Conil is a beach town first — most visitors spend the majority of their time on the sand and in the water. But the old town has genuine charm, and the surrounding area offers a handful of excursions that are worth the effort.
The historic centre is compact and largely pedestrianised. The whitewashed lanes around the Torre de Guzmán and the Arco de la Villa are characteristic of the Andalucian white towns — more authentic than Marbella, less visited than Vejer. Walk the old town in the morning or evening rather than midday.
Conil sits at the western edge of the protected Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas del Barbate, a pine forest and wetland park that runs south along the coast. The forest paths above the cliffs are excellent for walking and birdwatching, particularly in spring when migratory species pass through.
Sea activities are well catered for in summer: kayak tours along the cove coastline north of town, paddle-boarding on the calmer southern beach, and fishing excursions based at the port. The almadraba trap-fishing tradition, which dates to Phoenician times, is still practiced off the Conil coast in late spring.