Life in Chiclana de la Frontera is laidback and authentic. Located in the province of Cádiz, it’s situated along the slightly quieter and more traditional Costa de la Luz. Surrounded by nature and natural parks, it’s an ideal place for lovers of the outdoors and Spanish culture in equal measure.
History seeps into all parts of life in Chiclana from its sights and its architecture to its festivals and traditions. One such site is the small fishing village of Sancti Petri near the coast. Nearby on an island in the middle of the estuary stands the gleaming white 13th century Moorish Castillo de Sancti Petri too.
If you’re trying to decide where to live in Andalucía, then this charming town could be a great choice. Living in Chiclana de la Frontera would suit remote workers or young families who want to make the most of the wide array of adventure, watersports and nature nearby.
Essential information
Wooden walkway leading to La Barrosa Beach in Sancti Petri, Chiclana de la Frontera
The town lies just half an hour from the city of Cádiz by car or one hour on public transport, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the whole of Europe, with a wealth of history and culture.
According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), Chiclana de la Frontera has a total population of 88,709. The median age is around 40, while 22.1 percent are younger than 20 and 14.5 percent are over 65. In 2022, there were a total of 3,866 foreigners living in Chiclana, with the majority of them being from the UK.
According to the latest data available from the INE, 73,07 percent of the population work in service jobs, which includes jobs in hospitality such as bars and restaurants and tourism. Another 8.21 percent work in industries such as manufacturing and construction. You can find employment opportunities on job websites such as Indeed Spain, InfoJobs and LinkedIn.
The Chiclana de la Frontera Town Hall or Ayuntamiento website also has a section on employment in the area and also posts the latest jobs available in the province. The Spanish Chamber of Commerce will also have lots of information on finding a job.
Another option for employment while living in Chiclana de la Frontera is to find a remote job or freelance and work online. According to the Fair Internet Report, the municipality has an average internet speed of 155 Mbps and the most popular provider is Telefonica España.
If you are self-employed or a remote worker and work online, you may want to consider joining a co-working space or renting a desk in a shared office. There are two main co-working spaces in Chiclana de la Frontera including IN-Geoworking and Coworking Fábrica de la Luz. Both have lots of facilities and also give you the chance to make friends with other locals and expats working online.
The latest stats available from the Ministry of Education, show that Chiclana de la Frontera has a total of 29 schools. 21 of these offer primary education and 11 of these offer secondary or high school education. Six of these also offer Bachillerato courses, which is the equivalent of A-levels in the UK. All of these are local schools, where the teaching will be in Spanish.
Moving to Chiclana de la Frontera means you need to carefully think about your children’s education while there. Unfortunately, there are no international schools with education in English or other European languages in Chiclana de la Frontera itself, but there are three within the province of Cádiz. These are Sage College – the British International School of Jerez, El Altillo International School also in Jerez and The English Centre in Puerto de Santa María. It takes around 40 minutes to drive to Jerez and one hour via public transport and to El Puerto de Santa María it’s just over a 30 minute drive and one hour and half via public transport. If you have your own car and can drive your kids each morning and back home again, these could be viable options, however, it may be difficult for your kids to make their own way.
Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, province of Cadiz
Transport in Chiclana de la Frontera
Chiclana de la Frontera is not as well connected as some of the bigger towns along the Costa de Sol, so having your own car is best, especially if you want to be able to get to nature spots, nearby beaches and picturesque whitewashed villages. Here’s what you need to know about driving in Spain.
The good news is that in 2022, the new Trambahia opened, connecting Chiclana with San Fernando and Cádiz. This means you can now reach Cádiz in just one hour. This has meant that it is a lot easier now living in Chiclana de la Frontera without your own car, even though it’s still advisable.
The nearest airport to Chiclana de la Frontera is located in Jerez La Parra, which is 47 km away. The airport offers connecting flights to many different cities in Spain, as well as London in the UK, Brussels, Paris, Helsinki, Zurich and many different cities in Germany. For more flights to other destinations, you can go to Seville Airport, which around 120 km away or Málaga (150 km).
The nearest train station is San Fernando-Bahía Sur across the Bay of Cádiz Natural Park. It has connections with the nearby bigger cities of Cádiz and Jerez.
Things to do in Chiclana de la Frontera
Parks and nature
The area around Chiclana de la Frontera is a nature lovers’ paradise with numerous natural parks and wild areas. The town sits within easy striking distance of the Bay of Cádiz Natural Park, an ancient estuary between the Guadalete and San Pedro rivers. It’s characterised by a patchwork of marshes, small rivers, salt mines, lagoons and beaches. The area is perfect for birdwatching, home to several species including ospreys, owls and kestrels.
The tidal marshes of Sancti Petri are another natural area just south of the Bay of Cádiz. It spans a total of 170 hectares and is a saltwater marsh. Hotels and golf courses surround the area, but the interior is home to herons, flamingos and seabirds.
La Barrosa Beach
Beaches
The town centre of Chiclana lies just seven kilometres from the stunning Costa de la Luz coastline. The beaches here extend for around 11 kilometres all the way to Conil de la Frontera and offer the ideal playground. Playa de Sancti-Petri is a long stretch of golden sand backed by sand dunes and pine forests and is popular for activities such as windsurfing and kitesurfing.
La Barrossa is one of the most famous beaches in the area and sweeps down the coastline for a whopping seven kilometres. Like Sancti Petri, it’s characterised by dunes and pine trees. It’s a popular surf spot in winter and attracts horse riders who come to canter along the sand year round.
Shopping and markets
The main city market is the Mercado Municipal de Abastos, a large covered market filled with stalls selling a range of fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood and meat. There’s even a bakery section. Learn to do as the locals do and do your main weekly shop here instead of the traditional supermarket.
As well as the main market, there are smaller weekly markets such as the Mercadillo de Chiclana, a local street market on every Tuesday from 9am-2pm. It sells a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as clothes, handbags, shoes, and artisanal products like cheeses and cured meats.
Eating out
There’s a wide variety of restaurants and dining options in Chiclana. The area is particularly well known for its delicious seafood and one of its most famous dishes are tortillitas de camarones or shrimp fritters. Most of the restaurants in the town serve up traditional Spanish and Andalucian cuisine, but there are a few international restaurants in case you want to remember the taste of familiar dishes from back home too.
Fogón de Mariana located on La Barrosa Beach is a popular spot for meat lovers, serving up succulent steaks and other cuts of beef. In the centre, Restaurante El Santuario is another good choice for grilled meats. For seafood El Rincon del Pulpo is an excellent spot with beachside views.
Expat clubs & activities in Chiclana de la Frontera
With a relatively small foreign population, living in Chiclana de la Frontera means there's not a wide variety of specific expat clubs here. However, it has its advantages as it allows you to integrate with the local population and join other more local activities.
Having said that, it’s always good to have some friends in the same situation and understand how it is to live abroad. A few good places to find contacts are:
Walk and Talk Chiclana is a Facebook group which posts about regular meetups to meet other English speakers while walking around the local area to keep fit and get in shape.
Cortijo surrounded by olive groves in the province of Cadiz
The website Costa de la Luz Forum has a specific section dedicated to Chiclana de la Frontera where people post regularly about living in the town. There’s also a section on making friends where you’ll always find posts from people looking to socialise, meet up, go for coffee or find playmates for their kids. Events are often posted on the site such as book exchanges and ladies meetups.
If you plan on retiring to Chiclana, you may want to consider joining the local Age Concern group. The charity offers help and advice for those living in the province of Cádiz, but most of its services are centred around Chiclana and Conil de la Frontera. They also sometimes organise social events for the over 50´s English-speaking expat community.
Eating out 