By Maríbel Martín
CADIZ – LA TACITA DE PLATA – THE LITTLE SILVER TEA CUP
You have arrived to the ancient city and port of Cadiz, built on a strip of land surrounded by sea, it is the oldest city in Europe, it has had the influence of many different cultures, and it was the main port for the ships coming and going to the newly discovered lands of America after Cristobal Colon discovery.
The Cadiz´s peoples temperament is always cheerful, they like to sing and dance and have a good time, especially at carnaval time, that takes place in February every year and is one of the best in Spain.
The city´s old quaters are an amazing complex of twisting streets and connecting squares where you can loose yourself and stop at the many tapas bars and restaurants and watch the world go by.
Later Cadiz became the main port for ships coming and going to the newly discovered American lands, it was flattened by Sir Francis Drake and managed to repel Napoleon´s attack.
There is a lot to see and do in Cadiz, you can download in your phone this practical guide in your Road Trip around the southern spain destinations:
Sir Francis Drake flattenned the town in order in order to obtain the control of the Comerce to the New World.
Cadiz has more than 100 towers, included the iconic Tower Tavira, these towers were used to watch for incoming boats. The rest of the medieval wall encloses the twisting streets of the old city and connects plazas (squares) such us the Plaza Topete, full of flowers and the Plaza de Mina, where the Cadiz Museum is located, where you can see archeology, marionettes and art.
There are many interesting to see in Cadiz, such as:
–Plaza San Juan de Dios, an elegant square with interesting buildings, a church and the town-hall.
-The Cathedral, built in 1722, has a beautiful golden dome and a tower (la Torre de Poniente) where you have lovely views of the city.
-The Roman Theatre , had a capacity of 20.000 seats inits day.
–El Mercado Central, lively market, with a cafetería and a gastronomic corner where you can sample the local foodstaff and adquire fresh products, lovely fresh fish and shellfish.
-El Parque Genoves, a small botanic garden, a very relaxing spot to admire the flowers and birds.
–La Caleta beach situated between two forts, San Sebastian and Santa Catalina, joined by the boulevar, Campo del Sur, heading for the Victoria beach, with shops and restaurants.
–The Alameda Apodaca in the old town, this walk, sheltered from the winds, was built on top of the walls by the bay, very popular with the local people.
Towns and villages you may like to visit in Cadiz´s province:
Jerez de la Frontera, home of sherrys and wines, such as Tio Pepe, it is posible to visit their wine cellar and sample the diferent wines. You can also see the performance of the Spanish dancing horses at the Real Escuela Andaluza de Arte Equestre, an interesting experience, you may also enjoy seeing the beatiful architecture of the town, like the Cathedral building, another thing you may enjoy is the Tabancos, these are very old bars where they serve you the wine directly from barrels at a very reasonable price.
Puerto de Santa María has also a lot of bodegas (wine cellars) you can see and sample the wine, Osborne is one of them, it is also a lovely town with amazing fish bars around the port.
There is what is called the Route of the white villages, the most important are: Arcos de la Frontera, Villamartin, El Bosque, Grazalema, Ulbrique, with their leather industry and Setenil de las Bodegas built under a huge rock.
Tarifa, for the surfing, Chiclana and Barbate to see the fishing boats that catch the tune fish.
Algeciras where you can take a ferry to the North of Africa.
Linea de la Concepción where you can go across to Gibraltar.
San Lucar de Barrameda, a lovely town where the Guadalquivir river meets the sea, and you can take a boat to visit the Doñana National Park, or up the river to Seville, once a year they hold horse races on the beach.
Along the river bank there is a place called “Bajo de Guía” full of fish bars and restaurants where you can seat outside and enjoy the scenery.
Where to eat in Cádiz
Cadiz has a wondeful gastronomy, you may want to visit some of these places:
–Taberna Casa Blanca, to sample the typical “lomo en Manteca” tasty pork meat cooked in fat.
-La tapería de Lulu, a good tapas bar.
-Taberna El tío de la Tiza, for fish, prawns and tapas.
–El fogon de Mariana, for good meat dishes.
-Bar Club Caleta, a typical beach bar with great views.
-Horno de Compañía, one of the oldests and emblematic cakes shops for your bread and cake.
This is only a small sample of the many excellent bars and restaurants which you will find everywhere in Cadiz.
Where to stay in Camping in Cádiz
- Here are some camping sites that could be of use to you:
- Camping Playa Las Dunas de San Anton, very pleasnt surroundings.
- Camping el Palmar, El Palmar, Vejez de la Frontera, all services, good location for the beach.
- Bungalows Camping Caños de Meca, on the road from Vejer to Caños de Meca, popular with campers.
- Camping bungalows El Faro, Conil de la Frontera, beautiful secluded beaches.