Eight Hours Ashore in Cadiz

The Spanish port of Cadiz is very high on my list of perfect cruise ports! The last Atlantic port that you reach before entering the Mediterranean, the old town sits neatly on a small peninsular and its mix of Spanish, Moorish, Greek, Roman and Phoenician history makes it a fascinating place to explore. Even if the weather is a little rough, one of its coasts will be sheltered and the medieval cobbled streets and grand tiled 19th century walkways will give shelter from sun or wind. We have visited three times now and I keep meaning to explore Trafalgar Lighthouse and nearby sand dunes, the sherry capital Jerez de La Frontera or even maybe get to Seville but somehow a day spent gently wandering the beaches, parks and historical centre of Cadiz seems enough. Cadiz old city is virtually an island at the end of a narrow isthmus where the newer part of the city has been built. This houses some of the most expensive apartments in southern Spain and the area is popular as a holiday destination for many Spaniards because of its lovely beaches.

Fishermens boats at Playa de la Caleta

The history of Cadiz is so varied it is worth knowing a little about it before you start to explore. Cadiz is said to be the oldest city in Western Europe, its history spans a continuous period of occupation for over 3000 years. Different civilisations and cultures have come and gone, all leaving their own imprint on the city, so that it has very diverse influences in everything from architecture, music, food and local customs.

The Phoenicians were the first to settle in the area, archaeological evidence has been found which suggests that Cadiz was a centre of trade as far back as 1100 BC when the city was called Gadir, the word Phoenician derives from the ancient Greek word phoínios for purple. The success and wealth of the Phoenicians was based on the trading, in particular gold, silver, glass, wine, slaves and a very rare and expensive dye called Tyrian Purple. The secret of its production (an extremely smelly enterprise involving the mucus of the Murex sea snail apparently!) was well protected and the dye highly prized. It was used by the Greeks to indicate Royal rank and by the Temple in Jerusalem for ceremonial garments, the colouring prestigious due to its cost and scarcity.

A little lookout post on the sea wall...

The Phoenician trading empire spread along the southern shores of the Mediterranean as the Greek civilisation spread along the northern shore and both the Greeks and the Romans left their mark on the town. Its name, Cadiz, is though to derive from Qadis, the name given to the city by the Visigoths who conquered the city in the 5th Century, over later years it was part of the Moorish empire eventually being placed under Spanish protection in the 15th Century by the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Cathedral with its Moorish Domes

It played an important part in the exploration of the New World, Columbus left from here for two of his voyages and one of the huge trees along the coastal promenade is said to have been planted from a seed that he brought back with him. Many of the fortifications that are visible today were built to protect the town from the British - this is where Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have ‘Singed the Kings of Spains beard’ by burning his fleet in the harbour - but in the main the town was a peaceful trading port and home to the Spanish Navy. The French, under Napoleon, occupied the city and it was from here, in 1805, that ships set out to take part in the Battle of Trafalgar. Cadiz later went on to be the first capital of Spain - a position it only held for a few years before returning to its trading roots. Today it is a cosmopolitan city, part of the Andalusian region of Spain, especially proud of its links with the Flamenco dance form which is though to have originated here.

Tacita de Plata?

As you arrive - cruising along the Atlantic coast in the morning sunlight - CADIZ almost seems to pop up from nowhere , the old nickname for the town is Tacita de Placa meaning ‘shiny as a new pin’, thought to be because its whitewashed walls shine from the sea in the morning sun.

Your ship will moor alongside in the deep water port and you can leave the cruise ship and walk straight into city centre. Normally the ships dock close to the cruise terminal but if they are further out for any reason the port will provide a shuttle bus service. The recently renovated cruise terminal is situated alongside Alfonso XIII pier & offers cruise passengers a disembarkation area, left luggage, tourist information, free Wi-Fi zone, delicatessen, duty free and souvenir shops among other services. The local currency is the Euro and the language is Spanish, although English is widely spoken in shops and cafes. There are ATMs and money change office and credit cards are widely accepted. In Spain it is common to add Value-Added Tax (VAT) on to the price shown so if buying something expensive you may want to check to be sure!

Into the Old Town

You exit the port gates on Plaza de la Hispanidad and here you will find local buses (although you need to change at the Bus Station if you want leave the peninsula), the HOHO red double-decker bus (an option if you do not want to walk far. It does not cover much of the town centre but does go to the new city and it is wheelchair accessible ) and a Taxi rank. Official taxis are blue and white and operate fixed prices from the port. 2019 prices were:

1 hrs taxi tour of Cadiz: 45 euro

3 hrs taxi tour of Jerez Bodegas: 140 euro

4 hrs taxi tour of Sevilla: 250 euro

That seems a reasonable price to take four people to Jerez and back but if you are staying in the city you might as well just walk, as the smaller streets, especially in the centre, are closed to traffic.

If you want to head further afield another option would be by train, the station is about a 10 minute walk from the cruise terminal (turn left on exit and walk around the port). From here you could catch a train to Jerez de la Frontera (35 minutes) or Seville (up to 2 hours). The trains are not very frequent although they are reliable, check the timetables online http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html and make sure you leave enough time to get back!

The bus station and car rental offices are on the town side of the station. If you want to go sightseeing by bus, you can buy the Bonobus Pass from a kiosk, it is valid for ten rides.

A suggested walk around the ‘Promenade’

The fortifications of the City wall

This walk is almost completely flat and stable for pushchairs, mobility scooters and wheelchairs although coming back to the port you will have to stay on the main streets if cobbles are problem.

Exit the port and cross the road to head through the small park ahead of you. Plaza d’Espana is dominated by by a large monument which celebrates the founding of modern Spain by the Constitution of Cadiz in1812. At the foot of monument you will see a female figure representing Spain. the two groups of sculptures to each side represent agriculture and citizenship.

Casa de las 4 Torres

If you turn to the right along Plaza Arguelles you will pass the Casa de las 4 Torres. This is an old merchants house with turrets used as lookout posts for the inhabitants waiting for their cargo ships returning from the New World, there were once 160 homes like this in the town.

Alameda Apodaca Gardens

You will reach the fortifications along the city wall overlooking the sea where you can turn left and follow the coast for a lovely, although sometimes bracing, walk. The Moorish roots of the city are obvious in the tiling and fountains of the first green space you reach, the gardens of the Alameda Apodaca, which runs parallel to the sea. There are many interesting plants including two huge Ficus trees planted at the beginning of the 20th century from seeds brought from Australia.

A memorial to local composer Manuel de Falla

The 17th century fort the Baluarte de la Candelaria looks out over the harbour entrance and is now a venue for concerts and exhibitions. We once found an interesting exhibition of old photographs of the town here so it is worth having a quick look to see what is going on.

Parque Genovés

Carrying on around the headland you will reach the Parque Genovés, a larger park in a more formal style, again with a wide range of plants, trees and birds as well as a lake with a waterfall.

As you exit the park things start to look a little run down but don’t give up yet! Carry on a little further and just around the corner is a lovely beach the La Caleta, probably the best beach in Cádiz.

Paddling in April on La Caleta Beach

It is flanked by two castles, San Sebastian and Santa Catalina and looks out to a third, the Castillo de San Sebastian. This is a military fortification, situated at the end of a road leading out from the beach. It was built in 1706 but is not open to the public, you may recognise from its starring role as a private clinic in the James Bond movie ‘Die Another Day.’ La Caleta beach also provided the setting for several of the other ‘Cuban’ scenes at the beginning of the film. There is an excellent cafe here called Quilla with excellent coffee, good loos and a sunny terrace overlooking the beach. of you head down the steps to the beach you will find a scruffy looking seafood restaurant called Bar Club Caleta which looks quite fun!

La Caleta Beach - the Flamenco Club is the flat roofed building by the causeway

You could head into the old town at this point but I think it makes a nice walk to walk along the beach, past the lovely white building on stilts you can see in the title photo - it is actually the Underwater Archaeology Centre Headquarters although I think it it looks like an upmarket restaurant! - and up off the beach at the Paseo Fernando Quiñones gate. This will bring you back to the main road by a famous Flamenco Club, the Peña Flamenca Juanito Villar. This will probably be open for drinks and snacks and you can see some lovely old photos on the walls but the dancing all takes place in the evening. If you want to avoid the beach the main road will bring you to the same spot and then you turn the corner and walk along the new sea wall.

Excellent point for a photoshoot!

This gives you some lovely views and excellent photo ops of the new city. It featured as ‘Havana’ in the Bond movie and its easy to see why they chose it!

If you’re peckish then turn down Calle Garaicoecha and head to the Central Market - stall, bars, restaurants, shops - this is an absolutely perfect market!  But don’t get there too late as everything closes for Siesta around 14:00.  Try some local Tapas with a glass of Amontillado sherry from nearby Jerez in a bar or eat paella, caldillo de peros (fish in orange sauce) or pescadito fritas (fried fish) in a restaurant.  For sweet treats look out for Pain de Cadiz - fruit stuffed marzipan and Turron, local nougat.

The junction of Calle Silencio and Calle Meson

If you walk to the new cathedral you will have done about 90% of the circuit and you will be at a point on the edge of the Old Town that is directly east of the port. If you headed down Calle San Juan de Dios and just kept going straight, you would be back at the ship. If you fancy a bit more wandering carry on and then though go down Calle San Juan de Dios then turn left onto the narrow Calle Mesón which takes you through the old city walls, past the atmospherically named Calle Silencio.

Tunnel beneath the Roman amphitheatre

The entrance to the old Roman amphitheatre is just along here on the left. It was buried under many layers of newer construction over the centuries and has only fairly recently been unearthed. It is worth visiting along with its small museum if you have time although it is not on the scale of Roman remains you will see elsewhere.

Plaza de Cathedral

Turning left out of the museum will bring you to the Plaza de la Catedral which houses both the Cathedral and the baroque Santiago church, built in 1635. There are also many restaurants and bars -I have to say that I have had the worst service possible at two of these establishments and yet everywhere else has been wonderfully welcoming and friendly so personally I would advise you find somewhere else!!

Santa Catalina Fort

If you pass in front of the cathedral and leave the square on Calle Compagnia you will be heading for the Tavira Tower, the highest and grandest of the merchant towers. Named after its original owner this watchtower also has a camera obscura, a room that uses the principal of the pinhole camera to project panoramic views of the Old City onto its interior walls. It is open to visit, the views are amazing… but it doesn’t have a lift! The town market with interesting stalls and place to eat is between the tower and the southern sea wall you just walked along so that would be another diversion if you’re not interested in the roman remains or the cathedral. The town museum in the the Plaza de Mina and contains many relics and artefacts from the city’s 3,000-year history.

Don’t leave it too late to shop or eat as Cadiz observes the Spanish custom known as Siesta. Many businesses are closed from 2:30 to around 5:30 in the afternoon, although nowadays many chain restaurants, outlet stores and supermarkets remain open. Many bars serve tapas, small dishes, if you don’t want a meal but food, especially seafood, is an important part of life in Cadiz. You will find lobster, squid and shrimp in virtually every restaurant as well as popular local dishes “caldillo de peros” and “pescadito fritas”. The local dark variety of sherry known as Amontillado is popular to drink with meals.

Whichever way you go back to the ship -wandering in a vaguely northwest direction - you might pass the imposing Town Hall, some interesting shops, a craft market, lovely old houses, shaded squares or narrow cobbled streets! Take as much or as little time as you want - just head to the water - it really is impossible to get lost!

Leaving Cadiz as the sun sets...

As I said, there are many ways to leave Cadiz and visit other places locally but I’m really not sure why you would!

I hope you enjoyed reading about Cadiz - I would love to know what you think so it would be great if you commented below! There are also some small affiliate links there which help towards the running of the website - if you click through and buy anything from them it gives us a few pence but doesn’t cost you any extra! It’s a great help and thanks to all those who do!

Happy portExploring!

Cathy 

xx

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