Known as Gadir when it was founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BCE, the Andalusian city of Cádiz is Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited settlement, as well as being Spain’s most appealing port city. Three millennia of history have left an indelible mark on its ancient center, which is surrounded almost entirely by water and was once a separate island.
The modern age has caught up with Cádiz, but the city is still rich in historic sights and graceful, centuries-old architecture. The labyrinthine streets of this ancient city reverberate with the sounds of revelry from its tapas bars, while Atlantic waves crash against the sea walls.
Home to Spain’s biggest Carnaval, Cádiz is also the most understated of all Andalucía’s cities. Less touristy and crowded than its busy siblings, Málaga and Seville, this charming gateway city offers a genuinely laid-back Andalucian experience.
There’s much to explore, from the long sandy beaches to the south to the narrow, atmospheric lanes of the historic center. Immerse yourself in characterful barrios (neighborhoods), soulful flamenco joints, and old-school tapas bars packed to the gills with garrulous gaditanos (Cádiz residents).
Whether you’re visiting for history and gastronomic delights or using the city as a springboard to the white towns of Andalucía, here are 13 of the best things to do in Cádiz.
1. Explore Cádiz’s historic barrios
The old town in Cádiz is split into a series of distinct barrios – historic neighborhoods that date back centuries. One of the best ways to get to know the city is to spend a day or two wandering these atmospheric districts on foot, absorbing their distinctive architecture and unique personalities.
The oldest barrio is Barrio del Pópulo, home to the yellow-domed, baroque-meets-neoclassical Catedral de Cádiz. Inside, don’t miss the intricately carved wooden choir and the tomb of renowned 20th-century composer Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) in the crypt. Climb the bell tower for 360-degree views of the old city.
The area around Barrio de San Juan is the city’s main shopping district and it stands in the shadow of Cádiz’s loftiest watchtower, the Torre Tavira. Sitting between Barrio de San Juan and the sea is Barrio de la Viña, the old fishing quarter, bisected by lively Calle Virgen de la Palma, the epicenter of the city’s Carnaval celebrations and the setting for some of the city’s best tapas bars.
Also worth exploring is the 18th-century Barrio del Mentidero, which encompasses the Gran Teatro Falla, Plaza Mentidero with its buzzy bars, and the beautifully landscaped Parque Genovés and Jardines de la Alameda.
Planning tip: To avoid getting snarled in the narrow one-way lanes of the historic center, leave your car in one of the car parks off Avenida del Puerto. The train station, bus station and ferry terminal are within easy walking distance of the old town.
2. Attend Mainland Spain’s most exuberant carnival
If you’re in Cádiz between February 16 and February 26, don your best costume and join the gaditanos for Andalucía’s biggest, liveliest street party, complete with colorful floats, street food, fireworks and more than 300 murgas (bands). The Cádiz Carnaval dates back to the 15th century, when the tradition of costumed revelry was imported by homesick Genoese merchants.
Performers road-test their witty, bawdy songs, sketches and satirical compositions during the Erizada (Sea Urchin Party) and Ostionada (Oyster Party), held on the two weekends preceding Carnaval, before being judged by a panel at the Gran Teatro Falla during the main event. Catch the murgas in action around the working-class Barrio de la Viña, outside the Catedral, and between the Mercado Central de Abastos and Playa de la Caleta.
If you can’t make it to Carnaval, swing by the Centro de Interpretación del Carnaval on Calle Marqués del Real Tesoro to view the outlandish costumes and learn about every aspect of this spectacular celebration.
Planning tip: If you’re visiting Cádiz during Carnaval, book accommodation months in advance, or stay in El Puerto de Santa María or Seville instead and catch ferries or trains to Cádiz to take in the celebrations.
3. Delve into the city’s history at the Museo de Càdiz
Off Plaza de la Mina, the excellent Museo de Cádiz has a particularly strong archaeology section, with unique Phoenician marble sarcophagi carved with human likenesses – the only examples of their kind found in the western Mediterranean.
Also notable are the bronze figurines from the Phoenician shrine to the god Melkart on the island of Sancti Petri. Roman finds include a 2nd-century marble statue of Emperor Trajan from Bolonia’s Baelo Claudia, a reconstructed shipwreck with scattered amphorae, and a wealth of intricate jewelry, funereal offerings and phallic fertility amulets.
Planning tip: Don’t limit yourself to the ancient history downstairs. The museum’s upper floors showcase fine art from the 16th to 20th centuries as well as a collection of contemporary works.
4. Taste Cádiz’s best tapas
To taste the best of Cádiz, go where the locals go. After feasting on some superlative tortillitas de camarones (shrimp fritters) at El Faro de Cádiz, elbow your way into nearby Casa Manteca and order the chicharrones (pork scratchings) or payoyo cheese with asparagus marmalade.
Next, pay a visit to La Tabernita, a popular, family-run haunt along Barrio de la Viña’s liveliest street, where you can chow down on cazón al coñac (dogfish in brandy) or cuttlefish ink “meatballs.” Continue to rustic-industrial La Candela in Barrio de San Juan, and see inspired Andalucian-Asian fusion tapas dishes sail your way from the open kitchen.
Local seafood, especially tuna, should be at the top of your must-try list. Join the locals for tuna tartare at La Tapería de Columela or sample Basque-Analusian fusion dishes, including bacalao (salted cod) and dishes made with Almadraba tuna at Atxuri.
Restaurants such as Sonámbulo and Ettu showcase delectable ingredients from Cádiz province in their enticing menus. For a creative take on the classics, Almanaque serves reimagined traditional Cádiz recipes, while the innovative fusion recipes at Contraseña add an element of surprise.
5. Visit the city’s best flamenco venues
Along with Jerez de la Frontera and Seville, Cádiz is one of the crucibles of flamenco culture. Set romantically next to the crashing Atlantic surf in Barrio de Santa María, cavernous Peña Flamenca La Perla captures the spirit of authentic flamenco in its prime. As the venue fills with music aficionados, mournful songs and intense guitar accompaniment welcome in the house dancers, who leave audiences spellbound with their footwork.
By contrast, La Cava – Cádiz’s main tablao (choreographed flamenco show) – is a more touristy affair, but patrons are drawn by its intimate taverna-style setting.
Detour: Combine two staples of Cádiz – flamenco and sherry – at Tabanco El Pasaje, the town’s oldest tabanco (sherry bar). Patrons can enjoy twice-daily flamenco sessions accompanied by old-school tapas and excellent sherries. Consult the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco library for more information on all things flamenco in Jerez, especially during the Festival de Jerez from late February to early March.
6. Look into the Magic Mirror at Torre Tavira
Part of an 18th-century merchant’s residence, Torre Tavira is the tallest of Cádiz’s remaining watchtowers, constructed during the 16th and 17th centuries to protect the city from pirates, and allow merchants to see which ships were pulling into the port. Around 100 of the city’s original 160 watchtowers still rise above the streets of the old town.
Torre Tavira is home to the “magic mirror” – Spain’s first camera obscura. This ingenious device uses a mirror and two lenses to project live images onto a round concave screen in the darkened room below. A pulley system allows viewers to zoom in on different parts of the Old Town.
Don’t forget to take in the views from the rooftop terrace. From the highest point in town, you can spy on unsuspecting pedestrians and watch birds fly above the city’s watchtowers, while your guide points out the principal landmarks and gives you an entertaining history of Cádiz.
7. Unearth ancient civilizations at Yacimiento Arqueológico Gadir
A block from Torre Tavira, hidden beneath the La Tía Norica puppet theater and accessed on free 40-minute daily tours, the Yacimiento Arqueológico Gadir site includes both Phoenician and Roman remains.
Watch a CSI-style video discussing the skeleton of a Phoenician man who died in a fire in 600 BCE, then follow a transparent walkway above atmospherically lit cobblestone streets and the remains of mud-and-clay houses, complete with North African-style ovens and Roman-era vats used for producing garum (fermented fish).
Detour: For more recent history, view puppets of the kind used in La Tia Norica in the 18th and 19th centuries at the Museo del Títere, a small museum inside the Puerta de Tierra that highlights local and international puppetry traditions.
8. Commune with the ghosts of antiquity
Cádiz is dotted with reminders of its 3000-year history, including ancient archaeological sites where visitors can step back a millennia or two. Cádiz’s Teatro Romano dates from the late 1st century BCE and it once hosted audiences of 10,000 spectators, making it the second-largest theater on the Iberian Peninsula.
Hidden beneath a Moorish castle for centuries, the theater was rediscovered in 1980. At the on-site museum, you can examine the artifacts unearthed during excavations, then proceed through the vomitorium (a gallery beneath the seating area) to see the partially restored theater seats.
Of course, spectators during Roman times would have found themselves gazing at a grand stage flanked by statues of the gods, rather than apartment buildings in need of a coat of paint!
9. Shop like a Cádiz local
In the heart of Spain’s oldest city, you’ll find the country’s oldest covered market, Mercado Central de Abastos. Locals have flocked to buy fish, meat, fruit and vegetables from its stalls since 1838.
This popular market also serves as a casual dining hub where visitors and locals can savor traditional and creative tapas, local sherry and other epicurean delights. Just around the corner from the market, Plaza de Topete (Plaza de las Flores) is a green and intimate space where you can sample your gastronomic finds.
Just a few blocks north, historic Calle Ancha is the city’s main shopping street. There are plenty of brand-name shops, traditional vendors and quirky boutiques lining this thoroughfare, set inside stately buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Notable landmarks on Calle Ancha include the former home of musician Manuel de Falla at number 19 and the Casa Palacio de Moreno de Mora (Palace of Mora), a flamboyant 19th-century residence at numbers 28 and 30.
Planning tip: Entry to the Palace of Mora is only possible on Wednesday mornings by appointment (email casapalaciodemora@gmail.com) and the interior is closed from July to August.
10. Experience Spanish coffee culture
Much like the busy plazas that connect the city’s thoroughfares, coffee is integral to daily life in Cádiz. There are dozens of coffee shops and espresso bars dotted around the city where you can swing by for a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) or cortado (espresso with a splash of steamed milk).
Try Sensa Café, a lively espresso bar that serves tostadas (toast with toppings) and smoothies alongside excellent coffee, or La Clandestina Librería, a popular bookshop café serving specialty coffee and tostadas with jam, cheese or jamón. If coffee isn’t your thing, check out Churrería La Guapa for fresh churros (doughnuts) and drinking chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in.
Planning tip: For a more elaborate breakfast, book a table at Café Royalty. Established in 1912, this Cádiz institution features a gorgeous mirrored and frescoed interior. The restaurant serves freshly baked cakes, artisanal ice cream, tapas and a full dinner menu.
11. Take a serene stroll through Parque Genovés
It’s easy to see why Cádiz is touted as one of the most beautiful cities in southern Spain, especially when you stroll through its verdant parks and gardens. A tranquil escape in the historic center of Cádiz, Parque Genovés is the largest green space in the city, and a great spot to relax away from the bustle.
Here, you can wander past plants and flowers from around the world, and admire bubbling fountains and monuments commemorating local botanists, creatives and prominent public figures.
The most popular spot is the manmade lake known as La Gruta (“The Cave”), with a waterfall and playful ducks to entertain younger visitors. Look out for the statue of children under an umbrella, inspired by a renowned novel by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre.
Detour: If you like historic greenery, check out the sprawling, hundred-year-old fig trees in the jardines (gardens) along the Alameda Apodaca promenade and near Playa de la Caleta.
12. Soak up the sun at Playa de la Caleta
Hugging the western flank of Barrio de la Viña is sandy Playa de la Caleta, connected to the Castillo de San Sebastián by a stone causeway, and bookended by the star-shaped, 16th-century Castillo de Santa Catalina.
With its golden sands and urban backdrop, La Caleta is one of the best places to spend a day relaxing in the sun in Cádiz. An iconic, Moorish-style balneario (bathhouse) from 1926 provides restrooms and changing facilities, the natural harbor keeps the water calm for swimming and the wide beach is a prime spot to soak up the rays or catch a glorious sunset.
Detour: Beach lovers might consider taking a day trip along the Costa de la Luz, with beguiling white-sand beaches and low-key fishing villages stretching from Tarifa to Huelva’s Parque Nacional de Doñana. Standout spots include Playa del Cañuelo (for a quiet, natural retreat) and Playa de Zahara (for active family fun and water sports).
13. Take the ferry to El Puerto de Santa María for sherry
Part of the so-called Sherry Triangle, El Puerto de Santa María is dotted with wineries that host guided tours in Spanish and English, walking visitors through the various stages of sherry production. As soon as you step off the catamaran from Cádiz, you can visit the dockside Bodegas Gutiérrez Colosía, an intimate, family-run sherry producer founded in 1838. Tours run Monday to Saturday and end with a six-wine tasting.
Founded in 1772, El Puerto’s best-known sherry maker, Bodegas Osborne, offers daily tours of its expansive facilities, finishing with a four-wine degustation (book ahead). The superb gift shop stocks the sherry maker’s full range, including rare and VORS sherries.
On the far side of town, 1830s-founded Bodegas Caballero offers two-hour tours from Thursday to Saturday, taking in the “wine cathedral” and the 13th-century Castillo de San Marcos near the waterfront, both owned by the same family. Tastings include three sherries, the Lustau vermouth and the Ponce Caballero liqueur.
North of town, off the A-2078, Bodega de Forlong specializes in organically produced wines from Palomino, Moscatel and Tintilla Roja grapes – the latter are native to the region. Guided 90-minute tours on Saturdays culminate with a three-wine degustation.
Planning tip: Ferries from Cádiz to El Puerto de Santa María run every few hours, taking 30 minutes to complete the crossing.
This article was adapted from the Andalucía guidebook published in February 2025.
