This coastal port city in Andalucia has been on my bucket list for travels in 2018. That’s because Cádiz is a city which was first introduced to me when I started to learn more about Southern Spain over the past year. But I was truly tempted to visit after reading posts from another travel blogger, Explore With Ed, who had visited and put Cádiz onto his list of places in Spain that you simply must visit, even for a day. This beautiful waterfront city has so much to offer but if you’re taking a short but sweet day visit from a neighbouring city or town, here are a few suggestions of what to do with your valuable time here.
As I was staying in Seville during this trip, I managed to take the train to Cádiz. This journey only took around 1 hour 40 minutes and tickets were relatively cheap, costing around £25 for a return ticket. But if you want to travel during peak times, I’d recommend securing a ticket a little before you travel as some of the trains were fully booked during our stay.
Based on the old town of Cádiz, this beautiful Roman Catholic Church can be seen for miles across the city coastline. But as well as admiring it from afar for an Instagram worthy shot and for its lovely exterior, it’s also worth paying the €7 entry to this 18th-century cathedral as it is also a lovely site to visit, with its grand altars and historic artwork. Plus, the entry fee buys you access to one of the church towers, which is a wonderful spot to nab those picturesque cityscape views if you can handle the steep incline to the top.
Take a stroll along the seafront
As it’s a coastal city, you really should take advantage of the seafront views while you visit. Take a stroll along the Costa de la Luz coast, a coastline of 260km with scenic views of the clear blue Atlantic and Mediterranean waters which reach out for miles. You can even stop off to dip your feet in the ocean at one of Cádiz’s picturesque beaches like La Caleta and La Victoria, which is known for its high standards of cleanliness.
It would be very difficult to visit a Spanish city without feeling the allure of tapas bars calling your name and Cádiz is no different. There are so many foodie venues on offer in Cádiz ranging from the hole-in-the-wall seemingly more traditional spaces to the larger restaurants packed with both locals and tourists. We stopped off at a smaller venue called Casa Manteca, decorated with pictures from the past few decades which showcased its age and longevity, packed full of visitors who poured out onto the streets. Here we had a small offering of tapas dishes including pork, meatballs and prawns, offering up a great snack for a very reasonable price. But there truly is so much on offer in Cádiz so you definitely won’t be stuck for options.
For a relatively small city, Cádiz certainly isn’t short of castles to visit and I recommend that you do while you’re here. From Castillo de San Sebastian to the observation tower of Castillo San Catalina, there’s plenty of historical sites to take advantage of. Or if you want to stray outside of the city centre, you can also pay a visit to the Castillo de Matrera, a medieval castle dating back to the 9th century that became a World Heritage site in 1985. But the site has more recently been mocked for Spain’s attempted restoration of the remaining tower of the castle. An eyesore or a forward-thinking restoration project? That’s for you to decide.
Cádiz is a lovely city, with truly stunning, picturesque views which is just another reflection of the beauty that is Southern Spain. Although there’s certainly so much to see and do, I believe Cádiz is a place that you can visit for just one day and still have a lovely experience, especially if you just want to escape to the sea air. So if you’re staying in a nearby city or town, do look to pay this coastal destination a visit.
How to spend a day in Cádiz This coastal port city in Andalucia has been on my bucket list for travels in 2018. That’s because Cádiz is a city which was first introduced to me when I started to learn more about Southern Spain over the past year.
