Cádiz in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

La Caleta beach, the historic center of Cadiz, the Santa Catalina Castle and the Tavira tower are some of the places to include among the best things to see and do in Cadiz, whether you travel for one, two or three days.

In this itinerary of Cadiz in three days, you will be able to do everything from family and kids plans, to the most popular nightlife plans among the locals. Surely you will also have time to discover some villages in the outskirts, because if there is something that Cádiz and its surroundings have, it is places to visit and activities to do.

The first day of your itinerary will begin with a walk through the streets of the city of Cadiz. This itinerary is supposed to start early in the morning, meaning that you should have arrived in Cadiz the night before, so that you can get up very early in the morning and go out to visit some of the most popular tourist attractions in the city.

During this first day you will get to know the historical and archaeological side of the city, so among the places you will visit are: the Puertas de Tierra, the Museum of Cadiz or the Tower of Tavira. You will also visit the Gadir Archaeological Site, the Roman Theater and two of the busiest squares in the city, ending with dinner in the neighborhood of La Viña.

Land Doors

Your day will start very early, around 8:00. You can have breakfast at the hotel where you are staying, or you can eat breakfast near Puertas de Tierra which is the first place on the list that you will visit during day one in Cadiz. You can reach this place by private car from your accommodation place.

This place is interesting because it is the very gates of the walled city of Cadiz. It is installed in this place with the purpose of separating the old city from the current city of Cadiz. This monument is open between 9:30 and 13:30 in the morning hours, which is when you will visit it, and I estimate that it will take you about an hour to see it in its entirety.

The tour will not take much more than an hour. Admission is free for the public, so you won't have to pay anything to see the place. It is a good place to take lots of pictures and also to see the sea and the city from another angle.

Museum of Cadiz

Five minutes away from Puertas de Tierra is the next place to visit on your first day in Cadiz. This time it is the Museum of Cadiz, a good place to start discovering the history and archeology of the city.

The museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., although you can spend about two hours to complete this tour. As for the price of visits, you can pay about 1.5 euros to enter the complex. In the case of citizens belonging to the European Union, the entrance fee is generally waived.

Among the most interesting things you will see in the museum are some of the most valuable baroque jewelry and of course priceless pieces from the Roman period. Something you will love about this museum is that it is divided into archeological and fine arts pieces.

In the first one you will be able to see perfectly preserved pieces from prehistory and the Middle Ages. While in the second you will be able to see baroque works and also some samples of art from the Spanish Golden Age.

Tavira Tower

Leaving the Museum of Cadiz, it should be 12:00, perfect time to eat some lunch before going up to the next destination: The Tavira Tower. You can have lunch on the way to the tower, in fact, one of the restaurants where you can stop for lunch is La Freiduría Europa, which is almost arriving to Tavira.

Assuming that lunch will take you about an hour, by 13:00 you will be in time to go up to Tavira to see the spectacle of the city before your eyes. As this place is open from 10:00 to 18:00, 13:00 is a perfect time to enter and enjoy the view under a clear Cadiz sky.

Through a camera obscura system, the Tavira tower offers to the locals and visitors, a breathtaking view of the whole city and also of the Atlantic Ocean, so it is definitely one of the best visits you can do in the city. Visits last 45 minutes, while the price is around 6 euros for general admission and 5 euros for reduced admission.

Gadir Archaeological Site

Walking, once you leave the Tavira Tower, you can get to the Gadir Archaeological Site because they are located almost opposite each other. In this place your tour could start around 14:00, perfect time to enter in one of the daily passes to this archaeological jewel. The entrance is free of charge.

As in the case of the Tavira Tower, the visits do not last more than 45 minutes, perfect time to enjoy a tour of this place that will transport you to the Phoenician past immediately. The visits are for a maximum of 25 people, and during the tour you will see an audiovisual about the complex and then listen to the explanation of the tour guide.

Plaza de Las Flores

As the visit to the archaeological site will be brief, you will have time to visit the Plaza Las Flores, and this will be at approximately 15:00. This is a curious and touristic place thanks to its colorfulness. It is an excellent place to include in the list of places to visit in Cadiz in winter thanks to its climate and atmosphere.

It doesn't mean that you can't visit the square in summer. It is a very nice and relaxing place to take a walk with the family, take some pictures and even eat some snacks at the Central Market of Cadiz, which is very close and is also a place of tourist interest to visit and spend a very nice time.

San Juan de Dios Square

Leaving about thirty minutes to visit the Plaza las Flores, it is time to continue to the Plaza San Juan de Dios, which is located about three minutes by car. By this time the clock should read approximately 15:30.

Again, it is not necessary to spend a lot of time touring the San Juan de Dios square. Although it is a good place to take pictures and see the fountains that decorate it, it is also true that a quick visit to the square will leave you a chance to get to your next tourist and archaeological site in time.

Roman Theater of Cadiz

The Roman Theater is also very close to the Plaza San Juan de Dios, just three minutes away by car. You will arrive just in time to enter the last group to visit the theater, since its opening hours in winter are from 10:00 to 16:30 and in summer it is extended until 17:00.

This archaeological zone is one of the most impressive in the city because it is partially excavated. The most imposing part of the structure, dating from the Roman period, is still under the neighborhood El Pópulo and has not yet been excavated. What I recommend in this place, is to hire a guided tour, which will teach you everything you want to know about the theater.

Dinner at La Viña

Leaving the Roman Theater no later than 17:00, I recommend you to continue to the neighborhood La Viña, an ideal place to walk its streets and especially to have dinner there once you have done your respective night tour. But before continuing to La Viña, you cannot miss the opportunity to visit Café Pay-Pay.

This cafe is located very close to the Roman Theater and is one of the best places in the city of Cadiz to see a good flamenco show. After leaving the site, it is time to go straight to La Viña.

In the afternoon and evening La Viña becomes a place to enjoy the nightlife of the city, from places to eat, to pubs where you can have a few drinks to keep the party going. Among the places I recommend you to visit in La Viña to eat are: Taberna El Tío de la Tiza, Casa Pepe and Bar la Casapuerta.

On this second day of the itinerary of the best things to see in Cadiz in three days, it's time to visit some of the most emblematic tourist sites related to parks, beaches and the outdoors. I recommend you to leave very early in the morning so that the day is enough to get to know the large number of sites within the itinerary.

To start with good energy you can have breakfast at the hotel where you are staying, or you can do it very close to the first place you will visit in the morning, which is none other than the great Monument of the Constitution. In case you decide for the second option, places like the Restaurant El Artesano, is ideal to eat breakfast.

Monument of the Constitution

Nestled in the Plaza de España, the Monument of the Constitution is the first place to visit during this second day of your itinerary in Cadiz. It is a public place, so it can be seen at any time of the day, which makes it the perfect place to start the day.

It is a historical monument designed by architect Modesto López Otero and sculpted by artist Aniceto Marina in 1912. This exemplary city monument offers an exemplary look at war and peace, agriculture and industry.

One of the things that will catch your attention is its relief of the Cadiz resistance during the War of Independence fought between 1808 and 1814.

Alameda Apodaca

No more than three minutes away by car is the Alameda Apodaca, an ideal place to go for a walk right after visiting and contemplating the Monument of the Constitution. Assuming you leave the Plaza de España around 9:00, this will be an excellent time to visit the Apodaca.

As it is a place open to the public, you can visit it at any time you want and with no time limit. I recommend you to visit it in the morning, thanks to the incredible view of the ocean that will let you peek into this so called "Balcony of the Atlantic". It is a very nice and fresh walkway located right next to the sea, ideal for taking several pictures.

Genoves Park

If you had more than three days to see the whole city of Cádiz, I would recommend spending a whole day in Genovés Park. But assuming you don't spend more than half an hour at each of the places you started this second day's tour, 9:30 will be a good time to lose yourself for about two and a half hours in Parque Genovés.

In summer the park is open from 8:00 to 22:00, so starting to visit it in the morning is the best alternative if you want to enjoy this green lung in the middle of the city. Although it is not a very well known or crowded park, it is a good place to appreciate a large number of plants from all over the world, especially of American origin.

Such is the variety of plants in the park that it is considered a botanical garden. It is also adorned with walkways in its interior and a lake with a waterfall included, where you can see lots of birds. It is an ideal place to include among the best things to do in Cadiz with children.

La Caleta Beach

After two and a half hours touring the Genovés park, it's time to continue on your way, this time to Playa La Caleta. At noon, La Caleta beach is one of the best places to visit in summer, but in case you do not want to swim or it is winter, I recommend a walk along the coast, to breathe fresh air.

It is an ideal place to get in touch with nature and to feel the sea breeze. Surely when you arrive at Playa La Caleta must be approximately 12:00 design, so it is a good time to take a short walk and go straight to taste Cadiz coastal dishes par excellence.

On the shore of the beach you can find good places to enjoy the gastronomy of Cadiz as for example Quilla Restaurant Café and Terrace. Lunch should not take you more than an hour, so once you have regained your strength, it is time to continue to the next destination.

Santa Catalina Castle

It will take you about four minutes by car to get to the Santa Catalina Castle, an exemplary place to visit in Cadiz. The parking lot is very close to the castle, so you can go by private car. There is also a viewpoint nearby to see it from afar and photograph it.

From 11:00 to 20:00 is the visiting hours of the place, so it will be ideal to enter around 14:00. The entrance is free, so you will not have to pay anything to know it inside. I recommend you to use at least one hour to know it.

Cathedral of Cadiz

Around 15:00 it's time to leave the historic fortification of the Castle of Santa Catalina to continue to another of the best tourist attractions of Cadiz: its Cathedral, which I recommend you to spend at least an hour to visit it in its entirety. This place is included in the route of the tourist bus of Cadiz, so you can get there that way.

Known as "La Nueva", this Cathedral stands out for its different construction styles: Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical, given its 116 years of construction and multiple architects. It is open to the public from 10:00 to 20:00 and the entrance fee ranges between 3 and 7 euros.

Promenade of Cádiz

10 minutes from the Cathedral is located the Paseo Marítimo de Cádiz, an ideal place to enjoy the other side of the coast of Cadiz. It is a very lively place that is usually listed as part of the new area of the city, where you will find lots of cafes and pubs perhaps to have a coffee and a snack.

The Paseo Marítimo is a good place to walk or cycle along. In fact, this is one of the favorite places for tourists to get to know in the middle of one of the best tours of Cadiz, especially by bike.

Constitution Bridge

On your way out of Cadiz city, towards the mainland, you have to pass by the Constitution Bridge and you can't help but stop to take some pictures of the incredible view that can be seen in this place.

This bridge crosses the bay of Cadiz and is of the cable-stayed type, which makes it a great tourist attraction. It is also the longest road bridge built in Spain, so it is a real architectural jewel that you have to see.

San Marcos Castle

Passing the Constitution Bridge and about 20 minutes from the Paseo Marítimo, you will reach the next destination on the itinerary for day 2, which is none other than the Castillo de San Marcos. Its rate is around 10 euros for general admission and at least 5 euros for children and young people from 5 to 18 years old.

Depending on the day you choose for your trip, you can take a tour inside the castle because they usually make guided tours at 18:00 some days of the summer. In case you can't go inside, you can also tour the outside of the castle and admire the fortification it represents.

Dinner and lodging in Puerto de Santa María

In the area of Puerto de Santa Maria, which is quite busy and lively, you can look for a place to eat dinner and have a few drinks before going to your accommodation, which I recommend to be in the same area for this second day.

Among the places to have dinner and enjoy the nightlife for an hour or two, I recommend: Romerijo Restaurant, Aponiente and Maria Castaña. For accommodation you have nearby the Hotel Soho, the Hotel Dunas Puerto and Crisol Monasterio de San Miguel.

On this third and last day of the itinerary in Cadiz, you are going to do some of the best excursions from Cadiz. Vejer and Jerez de la Frontera, and Medina Sidonia will be the places you will visit so as not to leave out any of the most popular places in the city and its surroundings.

Remember that you will leave from Puerto de Santa Maria, where you stayed the night of the second day of the itinerary. So before leaving you can have a snack at the hotel and continue to Vejer de la Frontera for breakfast and sightseeing.

Vejer de la Frontera

Just arriving to Vejer de la Frontera, after a one hour drive, I recommend you to stop for lunch at a local restaurant such as La Tetería del Califa, Canela & Miel Conil or La Desayunería de Floren. By this time it should be 9:00.

After recharging energy it is time to take a good tour around the place to know some of its most interesting tourist sites. You can not miss as an activity to do in this town, the sevillanas classes, where you will learn a little about the history of this dance and of course, you will also learn some dance steps.

Medina-Sidonia

Once you have toured Vejer de la Frontera for at least three hours, continue on your way to Medina Sidonia, a beautiful town located half an hour from Vejer, where you can appreciate a beautiful view of the Atlantic, as well as walk through the streets of the town to breathe its medieval atmosphere.

The tour of the town will leave you in the mood for lunch around 13:00, so there are some restaurants you can visit to try the traditional gastronomy of the area, such as Bar Cádiz or Restaurante La Fábrica.

Jerez de la Frontera

After spending at least three more hours in the town of Medina Sidonia, it is time to continue to the last place on this itinerary, which is none other than Jerez de la Frontera, located about 30 minutes from Medina and a must on this list of places to see in Cadiz. You should arrive at the town around 17:00.

At this time it is ideal to take a guided tour around the town to see some of the most important places of this place as the Alcázar of Jerez de la Fron tera or the Cathedral itself. At nightfall, you can take the opportunity to enjoy one of the best flamenco shows in Cadiz, in none other than the local Puro Arte.

In Jerez de la Frontera you will stay on the last night of your tour of Cadiz, because it is the closest place to Cadiz Airport. Early in the morning you can arrange your transfer to the Jerez Airport, where you can board your flight back home.