Tours
Free · self-guided

Bayfront Breeze

A breezy waterfront out-and-back along Matanzas Bay, with the city's narrowest colonial street and its oldest surviving house at the far end.

80 min 1.5 mi 5 stops Sunrise, or an hour before sunset for the bay light
Stop 1 of 50% walked

Stop 1

The Bayfront Seawall

Coquina-capped edge of the harbor · about 10 min here

Spanish crews began walling the waterfront in the 1690s to keep storm tides out of the town; the U.S. Army rebuilt it in the 1830s and 40s with the coquina cap you can still walk beside. Matanzas Bay in front of you is the inlet Spanish ships threaded to reach the city.

Look for

Shrimp boats in the channel and, across the water, the low green line of Anastasia Island.

Walk to the next stop

Follow the promenade south toward the tall bridge with the stone towers.

Directions

All stops

Getting around

Flat, with a continuous paved promenade along the seawall. One optional cobblestone block on Aviles Street; the parallel sidewalk on Charlotte Street is smooth.

Start here: Bayfront seawall at the Plaza, Avenida Menéndez