A Day in Cadiz: Where History Meets the Sea

Cádiz was the second of five cities I visited during my 10-day Andalusian adventure in the winter of 2023. It is a 1 hour and 30 minute train ride from Sevilla, making the two a common back-to-back stop when planning a trip through southern Spain. Cadiz was known as Gadir at the time when the Phoenicians founded the settlement back in 1100 BCE. With a rich history dating back over 3,000 years, Cadiz is known as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in all of modern-day Europe. If you look at where Cadiz is on the map, you can see just how important and strategic this city was for exploration and trade. Today, the city is known for its well-preserved historical architecture, vibrant culture, and significant naval base.

Because I decided it was a great idea to visit Andalucia in winter, I didn't get a chance to explore the famous Cadiz beaches. In fact, it rained for most of the time I was there, but it did not prevent me from walking around with my camera snapping photos. I definitely need to do a proper stay here to enjoy the beautiful weather, the surf, and other sight sees I may have missed. With that said, I will update this post accordingly as I spend more time here. In the meantime, here are my favorite moments and sight sees in this lovely Spanish port city.

Staying in Cadiz

I stayed at Casa Caracol, a hostel situated right in the city center. It is a boutique hostel that can house around 30 people, and I paid 30EUR per night, which was quite reasonable for a budget traveler like me. However, there are many options on Booking.com or other boutique hotels should you go that route.

A Day in Cadiz

In the next section, I will reference the points of interest by their numbers shown in the above photo to help you plan a day in Cádiz.

If you are staying at Casa Caracol, start your morning at the The Teatro Romano de Cádiz (1) before you make your way out to the ocean side. The theater was built around 70 BC when the Romans wanted to expand the limits of ancient city Gades.

It was estimated to have a capacity of 10,000 spectators. There is no entrance fee, so what a great way to start your day out by walking through history for free! My favorite part of this theater was downstairs. As you see in the photo on the left, this curved hallway takes you from one side to the other under the theater.

Next, walk towards the water, where you will find the Mirador El Vendaval (2). The weather was not cooperating when I was there, so this photo on the left does not do the view any justice. It was absolutely gorgeous. What made it even better was that as you walk further left towards the end of the city, look down at the boulders and soon enough you will stumble upon a

a few cat houses situated on the gigantic seawall boulders. From what I've read, there are a collective of women who takes care of these sea cats, which is why they appear to be healthy and peaceful in the photo. This has to be one of the more unique experiences, and major kudos to the folks taking care of them.

Point of Interest no. 3 is the Torre Tavira, which was my favorite sight see in Cadiz. Torre Tavira is a watchtower that has a camera obscura at the very top. A camera obscura projects an image on a white concave horizontal screen, like on a table, which is situated in the center of completely darkened room. This means that you can see a real time image that reflects the current surroundings outside of the tower.

Fun fact: there are roughly 70 camera obscuras in the world! I found the 8 EUR entrance fee worthwhile for learning about Cádiz's history while experiencing something unique. However, please check their website because they have several sessions with different language guides; for example, the English session was only at 11am and 4pm, so I had to plan around this as this was the only entrance fee I paid in my day trip. Therefore, the tower was my 3rd point of interest but I would recommend planning your day around this if this is a MUST SEE for you.

Different types of watchtowers in Cadiz

Since Cadiz was an important port city, the watchtowers of Cadiz are one of the most characteristic structures in the city. At its height, there were over 160 watchtowers spread across in the city. Now, around 75% of those remain. The lady who lead the camera obscura session educated us on the different watchtower styles:

Source: www.torretavira.com

The citizens of Cadiz were mostly merchants during the 17th and 18th century, so they built these watchtowers so they can see when their ships return to the harbor. They also placed their own flags at the top so the ships can identify them from afar.

Point of interest no. 4 is the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Palma. This church was built in 1738 and I highlighted this only because it was along the way to the next destination, but this church still holds some important significance to the history of Cadiz.

La Puerta de La Caleta (Point of interest no. 5) is a very photogenic entryway to the Castillo de San Sebastian. This was also one of my favorite areas and would love to come back here in the summer to relax and take sunset photos at the famous La Caleta beach next to this archway. The castle was closed when I went, but you can still walk on the promenade at the very end to soak in the views.

Points of interest 6 and 7 are Parque Genovés and Jardines de Alameda Apodaca, and they are also beautiful places to walk and enjoy the beauty inside and outside the area. Parque Genovés is shaped like a trapezoid and due to the climate in Cadiz, contains numerous species from the world you will come across. There is a small waterfall situated on a pond inside this park so it is definitely a very tranquil place for a quiet walk around. For more information, check out the Ayuntamiento de Cadiz page here.

Jardines de Alameda Apodaca is the last stop of my recommended walking tour. This is another picturesque place with Sevilian ceramics forged in benches and lampposts. This is where you can enjoy the most beautiful promenade in the city alongside the unobstructed views of the sea. Both of these places are free of charge!

Food recommendations

I was only in Cadiz for a day but managed to visit two restaurants that I really liked:

La Tapería de Columela

I snagged a seat at the bar and befriended two lovely ladies who helped me order traditional Andalucian dishes. One of the ladies was from Jerez, and introduced me to Sherry wine. Jerez translates as sherry in Spanish and the wine is named after the region. Consistent with the rest of the wines, there are also strict rules as to what is classified as sherry wine as they can only be awarded the D.O Jerez y Sanlúcar de Barrameda title if Jerez grapes are used. I cannot say this enough but it is very true when people say that southern Spanish folks are so nice. Southern hospitality very much exists back home in the United States, and I can say the same here in Andalucia. The bartender was a chatty one and knew I was visiting so he offered me free Jerez wine. With good food, great service, and a wonderful ambiance, I highly recommend this place.

Freiduria Marisquería Las Flores 1

This place is known for their fried seafood and I knew I could not leave without getting some disgustingly good battered seafood. I stopped by Freiduria Marisquería Las Flores on my way back to the hostel and picked up 1/2 kg of mixed fried seafood. They have a dedicated take away section where you can simply get a ticket, wait for your number to be called, and tell them what you would like. I got lucky on my turn when they came out with new freshly fried seafood. At first I had asked for 1kg of seafood but he said that is way too much for one person (highly debatable, but I definitely can finish 1kg of food in one sitting). I told him I had a bus to catch in the afternoon and may keep some food for later, but alas I gave up trying to persuade him that I can really finish it all. You can see that there are various seafood items you can select, from prawns to calamari to dogfish.

Final Word

I cannot leave Cadiz without giving a shout out to the two ladies and the bartender I met at La Tapería de Columela because not only did they help me order but we ended up walking around the city together afterwards. I went at a time when weather was unfavorable, but I definitely would love to come back in late spring to surf and relax at the beach. If you're pressed for time, I recommend spending at least 1 full day here, but if you want to enjoy the slower pace of life (and depending on when you come), spend an extra day here to soak up the vitamin D.