Discover Cádiz in 2 days

Possibly one of the most special cities in the west whose aim is to fall in love from the first moment you cross one of its bridges, Cádiz, ancient city of Phoenician origin, silver streets that lead to an infinite sea and a southern field that transports the visitor to the Havana boardwalk.

We recommend going out on 9 in the morning on our routes but before leaving we have to gather strength, and what better than having a cup of hot chocolate next to the Mercado de Abastos, in the well-known cafeteria of “The poem” where we can take the exquisite churros from the nearby stall "La Guapa".

To start our journey through Cadiz land and early in the morning, we will take as a starting point the Central Market (1), full of fresh seafood stalls, fruits, vegetables, meat, where you have the possibility to try, possibly, the best greaves in the world and, and if that was not enough, eat some tapas outdoors in your gastronomic corner, which has a wide variety of stalls where we can find culinary proposals of any type and origin, from the most typical of the land to Japanese cuisine, Italian, among others. And not only that, we can also visit specialized beer stalls, infusions, drinks, etc.

We continue our journey towards the Plaza de las Flores (2) o Plaza Topete, historic heart of Cádiz and commercial center, just a few seconds from the Central Supply Market.

In it ends one of the main shopping streets of the city, la calle Colum, full of businesses of all kinds, especially fashion stores.

then, we are heading to the Cathedral Square (3), from which we can contemplate the immense facade of the Cathedral of Cadiz (4) "Santa Cruz on the sea" or "Santa Cruz on the Waters" is also known by the people of Cadiz as the New Cathedral, as opposed to the Old, built in the 16th century on the old Gothic Cathedral ordered to be built by Alfonso X El Sabio. The Gothic Cathedral endured with some reforms carried out in the 15th and 16th centuries until it was burned by the Anglo-Dutch squad commanded by Admiral Howard and the Earl of Essex, who attacked, invaded and looted Cádiz in 1.596 until he abandoned her, already burned, in the middle of July.

The clock tower (5) of the Cathedral of Cádiz is, for sure, one of the most characteristic exterior elements of this first Cadiz temple, from its towers you can see a complete view of the entire city and wonderful views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Next to the Cathedral we can visit the Church of Santa Cruz (6) o Old Cathedral It is the temple with the longest history in the city and the tradition tells that it was built on the site of an old Muslim mosque. It was built at the behest of Alfonso X the Wise and was erected as a cathedral in 1263, Wise King expressing his desire to be buried in it, although it was never fulfilled.

We continue through the area, where we have the possibility to visit the Cathedral museum (7) located in the House of the Court. It displays the ornaments and objects of worship of the Cathedral, as well as paintings and sculptures.

It is time to stop to replenish energy, and nothing better than tapas in Garage bistro & Bar, located just 1 minute from the Cathedral, in the neighborhood of El Pópulo, from where we can observe the rose bow, the old western door nestled in the walls of medieval Cádiz, that connects it to the Plaza de la Catedral.

Considered the oldest in Western Europe, the Pópulo neighborhood (8), whose origin dates back to the 13th century, It is one of those places that transport you to another era with its narrow cobblestone streets with a medieval air, palaces houses and facades of oyster stone that have witnessed the continuous exchange of merchandise with the New World and the visit of Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second trip to the americas.

The Pópulo encloses in the small area delimited by three arches, each one under a Marian dedication: the Arch of the Rose, with their matacanes; the The arc of Populo (9), located under the chapel of the same name and of which the interior curvature stands out, which is a timid warhead arch; and the Arch of the Whites, where was the chapel of the Virgin, vestiges of Cadiz history, from the Phoenician Cadiz, Roman and also from that rich city that looked at America mesmerized by trade with the West Indies.

We will dedicate our last forces to visit the city ​​council of Cádiz (10) which is located in the Plaza de San Juan de Dios.

The City of Cadiz it is located in the current location since the sixteenth century. At the end of the 17th century the building was renovated, which was replaced by the current one from 1799.

The primitive Plaza Mayor of the city or Plaza de San Juan de Dios (11), which was also called La Corredera, got ready, as it is frequent in medieval cities, outside the walls and immediately to one of the access doors, in this case the primitive Puerta del Mar, the Arch of Pópulo. Its irregular layout is conditioned by coinciding with one of the mouths of the old arm of the sea, that originally crossed the current island of Cádiz.

To end the day we can go through the Las Flores Restaurant and Seafood Restaurant 1 where generous servings of seafood or fried fish are served on paper or on a tray, in a humble brewery in the historic heart of Cádiz.

From the terrace you can enjoy the great atmosphere that always exists in the area, overlooking the Plaza de las Flores.

On our second day through Cádiz we will do one of the most Cadiz routes in the city, starting with the carnival neighborhood of the vineyard, even so, We recommend stopping first at the Abastos market to see the great variety of fish and seafood that we can find in the morning., worth to watch.

To have breakfast before our walk, we have the possibility to do it within the same market, where we will find a varied gastronomic corner.

Willing to continue, we will walk in the direction Pink street towards the famous La Viña neighborhood (1), with a deep sea flavor, It is the nerve center of the Cadiz carnivals, in addition to concentrating the entire essence of the call “Tacita de Plata”, popular nickname of Cádiz.

Once we have traveled every corner of the La Viña neighborhood, we will end up in the La Caleta beach (2), because all its streets lead us to it.

Presided over by the former Our Lady of La Palma spa (3), iconic image of the city of Cádiz, La Caleta is possibly one of the most special beaches on the Cadiz coast, and why not, of the world, because it reflects the pure spirit of Cádiz, with magical sunsets that transmit peace and tranquility, a picturesque picture with little wooden boats in a sea that is lost with a beautiful sunset between the Castle of San Sebastián and the Castle of Santa Catalina.

Now we are heading towards Duque de Nájera avenue, there we find the Castillo de San Sebastián (4), which we can see on our left from the beach of La Caleta and where we can take a long walk enjoying the wonderful views of the sea that its journey offers us.

We continue our journey to Calle Mesón, where we find the Roman theatre (5) that was built around the year 70 a.C. when the Cádiz-born Lucio Cornelio Balbo “el Mayor”, Julio César's personal friend and advisor, he decided with his nephew Balbo "el Menor" to expand the urban perimeter of Gades, building the Neápolis. In this new neighborhood an amphitheater and a theater were built, located the latter in 1980 under the current neighborhood of El Pópulo.

Just 1 minute is the Archaeological site of the Bishop's House (6), it is located in the historic center of the city, between the old cathedral and the new cathedral, and it allows to check the evolution of the city from the 8th century BC to the 18th century of our era.

It is time to stop and this time we recommend visiting, without a doubt, perhaps the best-known tavern in Cádiz, Manteca House, a very picturesque corner with bullfighting decoration, tiles and old-fashioned photographs, an intimate place with exquisite typical tapas from Cádiz where we highlight its greaves, mojama, cheese, aliñá mackerel and all its offer in general, well you won't be disappointed.

Late afternoon, there is no better way than to relax walking along the beach of La Caleta, address to Castillo de Santa Catalina (7), where near its entrance we find a cafeteria with unbeatable views, The Keel, to have a coffee and activate before continuing.

We continue our route through the Genovese park (8) or botanical garden, it is the widest green area in the old town. It remained on the margin of the urban expansion experienced by the city throughout the 18th century, for being subjected to military servitude. At that time it was already used as a place of recreation and was known as Paseo del Perejil, because of its sparse and poor vegetation.

From this point, we will deviate 3 minutes of our route to go to the temple of the Cadiz carnival, the Gran Teatro Falla (9), that each February gives us the songs of the groups that compete in it.

We return to Genovés Park and walk to the Baluarte de la Candelaria (10), built on a protruding angle of the terrain in 1672, whose strategic location, between San Felipe and the fortifications near Caleta, was a great improvement for the protection of the western front.

Continuing our tour we will see the Alameda Apodaca (11), this ride, reserved for storms, it is arranged on the walls next to the bay and is, since the 17th century, one of the most frequented places in the city. Throughout history it has undergone several reforms, but the one that shaped its current appearance was made in 1926.

Cadiz had to be defended at all costs. Napoleon, Nelson, Francis Drake ... I do not know how many took Cádiz in their heads, as a starting point to get your hands on the entire peninsula, why, centuries ago, Cádiz was one of the most important cities in Spain.

Between bulwarks, lookout towers, and else, Cádiz parapet after his Walls of San Carlos (12). Today you can see them very close to the Plaza de España, there where the famous rises monument to the Constitution of 1812 (13), la Pepa. The walls stare seaward, and they rose in the late eighteenth century, thanks to the military engineer Antonio Hurtado.

Our day ends here but to make our trip even more perfect, at dusk we can go to dinner at the Restaurante Balandro, it is without a doubt, one of the best and best known in the city, where the seafood dishes made with fresh fruits from the bay of Cadiz stand out, traditional recipes rooted in the Mediterranean diet and tasty and tender meats made with a wide range of possibilities, To the client's taste.