The sea salty splendour of Cadiz
"Lying curved on the bay like a scimitar and sparkling with African light" is how Laurie Lee famously described the city of Cadiz, perhaps the oldest city in Western Europe. Founded by the Phoenicians and fortified against centuries of attack, it sits on a promontory facing the Atlantic on Spain's accurately named Costa de la Luz. With the romance of its maritime history, windswept beaches and fantastically fresh fish, it has long been on my list of places to visit.
It is indeed a beautiful city, with friendly open people and easy to get around. Pastel coloured buildings faded by the sun and eaten away by the salt laden winds, reveal the richness this city of merchants must have had and many say it is reminiscent of Havana in Cuba (even James Bond filmed a 'Cuban' scene here). These are some of my tips for places to see, I'll cover places to eat in my next post.
Places to visit
The Tourist Information Office is on the Paseo de Canalejas (opposite the docks) and is very useful, with lots of personalised information and multilingual staff.
Museo de Cadiz, Plaza de la Mina. Free for EU citizens, less then €2 for others.
Small enough to wander about after lunch and an interesting selection of Phoenician and Roman artefacts plus a couple of floors of paintings including contemporary art. Worth a detour.
Torre de Tavira, Calle Marqués del Real Tesoro. €6 per person, tours in English available.
Great views over the city after climbing the many stairs to the balcony followed by a guided visit to the Camera Obscura, to view the reflected image of the city in real time. Rather charming.
Cathedral, Plaza de la Catedral, €5 entry which includes the museum.
Huge vaulted ceilings alarmingly netted to prevent bits of masonry falling on visitors.
Iglesia de Santiago, Plaza de la Catedral, free.
Dramatically gothic and atmospheric with beautiful figurines of the Madonna.
Parque Genovés, Avenida Dr Gómez Ulla, free
A beautiful botanical garden on the sea front. A perfect stroll following a sunset drink. If you follow the coast around, you will come to the Alameda gardens with two of the large Ficus trees famous in Cadiz.
Castillo de San Sebastián, Playa de la Caleta, free
A military island fort joined in the 1800s by a causeway to Cadiz. A lovely walk out to the old fort, past fishermen and joggers with great views back to the city. You cannot enter the lighthouse or buildings but the walk along the ramparts is breathtaking. Take a picnic and breathe in the salty sea air.
Playa de la Caleta
Location of the infamous Halle Berry scene from Die Another Day, its a perfect spot to have a gin and tonic whilst watching the sun set over the sea and indulging your inner Bond.
Barrio de la Viña, behind Playa de la Caleta
The fishermen's quarter named after the vineyard that preceded it. Full of winding old streets with chairs spilling out from seafood restaurants and tapas bars. One street has flowerpots painted in the town football colours of yellow and blue, another has a moving memorial to the loss of 40 people in a tsunami in the 1700s. Wander about, stay for a sherry and a plateful of boquerones.
Mercado Central, Plaza Libertad
Obviously a key place to visit if you are into food! To see the freshest fish go on Tuesday when the latest catch is in. Tuna, swordfish, octopus, if it swims, you'll see it here. You can buy anything and there are small restaurants around the edge serving up the best from the market. Perch on one of their stall and prepare to graze.
Practical Information
The nearest airport is Jerez de la Frontera. Ryanair has several flights there from Stansted (UK) at not too difficult times. There is a train to Cadiz directly from the airport which is easily reached by foot (a 5 minute walk across the carpark, take the underpass under the track to the opposite platform). There are several direct trains to Cadiz a day but check the times at trainline.eu. You can book online and prices are approximately €6 per person for the 45 minute journey at the time of writing (shockingly cheap if you are used to the scandalous rail prices in the UK). There is also a bus service which takes 90 minutes (in a modern and comfortable coach) which is only €3.80 per person. Look for lines M-050 or M-053, both stop in Jerez for about 5 minutes. Once in Cadiz, its easy to walk around, its pretty small and even if you do get lost, walking straight in any one direction will bring you back to the sea. In fact, I'd recommend that you do get lost, its the best way to stumble upon inviting tapas bars but if you prefer a little more order, the central Tourist Information provides a series of walks with routes helpfully marked out on the pavements in different colours.
It is indeed a beautiful city, with friendly open people and easy to get around. Pastel coloured buildings faded by the sun and eaten away by the salt laden winds, reveal the richness this city of merchants must have had and many say it is reminiscent of Havana in Cuba (even James Bond filmed a 'Cuban' scene here). These are some of my tips for places to see, I'll cover places to eat in my next post.
Places to visit
The Tourist Information Office is on the Paseo de Canalejas (opposite the docks) and is very useful, with lots of personalised information and multilingual staff.
Museo de Cadiz, Plaza de la Mina. Free for EU citizens, less then €2 for others.
Small enough to wander about after lunch and an interesting selection of Phoenician and Roman artefacts plus a couple of floors of paintings including contemporary art. Worth a detour.
Torre de Tavira, Calle Marqués del Real Tesoro. €6 per person, tours in English available.
Great views over the city after climbing the many stairs to the balcony followed by a guided visit to the Camera Obscura, to view the reflected image of the city in real time. Rather charming.
Cathedral, Plaza de la Catedral, €5 entry which includes the museum.
Huge vaulted ceilings alarmingly netted to prevent bits of masonry falling on visitors.
Iglesia de Santiago, Plaza de la Catedral, free.
Dramatically gothic and atmospheric with beautiful figurines of the Madonna.
Parque Genovés, Avenida Dr Gómez Ulla, free
A beautiful botanical garden on the sea front. A perfect stroll following a sunset drink. If you follow the coast around, you will come to the Alameda gardens with two of the large Ficus trees famous in Cadiz.
Castillo de San Sebastián, Playa de la Caleta, free
A military island fort joined in the 1800s by a causeway to Cadiz. A lovely walk out to the old fort, past fishermen and joggers with great views back to the city. You cannot enter the lighthouse or buildings but the walk along the ramparts is breathtaking. Take a picnic and breathe in the salty sea air.
Location of the infamous Halle Berry scene from Die Another Day, its a perfect spot to have a gin and tonic whilst watching the sun set over the sea and indulging your inner Bond.
Barrio de la Viña, behind Playa de la Caleta
The fishermen's quarter named after the vineyard that preceded it. Full of winding old streets with chairs spilling out from seafood restaurants and tapas bars. One street has flowerpots painted in the town football colours of yellow and blue, another has a moving memorial to the loss of 40 people in a tsunami in the 1700s. Wander about, stay for a sherry and a plateful of boquerones.
Mercado Central, Plaza Libertad
Obviously a key place to visit if you are into food! To see the freshest fish go on Tuesday when the latest catch is in. Tuna, swordfish, octopus, if it swims, you'll see it here. You can buy anything and there are small restaurants around the edge serving up the best from the market. Perch on one of their stall and prepare to graze.
Practical Information
The nearest airport is Jerez de la Frontera. Ryanair has several flights there from Stansted (UK) at not too difficult times. There is a train to Cadiz directly from the airport which is easily reached by foot (a 5 minute walk across the carpark, take the underpass under the track to the opposite platform). There are several direct trains to Cadiz a day but check the times at trainline.eu. You can book online and prices are approximately €6 per person for the 45 minute journey at the time of writing (shockingly cheap if you are used to the scandalous rail prices in the UK). There is also a bus service which takes 90 minutes (in a modern and comfortable coach) which is only €3.80 per person. Look for lines M-050 or M-053, both stop in Jerez for about 5 minutes. Once in Cadiz, its easy to walk around, its pretty small and even if you do get lost, walking straight in any one direction will bring you back to the sea. In fact, I'd recommend that you do get lost, its the best way to stumble upon inviting tapas bars but if you prefer a little more order, the central Tourist Information provides a series of walks with routes helpfully marked out on the pavements in different colours.
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