A Day in Cádiz
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Occupying a tiny peninsula on the south coast of Spain, Cádiz is a beautiful old city that is well worth a visit. The old town is on the tip of the peninsula and is steeped in history. In 1493 Christopher Columbus set off on his second voyage to the New World from this port. In the 16th century it was the home of the Spanish Navy. In 1587 Francis Drake led a raid on this port and destroyed 30 ships. It has more than 100 watchtowers and was the base for exploration and trade.
1. Cadiz Museum
We started our day with a visit to the Cadiz Museum. This was founded in 1970 after the merger of the Museum of Fine Arts with the Museum of Archaeology. We enjoyed looking around this museum where there were interesting historical pieces from both Phoeician and Roman times and the old marionette puppets were really interesting. This museum depicts the history of Cádiz from the stone age to colonial times.
The museum is on one of the lively squares, where there are plenty of bars to find some refreshments or early morning coffee!
Location: Plaza de Mina, s/n, 11004, Cádiz. | Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Closed on Mondays. | Price: Free | Website
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2. Torre Tavira
Next on our agenda was the 18th century watch tower set in the heart of Cádiz old town. This tower is a long climb with 10 flights of stairs, but when you reach the top you are rewarded with the best views of the city. But I would have second thoughts about walking up all those stairs again. Also in the tower is a darkened room where you can get a live tour of the city through the lens of a camera mounted on top of the tower.
Location: Torre Tavira, Calle Marqués del Real Tesoro, 10 11001 Cádiz Spain | Hours: October – april: 10.00 – 18.00 hrs. May – september: 10.00 – 20.00 hrs. | Price: 7 Euro | Website
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3. Central Market
As with many Spanish coastal towns the market is well worth a look in. There are crabs, oysters, in fact, every type of shellfish imaginable. There are also many cheap bars that serve refreshing cold beers and perfectly cooked fish.
Location: Plaza de la Libertad, S/N 11005 Cádiz Spain | Hours: Central Market Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Gastronomic Corner Hours: Monday: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday to Friday: from 9:00 a.m. at 3.30 pm and from 19.00. at 00.00 Saturday: From 09.00. at 4:00 pm and from 8:00 pm at 01.00 | Price: Free
Read more about Cádiz Mercado Central de Abastos
4. Anca Lidia
A small bar/restaurant in the centre of Cádiz, just next door to the Central Market, with tables in the street. An ideal stop off for a light snack. Great atmosphere and the food was excellent. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We tried a number of shellfish dishes with patata bravas. A fabulous place to eat.
5. Cadiz Cathedral
From the tower we took a short walk to the Catedral de Cádiz. The walk took us via the conveniently placed Plaza de Las Flores, one of the most colorful and lively squares in the
city of Cádiz.
This beautiful golden, domed cathedral in the heart of the Old Town and viewed from almost anywhere in the city. It was constructed in the Baroque style and later completed in the neoclassical style. We thought it was well worth going up the Bell Tower to enjoy the amazing views over the city and the sea.
Location: Plaza de la Catedral, s/n 11005 Cádiz Spain | Hours: Tue-Sat 10am-4:30pm
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6. Roman Theatre
A little theatre tucked away between buildings . The site was only discovered in the 1980’s and I can understand why because although we walked around the building it took us a while to find the entrance even using Google location! An interesting place to visit with a viewing area of the remains of the theatre and also a room with a reproduction of what the theatre looked like in Roman times.
Location: Calle Mesón, 11-13, 11005 Cádiz, Spain | Price: Free
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7. Gates of the Earth
We moved from the old town and new part of Cádiz via the impressively title “Gates of the Earth”. These were a large 18th century gate in the city walls. We stopped off here to explore them and there was plenty of information about their history available in English.
Location: Plaza de la Constitución, s/n, 11004, Cádiz | Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am. to 2:30 pm. and from 6 pm. to 9:30 pm. Until July 14, guided visits: Saturdays and Sundays at 11 am. and 8 pm. Mondays is closed. | Price: Free
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8. Victoria Beach and the Cadiz surf Centre
This is a long stretch of beach with lovely white sand and waves rolling in. There are also several beach bars for refreshments. We decided to end the day drinking a well earned beer while watching the sunset. We thought surfing was too energetic for us, but we met some people at the bar who had taken the surf classes for beginners earlier in the day – they said it was great, the instructor was very good and they were eager to return again to try surfing again!
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