Ayamonte

History and Overview

With its attractive tiled plazas, reminiscent of neighbouring Portugal, lined with trees, restaurants and bars. The fishing port and resort of Ayamonte makes an ideal stopping place between Spain and Portugal. It has more foreign tourists than other resorts along the Costa de la Luz in Huelva Province, partly due to its proximity to the Algarve and its position as the western most resort along the Andalusian coast.

Situated on the estuary of the Río Guadiana, the second longest river in Europe, Ayamonte development has been inextricably linked to its position on the border with Portugal. Until the 1990s, Ayamonte occupied a prime position for crossing the Spanish-Portuguese border, with its frequent ferries across the river to Vila Real de San Antonio in Portugal.

In 1991 an impressive new suspension bridge was opened two kilometres north of Ayamonte that took away the town's cross-border traffic on what is now a motorway linking the Algarve with Huelva city and Sevilla. The journey from Ayamonte to Faro on the Algarve now takes a mere 45 minutes. Ferries still go to Vila Real in Portugal with the boat company Transportes del Guadiana, which runs regular boats from the Muelle de Portugal in the centre of Ayamonte. From Vila Real there are frequent buses to the Algarve.

The centre is a good place to take a leisurely stroll, as many of its narrow streets are pedestrianised. These link small, pretty plazas, which are tucked away but full of busy pavement cafés and bars serving great seafood, a characteristic of the Huelva Costa. Visit the elegant Plaza de la Laguna, for a good choice of eating places with outdoor seating. Next to the main square, the Paseo de la Ribera, is the harbour and further along is the ferry dock. In the old town is the fifteenth-century Iglesia de San Salvador, worth a visit for its memorable tower with superb views across to Portugal. There are similar good views from the tower of the sixteenth-century San Francisco church nearby. In Ayamonte there are protected areas for wildlife. Las Marismas del Guadiana, or marshes of the Guadiana, are rich in bird life including herons, storks and flamingos.

The nearest beach is the resort of Isla Canela, five minutes' drive away from the centre of Ayamonte. Isla Canela boasts a particularly wide stretch of sandy beach, with chiringuitos (summer beach bars), parasols and hammocks for hire. It also has extensive sand dunes and marshes which are home to abundant wildlife.

The newest quarter of Ayamonte, Costa Esuri, is being built as a complete village with all the infra structures of a Spanish village. There are luxury residential properties for sale plus two new golf courses are in the centre of Costa Esuri. Located on the banks of the Guadiana with spectacular views to the Portuguese Algarve.

Nuevo Portil, Islantilla and El Rompido are also holiday resorts close by and all have excellent golf course facilities.

Places of Interest

- Sevilla (Historical Centre & Great Shopping)

- Huelva (With its many Churches and Palaces)

- Donana National Parque (Excellent Wildlife and Birdlife)

- El Rocio (Nearly a million pilgrims descend on the village on the 7th Weekend after Easter)

- The Algarve (Across the border in Portugal with its many beaches)