Cádiz

Likes & Dislikes

Likes

Cádiz - Krista photo

1. Look like a mixture of Spanish and Morrocan, and that makes the city so exciting.

2. La Caleta Beach on Saturdays with lot of local families

3. Plenty adorable small cafes

4. Plaza de Mina - and atmospheric square

5. The view on Cadiz from the Tavira Tower (Torre Tavira)

6. Densely-built Old Town with small alleys, cute tiny squares with little churches

7. In the central market (Mercado Central) the admiring display of fresh fishes, mussels just arriving from the port

8. The cafe Stop where the clientele routinely enjoys the churros

9. Torre Poniente

Krista photo

Dislikes

1. Sunburnt on La Cortadura Beach as we irresponsibly forgot to bring suntan-oil

2. We respect the sacred tradition of siesta, but we still missed some services in the early afternoons.

3. Incredible quantity of pigeons and a corresponding amount of dirt.

4. Many ugly graffitis

Opinions

Cadiz - View from the Torre de Poniente (Catedral de Cádiz) - Krista photo

Cádiz - The locals like to spend a lot of time in public areas; after all, the weather is mostly good. - Krista photo

“We walked from the center to the beach and along the coastal promenade. The city center itself is small... you can get from one end to the other in 10 minutes, but it takes a long time to explore it thoroughly. Still, it's worth it, because the view is most beautiful here.

There are two fortresses along the coast. The first one is Castillo de San Sebastian. It is located at sea and can be approached from a pier, but it was closed for renovation work when we were there. Interestingly, the James Bond movie Die Another Day was filmed here.

The other is Castillo de Santa Catalina. It was open, and entry was free. There are a few exhibitions and a chapel here, but the most exciting thing is to walk along the walls and admire the beautiful view.

We visited the two most famous parks in Cádiz. Parque Genovés is bigger and better known, but I didn't like it very much.”

Practicals

Transport

Cádiz - Puente De La Constitución De 1812 (Constitution Of 1812 Bridge) - Krista photo

Food

“The waiters here have a thunderous, straightforward style, which can be handled well with a bit of humor. But it is also clear that they are constantly doing three things at once, have no idea who ordered what, and nobody speaks English. So you often see them wandering among the 100 or so tables and asking if anyone ordered the paella. But it doesn’t bother them if guests don’t get what they requested. A German couple was trying to have dinner next to us. They asked for chicken paella because the woman didn't like fish. In 20 minutes, they got the ‘Mixed Paella’, known to have chicken and fish. When they dared to suggest that this was not completely okay, the waiter – what could be more natural? – drew himself up and started picking out chicken pieces and placing them on her plate. When we asked for dessert at the end of the day, the frank answer was: ‘Forget it!’ A friendly smile accompanies all this. My colleague, to make things easier for the scatterbrained staff, or at least so she thought, got up and went to the bar and asked for a glass of wine. When one of the servers noticed this, he almost frantically ran over and ordered her back to her chair. The meals, in any case, were delicious, prices haven’t gone through the roof yet, and they let you in even if it’s half an hour before closing time, you have to put up with the whims of the staff, which probably everyone is aware of since the elderly owner indicated with a gesture of the hand that some of them aren’t entirely normal.”

Cádiz - Ham sandwiches - Aji photo

Cádiz - restaurant - K.-T. G. photo

Cádiz - street food - K.-T. G. photo

Fun

Cádiz - bar - K.-T. G. photo

Cádiz - the Ketchup Man - K.-T. G. photo

Others

Cádiz - Promenade - K.-T. G. photo

Background

Cádiz - San Juan de Dios Square - Krista photo

Cádiz - sea view - Krista photo

Destination in brief

The city of Cádiz is located in Andalusia, in the southwestern part of Spain, on the Atlantic coast. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe. The Phoenicians founded it in ancient times.

Population (in 2020): 117,000

Average net monthly salary (in 2020): 1050 Euro

The city has 160 watchtowers, of which the 45-meter Tavira is the best known

Climate

Even in October, the daytime temperature is around 24 degrees.

History

In 1493, Christopher Columbus had just set out from Cadiz on his journey to discover America. He left the port of Cádiz with 17 ships and about 1,200 people. That was his second journey of discovery. He also started his fourth trip from Cádiz.