The Top 10 Things To See And Do In Cdiz Spain

The charming Andalusian city of Cádiz is not lacking in things to see and do. From art galleries and museums to a stunning cathedral and exuberant flamenco shows, there is something here for everyone. Here are the top 10 things to see and do.

1. Santa Cruz Cathedral

Cathedral, Church

Cádiz’s key architectural attraction is its spectatcular Santa Cruz cathedral. It was built between 1722 and 1838 and was originally known as the Church of the Americas because it was financed by Spain’s lucrative trading with the ‘New World’. One of its two towers is open to the public and offers some great views of the Cádiz skyline, whilst the façade can be admired from sunny terraces on Plaza de la Catedral.

2. Cádiz Museum

Museum

The entrance to Cádizs Santa Catalina castle

Founded in 1970, when the city’s Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeological Museum combined, the Cádiz Museum displays an intriguing mix of artefacts over three floors. On the ground floor is an archaeological collection that features some notable pieces from prehistoric Andalusia; on the first floor you can enjoy paintings by Rubens and the 17th-century Sevillano artist Bartolomé Murillo; and on the second level are displayed some of the ‘Tia Norica’ puppets used in Cádiz‘s famous carnival.

Rubber Trees

Tell people you’ve visited Cádiz and one question they’re likely to ask is, ‘Did you see the trees?’ They’re referring to the giant, gnarled rubber trees (ficus macrophyllas, to be precise) that grow outside the university’s economics faculty, near Caleta beach. These amazing specimens are over 100 years old and would be ideal for a spectacular treehouse, if only it were permissible to build one.

Sunbathing Cats

As you stroll along the seafront promenade of Campo del Sur in the direction of Playa Victoria, keep an eye out on your right for a colony of wild cats. Maintained by a collective called Cádiz Felina, they live amongst the huge man-made boulders that protect the city from the sea. By day, they sunbathe on the rocks and aren’t at all bothered by the seagulls who also call the Cádiz seafront home.

One of Cádiz’s enormous old rubber trees

Beaches

Andalusians flock from all over the region to Cádiz’s beautiful beaches. La Caleta is the smaller stretch of sand on the city’s western side, where the local fishermen moor their vessels in the shadows of Santa Catalina castle. Playa Victoria is a much longer beach on Cádiz’s eastern extremity. Both offer unblemished yellow sand, bright blue waters and plenty of chiringuitos in which to enjoy some fresh fish and a cold caña.