3 Must See Places In The Andalusia Region of Southwestern Spain

Cádiz

This beautiful city is known by some to be one of the oldest cities in Western Europe, founded around 1100 BC. It is an ancient port which roared in the 16th century as its home to the Spanish Navy. It was a base for trade and exploration which included more than 100 watch towers. It is to be known the Phoenicians where the first to settle in this area and called it "Gadir" which means enclosure, which I imagined was named this because the city is surrounded and enclosed by water. A city known to have never been conquered, and also known to be where Christopher Columbus set sail for his second expedition to the Americas....

A day in Cádiz

We set quest for Cádiz from El Puerto de Santa Maria, which is a short 20 minute ride across the bay. For €2.75 a person, you get a one way ferry ride on the Catamarán across the bay of Cádiz, by far the cheapest and best way to get to Cádiz in our opinion to really get the full experience. Coming into port on the ferry, you get an awesome view of the new bridge of Cádiz, called La Pepa or the 1812 Constitution. Once on port, you catch a glimpse of the huge ancient walls that once surrounded the city throughout. You can really see all of Cádiz in one single day. We spend way too much time stopping at various bars and restaurants for tapas and cañas and we still were able to see all of Cádiz in a single day. You can jump on a hop on hop off bus for €18.00 a person right where you exit the ferry. Best advise we can give you is to jump on the bus and circle the whole city first before getting off any stops as you will circle the whole city in about 25 minutes. You then really get a good idea how far you can walk around sight seeing and plan out your day accordingly to get the most of of your day in Cádiz. Another way is to just catch a taxi for about €6.00-€8.00 from stop to stop, which really is even cheaper as once you know where you want to go, you really only need to jump on a taxi 3 to 4 times max which is way cheaper to get around as Cádiz is small enough that you only need to get to about 3 points around city to see it all. A little tip, if you know what sites you want to see, you can get away with transport on a taxi sight seeing the whole city for €24.00-€32.00 with up to 4 people by taxi, which breaks down to about €6.00-€8.00 a person if you really want to budget.

As for our day in Cádiz, we love to spend time walking the back streets and hitting all the local spots meeting the locals of the city.

We did visit Castle of San Sebastián which was beautiful, separated by a long stone walk way extending beyond the beach leading out to the castle entrance. A short walk away which can be seen from the Castle of San Sebastián separated by only a small beach area is the Castle of Santa Catalina. Another cool site to see is the Cádiz Cathedral all which can be easily reached from the Castle of San Sebastián within 25 minutes of walking distance along the beaches or a few minutes by taxi or hop back on your bus! We knocked out the whole city and these 3 sites within 4 hours, then stopped for some cañas and headed out for the streets to really soak in the life of Cádiz. The streets are where the life of Cádiz is at. The culture, the people, foods, and of course the Cádiz central market, filled with so much life and endless foods. The Central market alone deserves its own blog alone (stay tuned...) Till next time... see ya in Seville....

Cádiz Cathedral Castle of San Sebastián Cádiz Central Market

Seville

The Capital of Spain's southern Andalusia region, known for its famous flamenco dancing in the Triana district where it all started. The city is host to the 18th Century Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza bullring. Seville is also known to be the home of Christopher Columbus's tomb which sits at the Gothic Seville Cathedral. Filled with major landmarks through out the city, with awesome festivals, like the Feria de Abril, definitely a must see city when visiting the southern region of Spain.

A day in Seville

We set route to Seville via train on the Renfe metro. The ride was only one hour from where we were staying in El Puerto de Santa Maria. There are a couple stations in Seville that you can arrive to, we got off at the San Bernardo stop which leaves you pretty much in center city. Upon arrival we walked across the street to grab a coffee and plan out the sites we wanted to see. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and walk to our first site Plaza de España which was only a 10 minute walk from our train stop. As soon as we arrived to the site it was absolutely breath taking. The beautifully designed structures with so much detail. We recommend going up to one of the balconies for an even more spectacular view. You can also grab a horse a carriage ride along the plaza or grab a rowing boat which cruises around the plaza canal.

After a couple hours of enjoying the beautiful site of Plaza de España we ventured off to a beautiful park across the way called Parque de Maria Luisa filled with trees and beautiful gardens. Once we passed the park we reached the Canal Sevilla which is a canal filled with waterside bars and restaurants, and boat rides along the canal. We decided to walk along the canal to explore the sites and soak in the vibes of the local city life. About 15 minutes later we reached the center city where the gothic Seville Cathedral and La Giralda are located. Walking through the streets we stumbled across the Royal Alcázar de Seville, a beautiful palace known for some of the most beautiful gardens in the world and used as a filming site for #TheGameofThrones.

This entire area is what appears to be the heart of the city, filled with shops, bars and restaurants in all directions. With tapas and cañas in every direction we looked, we spent some good time here, people watching from one of many bars with cute street side tables all along the cobbled stone street, just soaking in the Seville culture. The street of Calle Mateos Gago just across the way from La Giralda is a beautiful street we recommend to stop by and grab a bite to eat or have a drink. Lots of cool vibes filled through out this street and pretty much any direction you go is filled with these vibes and culture.

Our last stop was the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza bullring for a guided tour. Without getting too much into detail, this is one of the oldest bullrings in the world and quite a site to see, rich in history, and still holds bullfighting events to the day. Stay tuned for more on the Plaza de Toros as we will return for a bullfight when the season kicks off in April for the 2019 season.....

Cathedral de Seville Royal Alcázar de Seville Calle Mateos Gago

El Puerto de Santa Maria

Across the Cádiz bay, you will find El Puerto de Santa Maria just southwest from the city of Jerez, with beautiful beaches and beach front houses along boardwalks and miles of bike lanes through out the port. The town has its hidden gems like Puerto Sherry and the Bodegas Osborne Sherry winery. A town with a cool flea market to a medieval Castle of San Marcos hidden within the city...

A day in El Puerto de Santa Maria

Our last stop in the Andalusia region we headed to the port of Santa Maria and hit the local bars and restaurants. The city streets are filled with so much culture and plenty of restaurants, bars and boutique shops through out. Along the way, we ran into the Castle of San Marcos, this 12th-century fortress is located centrally in the city of El Puerto de Santa Maria. Hidden within the city streets and the city structures, it is quite a site when you run into the castle, with small restaurants surrounding the castle, you can stop for a drink or lunch and enjoy the view.

As we ventured deeper into the city we ran into beautiful but also easy to miss hidden wineries within the cities narrow streets inside the neighborhoods of the port. We took a tour of the Bodegas Osborne Winery, which is amazing at only €14.00 entry with tapas and tasters for their fine wines. From here we hit another hidden gem called Puerto Sherry, which has a beautiful beach and a small port. The restaurants that run along the cobblestone boardwalk like the Tilcara lounge & Bar and the Blanca Paloma have awesome views off the beach and the bay with a beautiful view of the city of Cádiz sitting across the bay. During the summer this bay offers some of the best wind surfing in the world. El Puerto de Santa Maria is definitely a hidden gem!

Bodegas Osborne Osborne Wine Cellar Playa de La Muralla