Why Jerez de la Frontera is one of Spain’s most underrated cities

Why Jerez de la Frontera is one of Spain’s most underrated cities.

Of all the places we visited in the Cadiz area, Jerez de la Frontera ranked among our favorites (along with Rota and Tarifa).

What makes Jerez special? For us it’s not Sherry (I like alcohol of all kinds but honestly won’t go out of my way for Sherry) or horse shows (just not really interested). Jerez is famous for these things but that’s not why we liked Jerez.

Instead, what we enjoyed was the overall vibe and atmosphere of the city. Jerez de la Frontera is a very walkable city with lots of pretty plazas, some lovely pedestrian streets with grandiose buildings and lots of greenery. In a way, Jerez de la Frontera reminded us of Seville in style and vibe. I say “reminded” us: I’d never say Jerez has the grandeur of Seville (or Granada or Cordoba) but if you’re in this part of Spain, Jerez is a nice place to visit for a day.

Another good thing about Jerez: it doesn’t have all the tourist stores (well, it does have an Ale-hop) and tourist-aimed restaurants of the major tourist cities. It still feels like a very genuine Spanish city.

A few photos. Further below I attach a tourist map of Jerez.

Left: in the Alcazar. Right: views of the Cathedral

What to see in Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez has a few mayor attractions that I would list as “B level attractions”. They are worth visiting if in Jerez but not reason alone to come to the city.

Alcazar de Jerez de la Frontera

Built in the 11th century by the Moors, the fortress stands in the center of the old town. In front of the fortress is a grove of orange trees and horse-drawn carriages waiting for customers.

Highlights include remains of a mosque, Arab baths and walls that you can climb (offering views of the gardens and the Cathedral beyond).

Cost: 5.50 euros/pp (all prices in this post from March 2026)

Cathedral of Jerez

Built between 1695 and 1778 on a site where a mosque and (later) a church stood. Very imposing and impressive exterior with towering arches and baroque and gothic features. Very impressive. The interior is spacious and beautiful (but forgetful to be honest).

Cost: 8 Euros (note: keep your ticket, you’ll get a discount at the next spot)

Iglesia de San Miguel

“It’s more impressive than the Cathedral”. That was the girl at the ticket office when I asked her whether the church was worth visiting.

I think she’s right. Built in the 1400’s it has a beautiful gothic facade. Inside, it is gorgeous, filled with art, beautiful chapels and high ceilings.

Cost: 6 euros on its own. A combined ticket with the Cathedral is 13 euros (ie. you save 1 euro vs seeing them individually).

Plaza del Arenal

The main square in the city, highlighted by a statue of Miguel Primo de Rivera: a military officer turned dictator who ruled Spain from 1923 to 1930. It’s a great spot to come for a drink (although expensive!) and watch the world go by.

The Plaza is at the center of it all: just a block away are the Alcazar and Cathedral. 2 blocks in another direction is the Iglesia de San Miguel. The main walking street, Calle Larga, is just off the square.

(click on map to enlarge)

Plaza de la Asunción

My personal favorite plaza, just because of the exquisite old city hall building: built starting in 1575, it is one of the city’s best examples of Renaissance architecture (it may make some people think of the beautiful cities of Ubeda and Baeza).

But as I say, Jerez is worth seeing not so much for its individual sights but for the overall prettiness of its old town. A few more photos:

Practical Information

Getting there. Jerez de la Frontera is easy to reach by train. 1) it is on the media distancia Seville – Cadiz route (Renfe), taking just over an hour to get to Jerez from Seville. 2) It is also on the Cercanias commuter route (which starts at Jerez airport and extends to Cadiz). Note that Jerez airport is increasingly used as an entry point to the region with a lot of flights from the UK.

As a base for Day trips. We used El Puerto de Santa Maria as a base in the Cadiz region. But Jerez also makes for a good base with connections to Cadiz, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Arcos de la Frontera, Rota and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. A little further, Tarifa is worth a visit.
Recommended tours. I’ve mentioned that Jerez is famous for two things. 1) the horses and riders of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. Recommended tour here. 2) Sherry. A recommended Sherry winery tour.