Cadiz - our guide to Andalucia's hidden gem

Western Europe’s oldest city remains mysteriously off the radar for many visitors to Andalusia in the southernmost region of Spain. Yet Cádiz should be up there with Seville and Granada as one of the cities to visit during a stay in the area – a perfect base both for sightseeing and sipping sherry in one of its famous tapas bars.

The excesses of the city’s famous festival each February may be best left to the sprightlier. But in spring, it’s warm enough to swim in the sea and cool off with a walk in its narrow streets before, perhaps, visiting a local feria (festival) in a nearby sherry town. Even in summer, Cádiz’s position – on a peninsula reaching into the ocean – means it doesn’t get as hot as its Andalusian neighbours.

In 1,100BC, Phoenicians established the port they named Gadir. Attached to mainland Spain by a thread of land, Cádiz focused outward to distant shores. Columbus sailed to the Americas from here, while historic links to Cuba saw the Campo del Sur promenade and La Caleta beach double for Havana in Bond film Die Another Day.

Nowhere in Cuba, though, has a soaring oceanside cathedral by which you can visit both a Roman theatre and 2,300-year-old subterranean docks, dubbed The Bluebird Caves.

On the Plaza de Mina, meanwhile, the Museum of Cádiz has Roman statues, old master Spanish paintings, plus idiosyncratic puppetry sets, an art form still performed here. The International Puppet Festival is from 20 to 25 May in 2025. 

The city wears its history with relaxed, rough-edged style. I love the old cannons turned upright as quirky street corner protectors, relics from Napoleonic war times when Cádiz became Spain’s capital from 1810-1813, while the 300-year-old Santa Catalina Castle is now a striking exhibition space.

The Puerta de Tierra city gate separates the old town from a modern quarter fronted by Playa Victoria, twice voted Europe’s best city beach. Head along its two-mile length to La Cortadura beach and you’ll find the outstanding Michelin-starred Ventorrillo el Chato restaurant. But you can eat wonderfully – and cheaply – in the old town.

At Spain’s oldest covered market on Plaza de la Libertad, I wash down generous portions of cazón en adobo (dogfish fried in breadcrumbs) and tortilla de camarones (shrimp-speckled wafery sheets of deliciousness) with a beer for €10.

In the old fishing quarter of La Viña, there’s Iberian ham and mojama (wind-dried tuna) at Casa Manteca, and grilled cuttlefish (choco) at Tabernita el Tío de la Tiza – one of Rick Stein’s favourites.

Work up your appetite climbing Torre Tavira for a stunning panorama. It’s the tallest of more than 120 watchtowers, rising above the city’s elegant old merchant houses.

There’s modernity amid the ancient beauty too. The Espacio de Creación Contemporánea de Cádiz (ECCO) exhibits modern art beside the Parque Genovés, where tiled fountains gurgle amid banyan trees.

The city sits at the heart of Andalusia’s Sherry Triangle, where bottles of dry, fortified wines called fino and manzanilla are produced to be drunk at spring ferias, which celebrate the beauty of the horse. The most famous fair takes place in Seville, but every ‘pueblo’ in the region has its own version, when men wear caballero outfits and women don flamenco dresses.

The closest sherry town is El Puerto de Santa María, a half-hour ferry ride away. 

2025's Feria de Vino Fino is from 28 May to 2 June. Unlike in Seville, the casetas, or tents, are open to all – ideal for visitors who want to watch the horse and carriage parades while eating a plate of freshly fried padrón peppers.

Meanwhile, Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda are around 45 minutes from Cádiz by car (or train to Jerez). The former is home to the Alcázar, an Arabian-era palace, plus the wonderful Feria del Caballo (17-24 May 2025). It takes place in the González Hontoria Park, a splendid setting to watch couples perform the Sevillana folk dance, similar to flamenco but with choreographed moves. You can see fine flamenco in Cádiz too, with regular shows at venues such as La Cava.

I also like Sanlúcar’s laidback beachside vibe, bagging a table at Casa Bigote for langoustines and seafood stew by the Guadalquivir River, washed down with the town’s renowned manzanilla – the only place where it is made.

You can savour the region’s liquid gold in Cádiz too, at beautiful old bars like La Manzanilla. Here, bartender Pepe guides me through unfamiliar styles such as madura poured from giant barrels, chalking my tab on the wood bar. A delicious discovery – just like Cádiz itself.