Taking a day trip to Cadiz from Seville

An advantage of Seville is that you can make day trips to several towns and cities nearby. One of these options is to make a day trip to Cadiz.

Why take a day trip to Cadiz?

Cadiz is a city less than 2 hours by bus from Seville, so the trip is fast. The bus departs at the Prado station in Seville. The ticket cost €11.50. For us, one day was enough to visit Cadiz. What you will find more attractive in Cadiz is that it’s a city on the coast. The architecture of the buildings stands out against the deep blue sea.

The geographical position of Cadiz is quite interesting. Its location is in an area known as a tombolo, which is when an island joins the continent through a very thin isthmus. The city is rich in history because it was one of the oldest Phoenician settlements. It had great prosperity in Roman times, so still exist some ruins like the Roman Theater.

Many discoverers and conquerors departed from Cadiz port, such as Cristopher Columbus and Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca. It also has many fortresses that tell us about the importance of Cadiz in the battles of the past.

Arriving at the Cádiz bus station

The bus station is very close to downtown, only 10 minutes walking, making it ideal for a day trip to Cadiz. In the old town, you will find many restaurants and shops at very affordable prices so you can eat and buy at ease.

We didn’t plan our short trip well and we did it on Sunday. Which means that many shops and attractions were closed. ? We still tried to enjoy Cadiz. We got a free map at the Tourist Office that is on a pedestrian street called Calle Nueva. On Saturdays and Sundays, this office closes at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, keep it in mind.

A good option for when we do a day trip to Cadiz is to take the Hop on Hop off tourist bus as it takes you through the main attractions of the city. The tour takes one hour and the cost is €18.00. We, who travel on a tight budget, found it a bit expensive. However, on this site, you can see what else they offer on the tour.

Starting our tour.

We did our tour on foot. The first thing we found was the City Hall of Cadiz. A building that dates from 1799 and has a mixture of two styles, the neoclassical and the Elizabethan. We walked to the right, and a few streets further we found the Cathedral of Cadiz, located in the square of the same name.

Cathedral

The Cathedral of Cadiz is a building with baroque, rococo and neoclassical styles. They built it between 1722 and 1838. Its yellow dome stands out, a typical image of Cadiz on postcards. The cathedral can be seen almost from any point of the city. The price to visit it inside is €6.00.

Flowers Square and Central Market

Surrounding the Cathedral there are some pedestrian streets where you can get lost. You can browse the shops and buy your souvenirs. Walking on Calle Compañía, you arrive at Plaza de las Flores (Flowers square), a small square famous in Cadiz. There are many shops and restaurants in this area but the name of the square come from the many flower shops. Unfortunately, we didn’t find many open.

Nearby there is also the Central Market of Cadiz, where locals do their grocery shopping. If you like the markets you can stop by to have a taste of the daily life of the people of Cadiz.

Tavira Tower

Further on from the Flowers Square is the Tavira Tower, which is famous for its excellent views. It’s the tallest tower in the old town of Cadiz and has a Baroque style. They built it in the 18th century. It currently houses a Camera Obscura as a tourist attraction. The cost of the ticket to visit the tower is €6.00. In this link more information about schedules and rates.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enter, because I didn’t search for Cadiz attractions before traveling. I’ve heard it’s worth it, you’ll tell me if you visit it ?