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Passenger catamaran ferry departing the Cádiz Maritime Terminal across the blue waters of the Bay of Cádiz toward El Puerto de Santa María
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Catamaran Cádiz to El Puerto de Santa María: Line B-042 Ferry Guide

Cross the Bay of Cádiz on the Line B-042 catamaran to El Puerto de Santa María: Muelle Comercial terminal, 25-minute crossing, €2.90 fare and timetable.

Portrait of Marta Jiménez Cossío
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Outdoors and travel writer covering Cádiz beaches, coastal walks and day trips.

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For €2.90 (or €1.18 with the regional transport card), the public catamaran across the Bay of Cádiz gives you the same open-water Atlantic view as a private boat charter at commuter-bus prices. Operated by UTE Catamaranes Consorcio Bahía de Cádiz under the metropolitan transport consortium (CMTBC, founded in 2005 across seven bay municipalities), Line B-042 links the Cádiz city basin with the mouth of the Guadalete river in 25 minutes.

Boarding at the Cádiz Maritime Terminal

Boats depart from the Terminal Marítima de Cádiz on Muelle Comercial, along Avenida del Puerto opposite Plaza de Sevilla and a three-minute walk from Plaza de San Juan de Dios and Barrio de San Carlos. The terminal also serves sister route Line B-065 to Rota. Every B-042 sailing is adapted for passengers with reduced mobility (PMR), and turnstiles follow strict commuter cut-offs: ticket sales close 5 minutes before departure and the boarding gate shuts 3 minutes before sailing.

Crossing the Bay and Landing on the Guadalete

Once clear of the Dársena de Cádiz, managed by the Autoridad Portuaria de la Bahía de Cádiz across the city harbour, Zona Franca, Cabezuela-Puerto Real and El Puerto, the catamaran heads north-east across open bay waters toward the Guadalete estuary. The El Puerto de Santa María maritime station lands you beside the Ribera del Marisco seafood promenade, the historic centre, the mansions of the Cargadores a Indias, and sherry bodegas such as Osborne, Caballero and Gutiérrez-Colosía. See our El Puerto de Santa María day trip guide to pair the crossing with a bodega visit.

Fares, Transport Card and Timetable

In the CMTBC fare-zone matrix, Cádiz sits in Zone A and El Puerto in Zone H, a four-jump (4 saltos) crossing with up to 17 daily sailings per direction:

  • Single paper ticket (€2.90): sold per crossing at the terminal desk or machines.
  • CMTBC transport card (€1.18): rechargeable Tarjeta única (€1.50 issuance fee), valid on bay buses, Cercanías trains, catamarans and all nine Andalusian transport consortiums, with €0.27 urban bus transfers in Cádiz or €0.40 in El Puerto.
  • Timetable: Mon–Fri 08:00, 09:20 and 10:40 until 22:30 from Cádiz (07:10 to 21:50 return); weekends and holidays 11:15 to 21:40 from Cádiz (10:00 to 19:30 return), with replacement buses when wind or sea conditions suspend sailings.

Reporter notebook

Insider tips

Money tip

Buy the CMTBC transport card for two or more people

A single ticket is €2.90, while the rechargeable CMTBC card charges €1.18 per crossing after a €1.50 issuance fee. A single return trip already saves €0.04, and the card works across buses, Cercanías trains and all nine Andalusian transport consortiums.

Booking tip

Be at the turnstile 10 minutes before departure

The terminal cuts off ticket sales 5 minutes before sailing and locks the boarding gate 3 minutes before departure so the boat leaves on the dot. Queues build quickly on sunny weekend mornings around the 11:15 first sailing.

Best time

Check the real-time maritime status on windy days

Strong Levante or rough bay swells can halt catamaran crossings at short notice. Before walking down to Muelle Comercial, check the live status page on cmtbc.es/?op=maritimo; if boats are suspended, the consortium puts on replacement buses.

Practical information

Duration
25–30 minutes each way
Schedule
Mon–Fri: 08:00 to 22:30 from Cádiz (07:10 to 21:50 return from El Puerto); Sat, Sun & holidays: 11:15 to 21:40 from Cádiz (10:00 to 19:30 return). Ticket sales close 5 minutes before departure; boarding closes 3 minutes before sailing.
Price
€2.90 single ticket (€1.18 with CMTBC transport card; €1.50 card issuance fee)
Meeting point
Terminal Marítima de Cádiz, Muelle Comercial (Avenida del Puerto, opposite Plaza de Sevilla and the customs building)

Frequently asked questions

How much is the catamaran ferry from Cádiz to El Puerto de Santa María?

A single cash or paper ticket costs €2.90 each way. In the CMTBC zone system, the crossing between Zone A (Cádiz) and Zone H (El Puerto de Santa María) counts as 4 fare jumps. If you buy the rechargeable CMTBC transport card (€1.50 issuance fee), the fare drops to €1.18 per trip, with urban bus transfers at €0.27 in Cádiz.

How long does the Cádiz to El Puerto de Santa María catamaran take?

The water crossing between Terminal Marítima de Cádiz and Terminal Marítima El Puerto de Santa María takes about 25 minutes, and the official CMTBC timetable allocates a 30-minute block from departure to arrival. Note that ticket sales close at least 5 minutes before departure and the boarding gate closes 3 minutes before the scheduled sailing time.

Where does the catamaran to El Puerto de Santa María depart from in Cádiz?

Line B-042 leaves from the Terminal Marítima de Cádiz on Muelle Comercial along Avenida del Puerto, right across from Plaza de Sevilla and steps from Plaza de San Juan de Dios, El Pópulo and the main railway station. In El Puerto de Santa María, the boat docks at the riverfront maritime terminal next to the Ribera del Marisco.

What happens if the Cádiz bay catamaran is cancelled due to wind or rough seas?

When strong wind or rough sea conditions in the Bay of Cádiz force a suspension of Line B-042 or Line B-065 sailings, the Consorcio de Transportes de la Bahía de Cádiz updates service status in real time on its maritime webpage and arranges replacement bus services between the terminals whenever possible.

Further reading

Sources

16 references Show
  1. CMTBC: Horarios Línea B-042 Cádiz - El Puerto de Santa María (opens in a new tab)

    “Nombre de la línea: B-042 Operador: UTE Catamaranes Consorcio Bahía de Cádiz Concesión: CONTR 2024 763970 Recorrido: Cádiz-El Puerto De Santa María”

  2. CMTBC: Normas de embarque Línea B-042 (opens in a new tab)

    “La venta de billetes finaliza al menos 5 minutos antes de la hora de salida y la puerta de embarque se cerrará 3 minutos antes de la salida del catamarán”

  3. CMTBC: Accesibilidad PMR Línea B-042 (opens in a new tab)

    “Línea adaptada a personas con movilidad reducida: sí Otra información: La venta de billetes finaliza 5 minutos antes de la hora de salida y el embarque se cerrará 3 minutos antes de la salida.”

  4. CMTBC: Salidas desde Terminal Marítima Cádiz (opens in a new tab)

    “Terminal Marítima Cádiz Terminal Marítima El Puerto 08:00 08:30 L-VSERVICIO ADAPTADO A PMR 09:20 09:50 L-VSERVICIO ADAPTADO A PMR”

  5. CMTBC: Salidas desde Terminal Marítima El Puerto (opens in a new tab)

    “Terminal Marítima El Puerto Terminal Marítima Cádiz 07:10 07:40 L-VSERVICIO ADAPTADO A PMR 08:40 09:10 L-VSERVICIO ADAPTADO A PMR”

  6. CMTBC: Matriz de saltos tarifarios (opens in a new tab)

    “Seleccione origen y destino para calcular el número de saltos existentes entre ambas zonas tarifarias:”

  7. CMTBC: Tarifas por saltos (opens in a new tab)

    “4 2.90 € 1.18 € 5 3.25 € 1.35 €”

  8. CMTBC: Tarifas de transbordo urbano (opens in a new tab)

    “Municipio Sin transbordo a / desde un modo interurbano Con transbordo a / desde un modo interurbano Cádiz 0.77 € 0.27 €”

  9. CMTBC: Líneas marítimas B-042 y B-065 (opens in a new tab)

    “BARCO B-042 Cádiz-El Puerto De Santa María UTE Catamaranes Consorcio Bahía de Cádiz Noticias BARCO B-065 Cádiz-Rota UTE Catamaranes Consorcio Bahía de Cádiz”

  10. CMTBC: Estado del servicio marítimo en tiempo real (opens in a new tab)

    “La información sobre el estado del servicio se actualiza en tiempo real. En caso de suspensión, se habilitarán servicios alternativos cuando sea posible.”

  11. Wikipedia: Consorcio de Transportes de la Bahía de Cádiz (opens in a new tab)

    “El Consorcio Metropolitano de Transportes de la Bahía de Cádiz es una entidad pública cuya función es unificar todos los sistemas de transporte público de la comarca de la Bahía de Cádiz”

  12. Wikipedia: Tarjeta única del Consorcio (opens in a new tab)

    “La tarjeta es reconocida por las máquinas expendedoras de billetes de los autobuses, las estaciones de cercanías y los catamaranes, agilizando el proceso de venta.”

  13. Wikipedia: Duración y frecuencias Línea B-042 (opens in a new tab)

    “B-042 Cádiz - El Puerto de Santa MaríaDamas S.A. y UTE Catamaranes Consorcio de la Bahía de Cádiz25 min17”

  14. Wikipedia: Puerto de la Bahía de Cádiz (opens in a new tab)

    “El Puerto de la Bahía de Cádiz es un complejo portuario situado sobre el litoral atlántico sur español en la provincia de Cádiz.”

  15. Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Cádiz: El Puerto de Santa María (opens in a new tab)

    “la **Ribera del Marisco** y, también, a la estación marítima, desde donde se puede viajar en catamarán hacia o desde Cádiz en apenas 25 minutos.”

  16. Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Cádiz: Cargadores a Indias en El Puerto (opens in a new tab)

    “Su condición mercantilista y su excelente puerto natural como punto de partida y de llegada hacia América, enseguida la configuró como residencia de adinerados comerciantes (**Cargadores a Indias**)”