Holiday lettings & accommodation in Cádiz

Cádiz is said to be the oldest city in western Europe and was founded by Phoenician sailors roughly 3000 years ago. Within the confines of the city’s old ramparts are several intriguing districts. Santa Maria is the old gypsy quarter and, while rough around the edges, is an interesting neighbourhood to explore. La Vina, the old fishing quarter that is still in operation today, has a plethora of good tapas bars and a lively nightlife. This is the quarter that is reminiscent of Cádiz’s twin town, Havana. El Populo is the Old Town proper, and snaking down any of the cobblestone lanes will reveal a slice of daily life in Cadiz. For some time, one of the biggest drawbacks to visiting Cádiz was the sparsity of good accommodation options, but this has begun to change as the city’s industrial hub continues to expand and more tourists visit the area.

One can’t help but marvel at the stone walls and ramparts built to protect the Old Town from foreign invaders, The forts of San Sebastian and Santa Catalina are now open to the public, here you can see a history of maritime involvement in Cádiz. For a fantastic view of the Old town and Cádiz’s unique position, the north tower of the Old Cathedral in the Old Town provides a fantastic viewing platform. After this, a walk around the Central Market can not be recommended highly enough, particularly the fish section. If you are fortunate enough to be in Cádiz in February, the city’s Carnival is one of the most extravagant in Spain. Live music, dancers and parades cover the city and freshly cooked churros (doughnuts) are dunked into steaming cups of hot chocolate at every café.

Cádiz is famous for its seafood. Its enviable location, strutting out at the end of a peninsula, provides a dazzling array of fresh seafood dishes. From a whole host of shellfish, to sea bass and seabream, everything features on the the local fish restaurant menus. The puntillitas (baby squid) and boquerones (anchovies) are worth seeking out. In the Old Town, the Calle Virgen de la Palma is a restaurant much-loved by locals. From 8.30pm every night, locals and their families congregate here. On the cobblestone streets of the Old Town, there are a great variety of unpretentious restaurants serving fantastic seafood and tapas. Bar La Palma is particularly worth a visit. They serve a fantastic tapas menu and the pasquinades (vinegar-soaked potato salad) and grilled Spanish mackerel will keep you coming back for more. Cádiz also has a wonderful ice cream parlour, Heladeria-Café Salon Italiano, They serve over 30 flavours, Sevillana orange is the house speciality.

While Seville is the closest major airport to Cádiz, the closest small airport is Jerez de la Frontera. The airport is approximately a half hour taxi ride away, and you can either catch a bus or train, both take roughly an hour to arrive at the city. Train services to Jerez and Seville run hourly from Cadiz. In addition, there is an excellent service to Madrid. Once in Cádiz, the Old Town and her quarters are best explored on foot. There is a good local bus service that links all the beaches and the Cádiz suburbs. The majority of locals invest in a Bonobus Pass, which for roughly €6 allows ten rides. These can be bought at kiosks and participating tobacco stands. Cádiz’s maritime importance is ever-present. Large cruise ships often dock here and Cádiz is an important departure point for the Spanish owned Canary Islands. A host of ferry operators work the port daily.