9 Best Things to Do in Cádiz

Playa La Caleta features a 300-meter stretch of golden sand flanked by the Club Marítimo Gaditano La Caleta yacht club and the causeway entry to the San Sebastián castle. Soak up some rays or swim in its calm blue waters by day, and enjoy magical sunsets with a cocktail or cold one at hand at the few great bars nearby. Bar Club Caleta on the northern end has an outdoor terrace overlooking the beach and yacht club. On the southern end, there’s Juanito Villar Peña Flamenca, a good choice for Spanish cuisine with cold beers on tap, live music, and with the castle on the horizon.

This magnificent Baroque and neo-classical cathedral by the southern seaside of Cádiz overlooks its own quaint plaza. There are tapas bars, ice cream shops and cafés with terrace setups around Plaza Catedral, with the imposing landmark in view. Climb up the adjacent bell tower – Torre de Poniente – for dramatic views over the city, with the blue waters of the Bay of Cádiz on the other side. Inside, admire the impressive vaults over its high altar and choir, all adorned with neoclassical art and sculptures. Entry is from €6 per person.

You can find this castle on top of a rocky islet on the westernmost point of Cádiz, right at the end of La Caleta beach. It’s connected to the town by the scenic concrete and stone brick causeway of Paseo Fernando Quiñones. This path provides one of the most scenic walks in Cádiz, with the open blue waters of Cádiz Bay on both sides. The grounds of Castillo de San Sebastián (Sebastián Castle), with its 20th-century lighthouse, sometimes hosts concerts and cultural shows. The site may be closed without prior notice for gradual renovations.

You can climb up this 18th-century watchtower in downtown Cádiz for bird’s-eye views from the city’s highest viewpoint. Alongside the cityscape and the cooling breezes, a fascinating modern feature you can enjoy here is its camera obscura. It has large focal lenses that project real-time imagery of the city’s 360° panoramas onto a concave screen inside a dark room. It can get quite hot outside in the summer, so the camera obscura is a great alternate. The tower also houses 2 separate exhibition halls in its midsection. Tickets are around €6.

The lovely and spacious Plaza de San Juan de Dios is lined with tall palm trees, featuring monumental statues, water features, and the magnificent clock tower of the Casa Consistorial town hall in the background. It’s a great place to chill and people-watch. Sit on the steps around the statues, or escape the daytime heat at any of the café terraces surrounding the plaza. The square is charming by night, with subtle lighting from classical lampposts and a multi-colored LED-lit fountain.

Cadiz’s Mercado Central (central market) is a fun stop where you can witness a full array of fresh local goods. These range from seafood, cold cuts, and colorful fruits, vegetables, and spices. The market is on the site of an old orchard and features various stalls set under colonnades. There are plenty of shops where you can buy cheeses, drinks and local snacks such as crackling pork chicharrón, and you can enjoy them at small open-air table setups under the sun. Other stalls sell souvenirs worth looking at.

The Museum of Cádiz houses a significant collection of historical art items and archeological finds over 3 levels, collected over a century with some confiscated from charterhouses. Important artworks include classical paintings by Spanish Baroque painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Flemish Baroque artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens. Among the notable archeological finds is a Phoenician sarcophagus that was uncovered in Cádiz’s San Fernando Navantia shipyard. On the museum’s 2nd floor, check out the impressive La Tía Norica string puppets. Admission for non-European citizens is around €1.50.

This lush green space on the north-western tip of Cádiz is filled with sculpted gardens and paths lined with prettily shaped trees, some of which are ancient and massive. You’ll also find ponds and artificial waterfalls where you can feed ducks, and even a small kids’ playground with benches in the shade where mum and dad can relax. Genovés Park is technically cliffside, and you can enjoy pleasant, quiet walks while taking in the seascapes along its oceanfront promenade.

There are a few flamenco clubs around town that can provide you with a memorable evening in Cádiz. Worth checking out is Peña Flamenca la Perla de Cádiz, which has a weekly schedule of performances. Another is the La Cava on Antonio López, around 15 minutes’ walk north along Calle San Francisco. Besides usual flamenco shows, they also commonly feature dance derivations and variations, such as alegrías and tangoes, as well as competitions that put maestros from Cádiz, Seville, and Madrid to the test, showing their best moves on the dance floor.