La Línea de la Concepción - Cádiz

La Línea de la Concepción is a town located in Cádiz, that belongs to the Comarca del Campo de Gibraltar, in the Autonomous Region of Andalucía.

Its inhabitants received the name of linenses.

It is located over the sandy isthmus that links the Rock of Gibraltar with the coast, in the east side of La Bahía de Algeciras, between Sierra Carbonera and the Rock of Gibraltar.

The first inhabitants belonged to the Palaeolithic and Neolithic period. Later arrived the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Arabs. These last were subjected by Alfonso X in the XIII century.

The area of Strait started to form part of the Casa de Arcos and in the XVI century went to the Crown of Castilla. During Carlos V’s reign the area is fortified, but the attacks of pirates do not finish. In the XVIII century the town is assaulted by the English and the Dutch. This fact causes the exile of the people from Gibraltar, who moves to San Roque and Los Barrios.

After the Tratado de Utrech in 1713, Gibraltar goes to the English, arising in that moment La Línea de la Concepción. Several fortifications were built, emphasizing the Fuerte de San Felipe and the Santa Bárbara, linked by a wall that formed a dividing line. This group of fortifications was known like La Línea de Contravalación de la Plaza de Gibraltar.

In the XIX century, after a pact with the English to defend the area from the French invasion, it is decided to destroy all the line of the fortification, in order not to be used by the French during the Independence War.

In 1870 it becomes independent of San Roque, establishing like Town Council with the name of La Línea de la Concepción, in honour of its patron saint.

From this moment, commercial exchange between both areas was very important, turning La Línea into an area of supply. Nowadays it is considered as one of the towns with greater tourist movement in Spain.

Monuments

Forts of San Carlos, Santa Bárbara and San Felipe 
Torrenueva 
Bullring 
Parish Church La Inmaculada Concepción 
Las Tres Gracias 
Monument to the Spanish Worker in Gibraltar

Museums

Bullfighting Museum (Museo Taurino) 
Museum José Cruz Herrera 
Museum of El Istmo

Gastronomy

La Línea de la Concepción, a sailor town, has developed in the course of the years a gastronomic tradition that goes from the most excellent “pescaito” to the pleasant custom of “tapeo” (go for a drink and a few tapas) where we can observe, that innate treasure we have in this town, the open nature of the people from La Línea.

How to get there

You get La Línea de la Concepción through the Motorway A-383 (6 Km) ACCESO ESTE and the CA-34/N-351 (5 km) ACCESO OESTE that connect the town with the Motorway A-7 (Mediterranean Motorway).

From Cádiz until La Línea we will arrive taking the AP4 towards Jerez, before arriving you have to turn off by the Motorway A-381 towards Algeciras and when you pass this town by the regional CA-34 you have got La Línea de la Concepción.

Distances

To Sevilla 201 km
To Cádiz 138 km
To Málaga 129 km
To Marbella 74 km
To Estepona 43 km