Cádiz is the southernmost provincial capital in mainland Spain —around 110,000 people— and, by tradition, the oldest inhabited city in the West, founded by the Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago. Almost surrounded by sea on a narrow peninsula, it has a light and character all its own.
Its old town is compact and walkable: the Cathedral facing the Atlantic, the watchtowers such as Torre Tavira, the medieval El Pópulo quarter and the squares full of Cádiz's famous wit. And almost in the centre, La Caleta beach, the most characterful in the city.
Cádiz is also a perfect base for the province: half an hour away, Jerez de la Frontera (wine, flamenco and horses); further south, Tarifa and the great windswept beaches of the Costa de la Luz, with Africa across the Strait. The city is seen well in one or two days.
The best time to visit is **spring