Novo Sancti Petri travel guide

Novo Sancti Petri is a beach resort in Cádiz Province in Andalusia, part of the town of Chiclana de la Frontera within Cádiz metropolis. Its resident population in 2025 was only 5000 of Chiclana's 73,000, but so swollen by visitors in summer that it will feel like the other way round.

Understand

Castillo de Sancti Petri (Photo: Carlos Alejo, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Sancti Petri was a tuna-fishing village at the outflow of a channel through the lagoon wetlands. The channel is shallow and only suitable for small craft, which couldn't compete with larger vessels, so in the 1960s it fell on hard times and became depopulated. But from the 1980s there was development all along the Costa de la Luz, Spain's southern Atlantic coast. A new resort strip sprang up, hence "Novo Sancti Petri", to the south of the original village to be near better beaches. This is now firmly on the international circuit, a short transfer time from airports bringing summer visitors from Britain and Germany. But out-of-season it's a very quiet place and many businesses close up.

Get in

The closest airports are Jerez (XRYIATA), Seville (SVQIATA) and Gibraltar (GIBIATA).

By road from Madrid and Seville follow A-4 towards Cádiz, then E5 / A-48 bypassing Chiclana. Leave it onto N340 and follow signs for Barrosa beach.

From Algeciras (for Morocco ferries) and Tarifa follow N340 north.

By train head towards Cádiz, changing to the local train at Jerez, then to the tram at Rio Arillo. The tram runs via San Fernando to Chiclana, where you take the bus or taxi.

Novobus L-8 and L-11 run frequently between Chiclana and the Novo Sancti Petri beach strip.

Get around

The beach strip sprawls: use Buses 8 and 11.

Taxis are based in Chiclana town but ply the hotel area, and your accommodation will call one up in an instant. There's a taxi rank at Novo shopping centre opposite Hotel Barrosa Garden.

Car rental firms are also based in the shopping centre. They include Carflet, Albitana and Europcar.

Bike rental firms in the shopping centre are Bicicletas Matias, Starbikes and Rent Point Novo. Elsewhere in town are Torobike and Esencia Experience.

See

• Castillo de Sancti Petri is a fort on an islet 1 km offshore. It was founded in the 13th century, one of a line guarding the coast, but the river inlet it protected has silted up. The present building is mostly 18th century, patched up in the 20th. Not much to see, you come for the sake of the boat ride.
• Parque Natural Bahía de Cádiz is a brackish wetland north of Chiclana, with bird life.
• Nuestra Señora de Europa is the modern parish church, on Los Carabineros 1 km inland from the Hipotels complex.
• Torre del Puerco is a gnarly old lookout tower along the beach strip.
• Cabo Roche is a headland with a modern lighthouse. This is effectively the southern boundary of town: the harbour and bay beyond are part of the resort of Conil.

Do

Northern beach (Photo: VillageHero from Ulm, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0)

• Beaches line much of the coast. Remember this is the Atlantic not the Med: exposed to wind and waves (great for the likes of wind-surfing, sometimes too rough for kiddy-bathing) and tidal, so beaches are covered at high tide.
• Camposoto is the northern group, from the south end of the Cádiz causeway to the Sancti Petri channel outflow. No direct access from Novo Sancti Petri, you have to drive around the wetland, but nice and quiet if you do. Here and there in the sandhills are ruined artillery bunkers.
• Costa Sancti Petri is the main resort strip, from the channel outflow looking across to the castillo islet, through La Barrosa and the ruined tower.
• Roche is the southern strip.
• The marina is at the channel outflow.
• Scuba diving: the nearest centres are Centello Dive in Chiclana, and Ocean Addicts in Puerto de Conil.

Several golf courses (Photo: R-E-AL ( talk | contribs | Gallery )   (German Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0)

• Golf courses are inland from the beach strip:
• Real Novo Sancti Petri is part of the Iberostar complex, off Adriano.
• Family Golf Park is 9 holes, off Los Carabineros.
• Sancti Petri Hills is on Marco Aurelio. White tees 4767 m, par 68.
• La Estancia is 6390 m, par 72.
• Horse riding stables include Royal Center Hipica, Yeguada La Patiña, Cortijo La Yeguada, Club Hípico Santa Ana and Club Hípico del Sur.
• Karting: Kart Chiclana are nowadays 5 km east on Carril los Mirlos in El Colorado, they're no longer in Chiclana town.

Buy

Barrosa beach (Photo: El Ayudante, CC BY-SA 3.0)

The main shopping mall is Novo Center opposite the Hipotel complex. It's open M-Sa 10:00-21:00, Sa 10:00-14:00 and has a pharmacy.

Eat

Eating places line Carretera La Barrosa a block inland from the coast, serving tapas and other trad cuisine. They include Los Pescadores, El Arbol, Greda, Atrípiko, Ohana, Santorini, Mojama Beach, Lima, Vida Padre, Food Court, El Farito, Lantana, Varadero, and those within the hotels.

Drink

Lots of good wine from other regions of Spain, the local wine isn’t much rated.

The town is 50 km south of El Puerto de Santa Maria, the south tip of the “sherry triangle”.

Sleep

• Camping Rana Verde is the only campsite hereabouts, a basic place on Las Lagunas 2 km south of Chiclana town centre and 5 km from the beaches.
• Valentín Sancti Petri, Octavio Augusto, ☏ +34 956 491000. Great reviews for this beachfront hotel. B&B double €150.
• Aparthotel Las Dunas are self-catering suites a block north of Valentín Sancti Petri.
• Hotel Vincci Costa Golf is a block inland from Valentín Sancti Petri.
• Hipotels Barrosa Park, Amilcar Barca, ☏ +34 956 496400. This hotel probably has the edge in a complex of four Hipotels. B&B double €180.
• Other Hipotels in the complex are Playa la Barrosa, Barossa Palace and Barossa Garden.
• Palacio de Sancti Petri, Amilcar Barca, ☏ +34 956 491200. Smart hotel in the Melia chain, some gripes about limited cuisine. B&B double €350.
• Iberostar Andalucia Playa, Amilcar Barca (just north of Palacio de Sancti Petri), ☏ +34 900 811676. Slick hotel, some facilities tired. B&B double €300.
• Iberostar Waves Royal Andalus, Amilcar Barca (just north of Andalucia Playa), ☏ +34 956 494109. Good value chain hotel. B&B double €250.
• Aldiana Club Andalusien, off Amilcar Barca, ☏ +34 956 494994. Efficient comfy place, good with kids.
• Hotel Riu Chiclana, Constantino, ☏ +34 956 242100. RIU chain hotel, somewhat run-down. B&B double €250.
• Royal Hideaway just south of the RIU is a Barcelo chain hotel with similar price but better reviews.

Connect

As of Sep 2026, Novo Sancti Petri and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.

Go next

• Cádiz is the fascinating old city to the north.
• El Puerto de Santa María is the south tip of the “sherry triangle”, also bounded by Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Jerez itself.

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