Instead of Barcelona: Cádiz, the Oldest City in the West Dancing on the Atlantic Shore
Three thousand years of history on a peninsula jutting into the ocean. Unforgettable tapas, urban beaches and Spain's wildest carnival — without the tourist siege.
Foto: Hik_kup (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Flickr
Cádiz is the oldest city in western Europe — founded by the Phoenicians three thousand years ago — and one of the least visited in touristy Andalusia. While Seville and Granada manage millions of visitors, this peninsula facing the Atlantic lives to the rhythm of the tides and the Levante wind with a lightness no other Spanish city possesses.
The historic centre is a grid of narrow white and ochre streets where every corner yields a surprise: a square with palms and orange trees, an eighteenth-century covered market where gambas al ajillo are served straight from the sea, a watchtower from which merchants once watched for ships arriving from the Americas. The Torre Tavira, with its camera obscura, projects a live image of the city onto a concave screen: an eighteenth-century optical device that still works perfectly.
La Playa de la Caleta, nestled between two castles — San Sebastián and Santa Catalina — is the most beautiful urban beach in Spain: an arc of golden sand that at sunset turns pink and orange. The gaditanos come here all year round, and in winter the low sun creates an atmosphere that is almost Nordic.
The Cádiz Carnival is the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro's, but without the Brazilian commercialisation: groups of satirical singers — the chirigotas — perform in the streets, skewering politicians and celebrities with sharp, irreverent wit. It is the moment when the city erupts into life.
Eating in Cádiz is an art: fried fish — pescaíto frito — is the finest in Spain, tortillitas de camarones (shrimp fritters) are unique to this city, and tapas in the bars of the Barrio de la Viña cost one euro each. The wines of Jerez — fino, manzanilla, oloroso — are drunk freely and accompany any dish.
Cádiz is reached by train from Seville in one hour forty minutes, from Madrid by AVE in four hours. Jerez airport is forty minutes away. Accommodation is surprisingly affordable: guesthouses in the old town, hostels with Atlantic views, apartments on Airbnb at Andalusian prices.
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Practical info
When is the best time to visit Instead of Barcelona?
The recommended time is March, April, May, June, September, October and November, when it is less crowded.
Is Instead of Barcelona crowded?
Instead of Barcelona is a very quiet destination compared with the more touristy ones.
Where is Instead of Barcelona?
Instead of Barcelona is located in Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain.
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