Cádiz is a port and city on a peninsula jetting into the Atlantic, in Andalusia in southwestern Spain. It was originally founded by the Phoenicians and is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Western Europe  with archaeological remains of Gadir which date back to 1100 BC. Since then it has been controlled by the Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and even the French!

The town 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.  The Golden Age of Cádiz was the period from the 16th to 18th centuries was when Cádiz was the center of trade with the New World.   To protect their riches, Cádiz was encased by a network of formidable walls and forts and had over 100 watchtowers.

Occupied by the French in the Napoleonic Wars (1803 – 1815), the city is the birthplace of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 which was written here.

The Old Town of  Cádiz, which within the old City walls and almost surrounded by the sea is full of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas.