Suprisingly stunning!
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Seville, the vibrant capital of Andalusia, is a captivating city with so much to see and do (have a read of our Seville checklist for ideas!) , but if you have a day to spare, a trip to the stunning coastal town of Cádiz is an absolute must. Rich in history and boasting surprisingly beautiful beaches, Cádiz offers a delightful change of the pace from Seville's inland city vibe. In this post, I will take you through what we did on our day trip to Cádiz.
The good news is, getting to Cádiz for a day trip from Seville is really easy. Frequent trains, operated by Renfe, connect the two cities. The journey takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes on the fastest Alvia trains, making it a perfect option for a day trip. You can easily book tickets online on the Renfe website in advance, or purchase them from the Seville Santa Justa train station. They cost roughly 15 euros and always cheaper to get a return than just a single for some reason. But be warned, these trains get busy and sell out very quickly so its always best to get your tickets at the earliest convenience.
Once you arrive in Cádiz station, the city center is just a short 10-minute walk away. We headed straight for Plaza de San Juan de Dios. This square is full of bars and restaurants, however just be aware of a few tourist traps that may occur here as this is the first place many people get to after arriving by cruise. Whilst we’re on about cruises, it may be good to check if there is one in on your planned day of visit. (You can check here!) This is because although it's not necessarily heaving, the resort does get busier and has more of an atmosphere when a cruise ship has docked for the day.
From the square, that’s more of a rectangle, we ventured north into the heart of Cádiz. It was about this time, we stopped for desayuno (breakfast). We stopped at La Tertulia and had huge coffees and ham and cheese croissants for only €18!
We then carried on walking and from there you cannot miss the Catedral de Cádiz. This awe-inspiring cathedral, with its golden dome, is a prominent landmark. It is on yet another main square, again with many bars and restaurants to choose from. Carrying on Calle Compañia, you reach mercado central. This is where you can indulge in fresh local produce, marvel at the towering seafood displays, and grab some delicious tapas at one of the market's many stalls. This is also where any local markets take place on a regular basis.
We continued west to get to Park Genoves. This is a stunning seaside garden with its origin been traced back to the middle of the 19th century. This garden is beautiful and full of tropical plants and wildlife and even waterfalls. Definitely worth a walk around, just be careful in the heat! You can explore some of the park on google maps below!
This is where we joined the coastal path. This is a path that leads entirely around Cádiz and the coastline. We did this walk towards the end of the day when it got cooler as it reached 42° when we were there. ¡muy calor! The coastal path from the gardens continues to Playa De La Caleta. This, with the Balneario De La Palma, is a huge bay beach perfect for families to relax on and take in that heat! This beach can get busy if there are a lot of tourists around when you visit. You can also walk along Paseo Fernando Quiñones up to Castle of San Sebastián.
After a quick relaxing stop, we continued round the coastal path and turned the corner to get the incredible and surprising view of the costa and tall buildings. This view came as such a surprise to us but it was stunning! We continued down the coastal road until we got to the rear of the cathedral. From here we cut into Plaza de Fray Felix in order to get to the entrance to the Roman Theatre of Cádiz. In all honesty, we found this place by accident but we couldn't be more grateful. This ancient theatre was only discovered in 1980 and is open to the public for tours.
Following our visit to the roman theatre, we then headed up towards Puerta de Tierra making sure to stop by Casa de Iberoamérica. These buildings are so stunning to look at from the outside and really blend in to the incredible architecture of Cádiz. We were honestly so shocked at just how beautiful and ornate all the buildings in Cadiz were and we definitely think it is incredibly underrated as a city.
Unfortunately, at this point it was time for us to head back for our train back to Seville. We were gutted to leave but we are so glad we took time out of our trip to Seville to head to Cádiz and explore the city. We really recommend heading there if you have a few extra days in your Seville Itinerary and although we only did one day, we think it would be a great idea to stay overnight to experience the nightlife and give yourself more time to explore. We cannot wait to go back and explore even more of this gorgeous city.
Useful links:
- Read our Inspiration post about Seville
- Read our Seville Checklist
- Look for things to do in Seville on GetYourGuide here
- Look for things to do in Cadiz on GetYourGuide here
- If you have a little more time to stay in Cadiz than we did, why not look for somewhere to stay below!
