What to See (and what to skip) in the city of Cadiz

What to See (and what to skip) in the city of Cadiz.

The city of Cadiz is the oldest city in Western Europe. There’s lots to see. But I’ll be honest: some of the highlights are underwhelming and overpriced.

In this post I cover the highlights of the city of Cadiz, telling you what you should definitely see and what you may want to skip. I also give you a few very easy to do day trips that are worth doing.

Highlights of Cadiz: what to see and what to skip

Skip: Cadiz Cathedral. There are some incredible cathedrals all over Andalusia: the cathedrals in Seville, Cordoba, Jaén, Malaga, Granada and Almeria come to mind. Cadiz’s Cathedral doesn’t rank among them. It is stunning on the outside but – and this sounds unkind – its interior is quite unremarkable. It might be one of the most forgettable cathedral interiors we’ve seen in Spain.

While most of Andalusia’s Cathedrals were built in the years following the conquest of cities from the Moors (Seville in the 1400’s, Granada/Malaga/Jaén in the 1500’s), that was not the case with Cadiz’s cathedral…in fact the Cathedral in Cadiz was only built starting in the 1700’s when the city started getting rich from goods coming from the Americas.

So Cadiz Cathedral is neither that historic or that impressive.

On top of the above, Cadiz Cathedral is one of the most expensive cathedrals we’ve encountered in Spain at 12 Euros/pp. Note however: the 12 Euros includes the bell tower (good views but the Tavira tower has better views) and the cathedral museum (mostly religious art but you do get to see some Roman ruins in its foundations).

Bottom line? Cadiz Cathedral is beautiful on the outside and you should go to Plaza de la Catedral and admire its beauty. But buying a ticket to see the inside? We both agree that it’s not worth it.

See: Roman Theatre. It’s very close to the Cathedral; a 1st century Roman Theatre. Recently discovered (in the 1980’s) it is only partially excavated, the remaining lying under the apartment blocks on two of its sides. I’m not going to tell you that it’s the most exciting highlight but imagine, this is over 2000 years old. It’s the best Roman highlight in the city. On top of it all, it’s free to visit. Definitely worth a visit.

See (depending…): Tavira Tower. If you love views (like I do), then you should climb the Tavira tower for the best views in Cadiz.

The Tavira Tower was a watchtower built in the 18^th century. It is the highest point in the city and is known for 2 things: 1) the terrace at the top of the tower where you can enjoy 360 views of the city, 2) a camera obscura.

Cost: 6.50 Euros/pp but if you don’t need to see the camera obscura 5.50 Euros. Is it worth it? Honestly, you’ll probably spend 15 minutes there if not seeing the camera obscura. For me, the 5.50 Euros was worth it. Lissette was less impressed. So really it depends what you like…

See: the Promenade. Walk along the coast from the Roman theatre to the Castillo de San Sebastian for views of the sea and the cathedral. If you have lots of time: you can continue along the promenade and circle the entire old town: after Castillo de San Sebastian passing La Caleta beach, Castillo de Santa Catalina, Paseo Santa Barbara, around Baluarte de la Candelaria to the port and back towards the cathedral.

See: Castillo de San Sebastian. The fortress (built in the early 1700’s) is built on a small island just off the coast but is accessible through a path built going out into the sea. It’s quite dramatic with water on both sides. On a windy day you might get splashed by waves. A great walk.

The castle is impressive from the outside but that’s a bit of a shell: it’s crumbling and there’s security tape preventing you from getting close to the walls. Continuing past (and through) the castle you get to a lighthouse within a large fortification. A great spot to have a picnic and enjoy views looking out at the ocean.

Free. Very much worth doing.

Skip: Castillo de Santa Catalina. A 2nd castle, close to Castillo de San Sebastian (the two castles are separated by La Caleta beach). Again, more impressive from the outside than inside.

Skip: Cadiz Museum. Cadiz is the oldest city in Western Europe and you’d think they’d have a good history museum. They don’t. Archaeologic artefacts are on the ground floor (a Phoenician sarcophagus, Roman columns and a Roman-era mosaic being highlights). The problem is the lack of history, you just won’t learn anything from the various placards.

On the 1st floor you’ll find fine arts, on the 2nd contemporary art.

The museum is free. Despite that I recommend a skip*.

*That being said, the museum is on a beautiful square (Plaza de Mina) highlighted by huge trees (Moreton Bay Fig trees, also known as Australian banyans). Very much worth seeing, along with a few other squares which I cover….

See. The squares of Cadiz. Cadiz has many pretty squares that are worth a visit. I’ve mentioned Plaza de Mina above, the square where the Museum of Cadiz is located. Plaza de San Juan de Dios is probably the 1st square you’ll encounter, being located in the heart of the old town. There you’ll see the large town hall building. A few minutes further is Plaza de la Catedral where you have great views of the Cathedral. Plaza de Espana has a huge monument dedicated to the 1812 constitution and Plaza San Antonio is a large plaza with a church at the end of Calle Ancha.

See. Calle Ancha. A pedestrianized street in the heart of the city with some of the most beautiful buildings in Cadiz. You’ll find buildings with elegant façades, marble entrances and alcove balconies. Lots of restaurants, cafés and stores. Walking here is a pleasure.

See (depending…). Mercado Central de Abastos de Cádiz. Cadiz’s market. Similar to every market you’ve ever seen in Spain but if you haven’t seen many Spanish markets then worth a visit. The mercado has a lot of tapas bars and you can sit outside the market and have tapas and beer while watching the world go by.

See. A few lesser-known highlights. Gran Teatro Falla, a Mudejar-style building (completed in 1905) that serves as the city’s theatre. A beautiful building. Plaza de la Constitución, just outside the walls of the old city. The city walls here are very impressive and you can understand the layout of the city: this is a peninsula and this was the only land entrance. Other than this land entrance, the only other way to access the city is by water.

Worthwhile day trips from Cadiz

Cadiz has some very easy day trips that require little effort…and where getting there is half the fun.

Rota – a 40 minute ferry ride from Cadiz to one of the prettiest beach towns in the region. Not just for gorgeous beaches but for an interesting old town. More on Rota.

El Puerta de Santa Maria – a historic, genuine city just a 30 minute ferry ride across the bay. “The city of 100 palaces”, it also has a castle and a very interesting church. More on El Puerto de Santa Maria.

Jerez de la Frontera – one of Spain’s underrated cities, a beautiful and historic place about 45 minutes from Cadiz by commuter train. All about Jerez de la Frontera here.