weren’t willing to do that on this trip, but in hindsight, had I known the Bolt fare was going to change, we likely would have reevaluated our plans.

Now, the bus is reasonable if the times work for you. For each ticket, it might have worked out to $15.00 each. But on our return trip, we had two options and had to plan the ferry around those times. A two-hour trip through the Spanish countryside is fun, but only if the bus is running on time and, of course, not trying to get us into an accident by passing slower vehicles on a two-lane road. 

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Overpriced Croissants and Paper-Thin Walls

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The best reason to visit this part of Spain was this Mexican restaurant

Southern Spain is a weird beast. It’s off the beaten path; there are no trains unless you are starting in Cádiz and heading north, or in Algeciras doing the same. Let’s assume you get to your destination, wherever that may be. Even though you are in a more remote part of the country, the cost of hotels or apartments is going to become a big surprise, and not for a good reason. I probably have been spoiled by my travels in central and eastern Europe, or, for that matter, by smaller cities in England, where I feel there is so much more value in what I spend. 

Breakfasts? This is the wrong country, as far as I can see, to get a proper breakfast. This isn’t an American talking, but an expat traveler who has been traveling in Europe for several years. I have yet to stay at a moderately priced place that isn’t ripping me off for a croissant, coffee, orange juice, and a few slices of deli meat. There’s a reason I went to the supermarket in Madrid the night before my flight back to the States: to get breakfast. It’s cheaper and, in some cases, of higher quality. 

For our Cádiz overnight, the bowl of granola was great, but what else were you offering? Sure, there was a croissant, but you know, in Italy, they at least put the cakes and sweets out to get you moving in the morning. In Poland, you might get an entire spread with eggs made to your liking, sausages, and a variety of deli meats, cheese, and bread to start the day. England, we all know a full English breakfast is fantastic and the norm up there. Spain, not so much, at least not for twelve or fifteen euros a pop.

Granted, I could be totally off base, but now with six trips to the southern part of the country, my experiences say otherwise. I can easily segue this to restaurants as well. Paying in euros means higher traveling costs, especially if you are used to paying in dollars or dirhams. Sure, those tacos might be 1 euro and 50 cents, but since they're micro-sized, you’ll need to buy several more, and before you know it, dinner is getting expensive. 

Alcohol and other food courses are not as inexpensive as they seem when you do a real comparison of size and value. Americans who don’t know any better, who are traveling in Spain for the first time, think it’s quite the deal, but it’s not if you run the numbers. 

Putting food, drinks, transportation, and accommodation aside, one should also be prepared for the fact that daily life in Spain is geared toward locals, not tourists on a weekend or a week-long retreat. They still follow the siesta, and if you are an avid churchgoer, good luck finding an open church on the weekend that is either not charging a fee to get in or is open at any time other than mass on Sunday. Aside from Cádiz’s cathedral, there weren’t any other viable options on a Saturday for prayer and reflection, let alone taking in the interior beauty of these churches. A few places of worship were open during regular weekday hours, but that doesn’t help weekend travel warriors.

Finally, if you value a good night’s sleep, this could be the wrong area to enjoy one, simply because many accommodations have thin walls, thinner windows, and a nightlife where locals are out until three or four in the morning. Spain is a social place to begin with, so if that doesn’t bother you, great. Otherwise, you’ve been warned. 

Don’t misunderstand me, I’ve had some good times in Tarifa, especially when I spent Easter weekend looking over the harbor in what really was a private estate. The lights of the port were far enough away to take in the stars, and the wind was blustery enough to keep things quiet and peaceful. Then again, trying to get to Gibraltar or Cádiz was less than ideal and not economical for a day trip or an overnight stay. 

I, for one, know I won’t be taking the ferry anytime soon, nor wandering the countryside. It’s far more entertaining to try to catch a flight to Malaga, whether in the early morning hours or late at night. Yep, that’s a much better plan, or is it? 

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