Ayamonte - The Spanish Border Town on the Guadiana River
- Tony
- 20 minutes ago
- 4 min read
May, 2026
About an hour's drive east from our home in the Algarve, we can reach the river Guadiana, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal in the South. On the Spanish side of the river is the town of Ayamonte, a short drive across the bridge or a quick 20-minute ferry ride from Vila Real de Santo António on the Portuguese side. We took a few days to explore the Spanish side of the border, areas that we have passed through on several occasions on our way to Sevilla, but have never stopped to overnight and explore.
Ayamonte - The Spanish Border Town on the Guadiana River, shares a history common to the Southern Iberian Peninsula. Several cultures have called the area home and left their mark over the centuries: The Greeks called it Anapotaman ("over the river"), and at the city's highest point, the remains of an ancient Roman castle stand.
Until the bridge between Portugal and Spain was completed in 1992, the only way to cross the border here was via the ferry between Vila Real de Santo António and Ayamonte.
What was once a quiet fishing village with its white houses reaching the port,
Today, the old center is vibrant, with colorful plazas and pedestrian streets filled with restaurants and bars, preserved architecture, 16th-century churches, and the recently redeveloped recreational Marina. Although the town is small, it houses the churches of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias and San Francisco, both dating to the 16th century; the parish church of Salvador, dating to the 15th century; and the Nabob houses.
Today, this area is better known for its vast estuaries and long stretches of light-sand beaches, now lined with resorts, golf courses, and beach restaurants called Chiringuitos. Five kilometers away from Ayamonte are the beaches of Isla Canela and Isla del Moral, which are very popular, especially during the summer.
Our overnight accommodation in Ayamonte was the Waterlilly Suite House Boat from Boat Village Spain, docked in the Marina and situated within the Old Center. We've stayed on similar houseboats in Lisbon and enjoyed the unique experience. While the houseboat was well-equipped for our stay, the wind was brutal overnight, rocking the boat and blowing the furniture around on the rooftop, making sleep difficult.
Sitting at one of the cafes for an aperitif, we were serenaded by a group sitting at the cafe across the way from us.
Surprisingly, Ayamonte has many highly rated restaurants for such a small town. Tonight we chose LPA, The Culinary Bar, recommended to us by a friend in Portugal. Truly a great experience from the decor, to the service, and the food, this restaurant was excellent. The crispy tempura shrimp with curry, the croquettes in two ways - one mushroom and one calamari, and the Iberian pork cheek cannelloni were all very well prepared and tasty. We finished with a goat cheese cheesecake that was equally as good. Highly recommend this place, but do reserve in advance.
Heading toward Sevilla, we made a quick stop in nearby Huelva. We were surprised by what we assumed would be a gritty commercial port city; it turned out to be a beautiful, well-appointed, and vibrant city full of history and culture. With deep connections to Christopher Columbus, who sailed from here to the Americas, Huelva's cultural attractions include Baroque architecture, vibrant gastronomy, Pata negra ham (Black Pork Ham), and world-class wine from its Protected Designation of Origin, the Condado region.
We have since added Huelva to our list for a longer stay to experience what it has to offer.
Of course, it's hard for us not to include Sevilla when crossing the border into Spain. We love it here except for the millions of others who do too. Even now, it's pretty crowded, but at least not as crowded as the peak summer season.
Our home base this trip is the Hotel Gravina 51, located in the El Arenal district near the Plaza de Torres. Another gem in the city, within walking distance to just about anywhere in the old center. We've never stayed in the El Arenal district, but we really enjoyed being close to some of the most vibrant shopping, tapas bars, and sights in Seville. We highly recommend this hotel and will definitely stay again on a return trip
We took an evening Tapas, Taverns, and History tour with our guide Etel, visiting small, locally owned Tapas bars and Taverns, along with her unique narrative about their history. By now, you would think we could do our own Food tour here after visiting so many times, but there are still so many places we have yet to discover.
On the drive home, about 20 minutes from Sevilla, we often see these strange towers in the distance, with curious rays of light and reflections. This time, we ventured off the highway through the rural farmland of vast wheat fields to get closer to these strange towers. As we approached, it became evident that these are power plants that use hundreds of ground-mounted mirrors to focus the sun's rays onto the top of the tower. The focused rays superheat "boilers" within the towers, creating steam to generate electricity. The focused beams of light are so intense that you can see the white puffs of "things" being vaporized as they come into the light. You can see some of the "Vaporizing" in the videos below. We couldn't tell what was being vaporized (bugs, debris, birds???), but whatever it was vanished into thin air.
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