Walking through Cadiz

 

This historical city is world-famous for the annual Carnaval celebration in February or March that makes the city vibrant with crazy costumes, singing performances, and crowds of celebrators. It is a gorgeous city worth visiting any time of year. Cádiz is built on a small peninsula, across the bay from Rota. It is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in Europe—originally founded 3,000 years ago! It was taken over by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, then the Moors, and finally the Spanish. According to legend, Hercules founded the city of Gadira (Greek name of Cádiz) approximately 80 years after the Trojan War, around 1104 B.C. The Phoenicians called the city Gadir. Then the Romans settled the city and called it Gades. It became a thriving naval port for exporting olive oil and wine. Roman control lasted from about 500 B.C. until 500 A.D. After the Romans, the Visigoths, Moors, and eventually the Catholic Spanish inhabited the city. The current name Cádiz is derived from the Arabic name, Qadis, meaning ‘walled city.’ 

Cadiz town hall and central plaza

  During Spain's age of exploration, Cádiz was an important port. Columbus sailed from Cádiz for his 2^nd and 4^th voyages. It was the harbor for the Spanish Armada, and in 1587 the Englishman Sir Francis Drake led a surprise raid on Cádiz that destroyed about 30 Spanish ships. This delayed the sailing of the Armada, and influenced their eventual defeat. In the 18^th century, when the Guadalquivir river become silted and less traversal, all the New World trade that was flowing through Sevilla was transferred to Cádiz. This was the city's golden age. If you wander through some of the barrios (neighborhoods), you will notice that many houses were constructed during that period. The city has a classy, romantic, 18^th century vibe.

View of Cadiz when arriving by ferry

  The history of this rich city is best appreciated by walking. The city is not large, and since it is surrounded on three sides by water, it is easy to keep your orientation, even on the narrow winding streets. Cádiz is full of interesting buildings that are built upon layers of other civilizations. There are several ways to get to Cádiz from Rota. You can take a ferry from Rota or Puerto, which only takes half an hour and costs about 2 Euros per person. Purchase tickets and board the ferry by walking to the end of the long pier in Rota’s port. It is slightly cheaper and more convenient from Puerto’s port, because the ferry runs more frequently there. The ferry schedule is available here. 

Plaza San Antonio, with parking below

If you drive to Cádiz, there is public parking near the port, underneath the Plaza San Antonio, or in several other underground garages along the northern and western edges of the city. The city of Cádiz has made walking tours easy by painting colored lines on the pavement to guide tourists to major landmarks. In some areas the lines are faded or the sidewalk is under construction, so it is best to stop by a tourist office and pick up a free map or walking guide first. There is one tourist office near the Port at Paseo de Canalejas, and another on the Playa de la Caleta near the castle of Santa Catalina.

Cadiz Cathedral interior

If you come by ferry, you can easily walk the Green route, “The Medieval District,” which highlights the Cathedral, the Roman Theater ruins, some of the city’s oldest churches, and the ancient city walls. The Puerta de Tierra is the former city gate, which still stands and allows lanes of traffic to pass through. The Cathedral is one of Cádiz’s most interesting landmarks. Constructed from the 18^th-19^th centuries, it is a mixture of architectural styles ranging from rococo to baroque to neoclassical. Unfortunately, the interior is now marred by nets permanently suspended from the ceiling to catch falling plaster.

Phoenician sarcophogi in the history museum

            The Purple route, “Shippers to the Indies,” takes you past the homes and churches of the city’s former wealthiest citizens, and up the Tavira tower, which offers panoramic views of the whole city. The church of Our Lady of El Rosario houses the large statue of the city’s patron saint, and the nearby rococo style church of San Juan de Dios is small but gorgeous. The Purple route will take you past the Cádiz Museum in Plaza de Mina, one of the best history museums in this area. Admission is usually 2.50 Euros, but is FREE to EU citizens, or anyone with an EU driver's license. The museum gives great insight into the 3,000 year long history of this city. It is organized chronologically. Most of the remnants of the Phoenicians are funerary. Statues and artifacts from the Roman city of Baelo Claudia are housed here. The upper level of the museum has a small collection of huge paintings and religious artwork. 

Castillo Santa Catalina

Cadiz's world-famous beach: Playa de la Caleta

If you have comfortable walking shoes, you can explore the Orange route, “Castles and Bastions” which extends along the city’s perimeter. It provides gorgeous ocean views, a stroll through the formal Genoves Park, and the chance to explore the Castillo Santa Catalina and Cádiz’s world-famous beach, the Playa de la Caleta. The Castillo is a star-shaped fort built in the 1690's to defend the Northern side of Cádiz. You can walk along the castle walls, and explore each tiny guard tower on the points of the fort. The castle and beach appear in one of the James Bond movies, Die Another Day. In the scene where Halle Berry comes out of the water and joins Bond for a mojito, they are supposed to be in Havana, Cuba, but the scene was filmed here! You can see the fort in the background. 

            

 

Constitution Monument

 The Blue route, “Cádiz Constitution,” highlights the Plaza d’España with the Constitution monument, and the city’s most modern squares and churches. This tour follows the route of the civic procession that proclaimed the Constitution in 1812.  When Napoleon Bonaparte placed his brother on the Spanish throne, Cádiz was one of the few cities to withstand his rule during the "Peninsula War." It was in Cádiz that the Constitution of 1812 was passed, so for a brief period Cádiz was the capital of Spain. The monument to the Constitution is on the Northern side of the city, and is a very impressive memorial with a perpetual flame, and an empty chair surrounded by allegorical figures. In 1820, the Gaditanos (people of Cádiz) revolted to secure the Constitution’s renewal. Their revolt spread across the country, becoming the Spanish Civil War.

Cádiz is gorgeous in the sunny summer, but also very festive and exciting around Christmas. And of course it has non-stop celebrations for Carnaval in February. It’s a great city to enjoy pastries and culinary delights from any panaderia or pasteleria, and has numerous wonderful tapas bars and restaurants. One unique location to mention: Café Royalty is a lavish restaurant carefully restored to its 1912 splendor. Located at Plaza de la Candelaria, this Romantic period café is lavishly decorated with gilded scrollwork, large mirrors, and numerous details from the early 1900’s. It’s a gorgeous and unique environment to soak up the historical surroundings of this splendid city.