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Places in Spain - Cadiz
Nearest Airport
Contacts
Entertainment
Hotels
Restaurants
Transport

The oldest city in the western world and according to Greek legend, the city was founded by Hercules. Located on the south-western coast of Spain, most southerly province of Andalucia and has a coastline of 200km. This lovely old city was once Spain's prime entry port to the newly discovered Americas. Cadiz is well known for its irresistible sights, sheer elegance and atmosphere. Broad white dunes line the beaches of the Costa de la Luz which stretches from Cadiz to Tarifa in the south.

   

Much of this area has escaped the developers to this day and retains its quiet charm. Cadiz has always been an important port and remains so to this day. The province of Cadiz is described as a province of white villages and white beaches. The city of Cadiz has a rational urban design with straight, narrow streets. It has botanical gardens that surround the city, almost making it an island. It has its own temple, recently restored. The city is most famous for its wine (Manzanilla) and its prawns. It also has famous summer horse racing on the beaches. It has one of the highest rainfall levels in Spain which has resulted in several unique botanical species surviving here such as the Spanish fir.

 
 
 
 
Cadiz city gates
Above are the gates to the historic part of Cadiz, the Las Puertas de Tierra. They were designed in the 16th century but much of the original design has gone. They were remodelled in the 20th century to allow for modern traffic.
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Upon arrival in Cadiz, head for the tourist office, located in the Plaza de San Juan de Dios. Here they will give you two beautiful books that give you four guided tours of all the monuments as well as a plan of the city. Your tour can start close to here with the Town Hall (right), one of the most important buildings in the city. The town hall dates from around 1799. The guide book will tell you everything about the building and it is possible to explore inside. Look for the huge brass door knockers. From this point, follow the tour to see the Church of San Juan and the Hospital building. Enter the hospital to admire the central patio.

Town Hall Cadiz

Cadiz

An important archway is next. The Arco de los Blancos was once a gateway between the island of Cadiz and the mainland. As you wander along the tour, admire the narrow passageways and decorated balconies that Cadiz is famous for. The historic part of Cadiz has hundreds of narrow streets, all worthy of exploration.
The Admiral's House (Casa del Almirante) (pictured right), is next with its beautiful marble columns in the style of barley twist. The building is currently being reformed. Built in 1690, this palacial building was built by the family of the Admiral of the Spanish Treasure Fleet, with the proceeds of the trade with the Americas. The shield of the family appears on the second floor balcony.

Admirals' House, Cadiz

Cadiz cathedral
Head towards the old Cathedral whose dome is totally unique with its unusual tiling. The new cathedral is nearby. By far the most impressive building in Cadiz has to be the New Cathedral with its dome and huge towers. The workmanship all around the Cathedral is amazing.
 
The Roman Theatre is along the Paseo Maritimo. The theatre is once again open to the public after extensive work. Work continues and a new visitor centre has just been constructed. Glass windows show the current excavations underway.
Cadiz Roman Theatre
The almost intact theatre was discovered after a warehouse fire in 1980. When the building had burned down, the Roman theatre was revealed beneath the rubble. Built in the 1st century, it is the second largest Roman theatre in the world.

 

The Torre Poniente
This wonderful tower is part of the new cathedral and has recently been opened to the public. For 4 euros you can climb to the top of the tower where your hard work will be rewarded with the most amazing views over the city. The climb to the top of the tower takes around 10 minutes. It's a slope rather than steps which makes it easier and there are several rest stops. At the top of the tower you can see the bells that used to ring out over the city. The Torre Poniente is the tallest tower in Cadiz. You can see the climb on our Cadiz video. Hours of opening are 10am-8pm, June to September and 10am-6pm rest of year. Tel: 956 251 788.

Tower Cadiz
 
Plaza Rspana

Plaza Espana

One of our favorite plazas in Cadiz is the Plaza Espana. The monument that stands here remembers the constitution of Cadiz and is stunning. The plaza was built in the 20th century on land reclaimed from the sea. The main monument is to the Cadiz Parliament, Constitution and Siege. The monument was built to commemorate the La Pepa centenary in 1912. The plaza is surrounded by important buildings such as the merchants' houses with their characteristic watchtowers.

 

The Tavira Tower
This tower, located in the historical centre of Cadiz is one of the top attractions in the city. The tower houses a camera obscura, the first one in Spain. This wonderful pieces of engineering allows for a perfect 360 degree view of the city by means of a pinhole camera. The image is then projected onto a special concave disc.. The experience includes a guide who will explain the images of the city. The guide lasts around 15 minutes and is held every 30 minutes. Each guide is limited to 15-20 people at a time. Within the same tower are several exhibition rooms. This tower was named the official watchtower of Cadiz in 1778 as it was the highest tower in the city, at 45 metres above sea level. At the time there were more than 160 watchtowers in the city. Local merchants used the towers to watch for arriving ships. Antonio Tavira was the head watchman at the time, in charge of watching the commercial ships coming and going from Cadiz.

 

The Tobacco Factory

This is located near the port and illustrates how Cadiz once had a busy trade in cigar manufacture. The factory no longer handles tobacco but houses an indoor exhibition centre. The building is similar to the tobacco factories in Malaga and Seville. The life-size, bronze statue (right) stands outside and shows two ladies making cigars.

 

Next door is the Convent of Santa Domingo

Cadiz
 

At each end of Caleta beach there is a castle, the Castle of San Sebastian and the Castle of Santa Catalina.

San Sebastian Castle is reached by means of a very long causeway. It is a military fort built in 1706. It is currently not being used.

Castle of Santa Catalina is also a military fort, built in 1598. It has been renovated and is now an exhibition centre.

 

 

Fort

A little further along the coastline is the largest of Cadiz' parks, the Parque Genoves. Caleta beach is where you find the working fishing fleet and the small leisure craft. The Paseo Maritimo here is dotted with pieces of modern sculpture and there's a lovely outdoor cafe overlooking the bay.

 

Cadiz can easily be divided into two major parts, the old and the new. The old part of Cadiz, described as the historical centre is where most tourists will want to be. You will find the architecture within this district to be of most interest. The newer part of Cadiz consists of a main avenue with hundreds of side streets. There are some great shopping areas to explore and some of the biggest hotels can be found here. The National Police station is also on the main avenue, just outside the city gates.

 

Museums in Cadiz

Museum has some fabulous museums including the Archaeological Museum, located near the city gates. Next to this museum is the Museum of Printing, (Museo Taller Litografico). The Museum of Cadiz is located in Plaza de Mina.

 

Tour bus Cadiz

Getting around Cadiz is easy by several means. Taxis are plentiful and easy to spot. Driving around Cadiz is relatively easy but avoid the narrowest of backstreets. You will find parking limited regardless of the time of year. By far the easiest way to see Cadiz is by the open topped tour bus. The bus route consists of 12 stops conveniently placed near the popular monuments. You can hop on and off the bus all day long for just one ticket price of 15 euros and 7 euros for children. The bus ticket includes discount vouchers for some of the monuments such as the Tavira Tower so if you plan to visit these monuments then buy your bus ticket first.

The main transport links in Cadiz are located to the right of the old city, just after the city gates. You will find the main bus staion, the RENFE train station and the very busy port of Cadiz where ferries run to the Canary Islands.
 

The beaches in Cadiz

Without any doubt, one of the finest attractions in Cadiz are the beaches which consist of wide stretches of golden sand. The Playa de la Victoria is the longest of the beaches and is alongside modern Cadiz and the Playa de la Caleta is the smallest and can be found at the far tip of Cadiz, within the historical centre. The sand is soft and golden and the Atlantic has a tide. The beaches have facilities in the summer.

Cadiz Beach

Caleta Beach
The tide is in at Playa de la Caleta

 


Caleta Beach
When the tide is out

Shopping in Cadiz
The historic part of Cadiz consists of straight and narrow streets lined with small shops. Many are artisan shops selling local hand made items. In between the shops are hundreds of small tapas bars and restaurants. Every now and again you stumble across a plaza. In the modern part of Cadiz, the main avenue has more modern and designer style shops. There are few large shops except El Corte Ingles.

 

Good buys include clothes, shoes and pottery.

 

Accommodation in Cadiz
Hotels and hostels in Cadiz are easy to find. There are lots of small hostels, especially in the historic center. These range from around 30 euros per night. Whilst they provide comfortable accommodation at a good price, parking is rarely available. Outside of the historic centre you will find larger hotels ranging from 2-4 stars. Prices start at around 60 euros per night for double room. Many of the hotels have parking facilities, free wi-fi and have their own restaurants. Find hotels in Cadiz here.

 

Our experiences in Cadiz
We have been to Cadiz several times, the latest visit being in December 2010. Arriving in Cadiz by car was trouble free. From the direction of Tarifa, the main road runs right into the city centre and the traffic was light and running smoothly. If you find yourself on the main avenue, as we did, a left hand turn towards the seafront is impossible so you have to go right to the roundabout at the end, then turn left. Parking is difficult most of the time and mostly on parking meters.

Despite being a large city, Cadiz was exceptionally clean. Wherever we went we received a warm and friendly welcome. The tourist office were very helpful and made our job easier. We saw most of Cadiz on foot and managed to find most of the monuments with the assistance of the tourist office maps. When it came to resting, we found food and drink to be very reasonably priced and of a high standard. Cafe and restaurant service was excellent. Our choice of hotel was controlled by the need for underground car parking so we opted for a hotel just outside the historic centre. The heart of the city was just 10 minutes on foot.

 

The botanical gardens and parks spread throughout the city offer wonderful places to sit and rest. The whole city is dotted with statues, monuments and more than 11 churches. Everywhere you go in Cadiz is pleasant, safe and exceptionally clean.

 

 

Inland of Cadiz offers a wide variety of landscapes and tiny, white-painted villages, well worth a visit. The green oasis of Grazalema is surrounded by a natural park, a paradise for walkers and naturists. To the south, rolling hills are covered with walnut trees, pines and Spanish firs. Black bulls graze beneath cork oaks. Not far away, vines take over, covering thousands of acres of white, chalk soil, completing what is known as the 'Sherry Triangle', an imaginary triangular boundary between Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda. Here you will find the oldest vineyards in Europe.

Cadiz has much to offer the visitor including the vibrant fiestas where Flamenco shows are the norm. Cadiz is a city that knows how to enjoy itself and is not afraid of showing it. Its annual carnival in February is known to be the best and the wildest in Spain.

Cadiz has a very relaxed, secure feeling. It is almost impossible to get lost here, with the presence of the sea on both sides to guide you. Whichever direction you go, keep going and you will end up on the shore again.

 

 
 
Tourist Office in Cadiz Avda Jose Leon de Carranza - Tel 956 285 601
Email: turismo@cadiz.es

Municipal Tourism Office

Paseo de Canalejas - Tel 956 241 001
Town Council Cadiz - Arts Tel 956 205 367
City Hall Cadiz Tel 956 241 000
Main tourist office Cadiz Tel 956 241 001
Local Police Cadiz

Tel 092

National Police Cadiz Tel 091
Emergencies Cadiz Tel 061
Post office Cadiz Tel 956 210 511
Red Cross Cadiz Tel 956 222 222

Transport

City Bus Tours - Tel 902 101 081

Bus station Cadiz - Tel 956 807 059

Train station Cadiz - Tel 902 240 202

Taxis Cadiz - Tel 956 212 121

Best method of sight-seeing is the open top tour bus at 15€ per person. On foot, everything is easily accessible. Taxis useful if you want to get from the historic centre to the new part of Cadiz. Most monuments are disabled friendly.

 

Low cost car hire in Cadiz - Instant quotes, online booking and guaranteed reservations. Access to all the top car hire companies in Spain


Entertainment  
Torre Tavira C/Marques del Real Tesoro, 10 - Tel 956 212 910
La Cava, Taverna Flamenca C/Antonio Lopez 16 - Tel 956 211 866
Museum of Sherry Wines C/Feduchy 17 - Tel 956 289 716
Torre de Poniente Adjoining the new Cathedral - Tel 956 264 734
Museum of Cadiz Plaza de Mina - Tel 956 203 371
Museo Taller Litografico Plaza de la Constitucion
 
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