Besides being a vacation centre Isla Cristina is an important fishing port, which makes this area a meeting ground for lovers of good fish. But most importantly of all Isla Cristina is a lovely city on the Atlantic Coast that is available for delightful summer vacations with its endless almost virgin beaches such as punta del Caiman, Isla Gaviota, Casita Azul or the tourist beach of Islantilla, and that has a magnificent winter carnival and some marvellous tidal marshes to explore.
These marshes are a humid area situated at the mouth of the River Guadiana where the movement of the sea, the mixture of fresh and sea water and the incessant circulation of particles make this an ideal place to view unique flora and fauna.
Some one thousand kilograms of chirlas await you in the market of Isla Cristina, during the Chirla Fair. The purpose of this mass sampling, which some 5.000 persons are expected to attend, is to publicise a typical ingredient of the cuisine of Huelva and show off the sizable fleet devoted to the chirla harvest. The massive sampling begins in the market al 9:00 pm and during it clay pots will be passed out as gifts to the visitors, with chirlas already cooked and at a modest price.