Back to results

El Balneario, Spain

Stay in Tarifa: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Tarifa

All 9 on Tarifa's map

Watch this spot We email you when El Balneario is worth the trip.

Playa Chica
El Balneario. Photo: Karton82, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About El Balneario

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (255°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (75°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7; in February and March, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tarifa, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to TNG, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS).

    See flights ORD → TNG · Skyscanner from about £420 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to El Balneario.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in TarifaAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Tarifa · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Tarifa · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

El Balneario on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct153 ft6 shollow39kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct82 ft7 shollow19kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct62 ft12 shollow80kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct52 ft4 smushy9kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct51 ft9 shollow22kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct41 ft6 shollow13kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct62 ft4 smushy12kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct82 ft6 shollow18kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct72 ft4 shollow6kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct102 ft8 shollow37kJ22°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to TNG, changing at LIS, then 1h 05 by road. About 17h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to TNG, changing at LIS, then 1h 05 by road. About 17h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Tarifa each day: El Balneario, El Millon, Punta Paloma, Tarifa.

The trip from Tarifa, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £970–£1,830 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to TNG, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£420–£870
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£80–£130
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£185–£310
Food7 days eating out£175–£330
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£75–£125
Total£970–£1,830

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Tarifa

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.