Conil's working fishing port lies at the southern end of the main beach. It is not a picturesque harbour in the manner of a Cornish fishing village — the facilities are industrial, with processing buildings, ice machines, and refrigerator trucks — but it gives a clear picture of what the local fishing economy actually looks like. In the early morning, the boats return from the night's work and the fish market at the port building handles the day's catch.
The area around the port has a different atmosphere from the tourist-facing old town: fish restaurants here are generally aimed at the fishing crews and local workers rather than visitors, which tends to mean better value and more straightforward cooking. The street market of the Lonja (fish auction) is not normally open to the public, but the activity around the port buildings in the early morning is worth seeing if you are up in time.