Cádiz - Cádiz visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cádiz' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Andalucia.

Cádiz is the capital city of the Cadiz Province in Andalusia, southern Spain. Founded by the Phoenician in around 1100BC, Cadiz is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the Iberian Peninsula and possibly of all southwestern Europe. In 500BC Cádiz fell under the rule of Carthage and then, in 206BC the city fell to Rome. Much of the original city was destroyed by Visigoths in 410 and the city was ruled by the Moors between 711 and 1262, when it was known as Qādis (Arabic قادس).

Cádiz rose in prominence during the Age of Exploration and Christopher Columbus sailed from her port at the beginning of his second and fourth voyages. However, the prominence of the port also made Cádiz a target for the enemies of Spain, and during the following centuries it was repeatedly attacked or blockaded by various European powers.

In recent years much effort has been put into cleaning and restoring many of the important monuments and historical buildings. Still an active port, Cádiz is now also an important tourist destination in it's own right, full of history, fine restaurants and culture.

Cádiz - Tourist Attractions

Cádiz has hundreds of places of interest to attract visitors. Among the top tourist attractions in Cádiz are:

• Cádiz Old Town - full of narrow, winding alleyways, shops and plazas.
• Plaza de Mina - found in the Old Town in the 19th century, often considered the most beautiful of the Cádiz plazas, named after General Francisco Espoz y Mina, lined by many neo-classical and Isabelline Gothic style buildings.
• Museum of Cádiz - found on Plaza de Mina and housing many artefacts covering Cádiz's 3000 year history and also works by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens.
• San Francisco Church and Convent - Standing on Plaza de San Francisco, the church was built in 1566 and renovated during the 17th century.
• Plaza San Antonio - considered the main square of Cádiz, the preserve of the elite living in neo-classical and Isabelline Gothic style houses. The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was proclaimed proclaimed here and today all further development of Plaza San Antonio is prohibited.
• Plaza de Candelaria - named after the Candelaria convent which was destroyed in 1873, the square contains a statue of of Emilio Castela, president of the first Spanish republic, who lived here.
• Cádiz Cathedral - built between 1722-1838 on the site of an older cathedral, it contains Baroque, Rocco and Neo-Classical elements as building styles changed during the 116 years of construction. Inside the cathedral chapels are many paintings and relics from the old cathedral and other Spanish monasteries.
• Santiago church - Baroque church next to Cádiz Cathedral, built in 1635.
• Plaza de la Catedral - the elegant plaza square on which both Cádiz Cathedral and Santiago church stand.
• Ayuntamiento (Old Town Hall) - built in two stages, with stage 1 in neoclassical style under Torcuato Benjumeda in 1799, and stage 2 in Isabelline Gothic under García del Alamo in the 19th century.
• Plaza de San Juan de Dios - 15th century plaza enlarged in the 20th century and contains both the Old Town Hall and atue of the Cadiz politician Segismundo Moret.
• Plaza de España - closest square to the port, containing the important Monument to the Constitution of 1812.
• Gran Teatro Falla (Falla Grand Theatre) - named after composer Manuel de Falla, who is buried in the cathedral crypt, the theatre was first built on Plaza de Falla in 1871, burned down in 1881 and re-built between 1884 and 1905.
• Pylons of Cádiz - unusually designed, 158m high electric power pylons standing on either side of the Bay of Cádiz.
• Roman Theatre - revealed under the rubble of a warehouse destroyed by fire in 1980 in the in the El Pópulo district of Cádiz, it is the second largest Roman Theatre in existence in the world, built by order of Lucius Cornelius Balbus (minor) during the 1st century BC.
• Las Puertas de Tierra - city gates first built in the 16th century and remodelled in the 20th to accommodate modern traffic.
• El Arco de los Blancos - old city gate built around 1300 giving access to the Populo district of Cadiz.
• El Arco de la Rosa (Rose Arch) - named after captain Gaspar de la Rosa, this gate is carved into the medieval walls next to the cathedral.
• Baluarte de la Candelaria (Fortress of Candelaria) - built in 1672 to defend the seaward approach to Cadiz, now used as an exhibition and performance space.
• Castillo de San Sebastian - built in 1706, this dis-used castle at the end of the road leading to Caleta beach.
• Castillo de Santa Catalina - built on Caleta Beach in 1598 following the sacking of Cadiz by the British in 1596, today used as a cultural venue.
• La Playa de la Caleta - most loved beach in Cadiz, near to to the Barrio de la Viña with about 400m sandy shoreline between two castles.
• La Playa de la Victoria - about 3km long and 50m wide, this sandy beach is the most visited by both tourists and locals.
• La Playa de Santa María del Mar - also known as Playita de las Mujeres, this small beach lies between La Playa de Victoria and La Playa de la Caleta.
• Carnival of Cádiz - running for more than two weeks each year, this is the highlight of the cultural calendar of Cadiz, full of music, theatre and dance, one of the most famous carnivals in the world.

Cádiz Tourist Information Office
Paseo de Canalejas, s/n
Phone: 956 241001
Email: info.turismo@cadiz.es
Web: www.cadiz.es (Spanish only)

Cádiz Playa Victoria Tourist Information Office
Módulo Central de la Playa Victoria
Paseo Marítimo, s/n
Cádiz 11010
Phone: 956 250 426
Email: playa.turismo@cadiz.es

Bus: National buses arrive in Plaza de la Hispanidad
Car: Use the A4 from Madrid, Cordoba and Seville and the N340 from Barcelona.
Flight : Jerez de la Frontera airport, 30 km from Cadiz.
Train: Cadiz has frequent services to Jerez and Seville as well as twice daily services to Madrid.