If you’re planning on spending 1 day in Cádiz then you’ll need to plan carefully to ensure you make the most of your short time in this gorgeous city. Handily, by the time you’ve finished reading this useful article, your personal perfect Cadiz itinerary should be forming in your mind. 

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Where is Cádiz and can you visit for one day?

Cádiz is a coastal city in southern Spain, sitting on a spit of land that juts out into the Bay of Cádiz.

⭐️ It’s perfectly possible to visit Cádiz for the day if you’re staying in Seville or arriving into Cádiz a cruise ship.

🏨 And if you do happen to be needing a hotel for 1 night in Cádiz, I highly recommend the Parador de Cádiz for its incredible views, gorgeous rooftop swimming pool and beautifully appointed rooms.

Why ever you’re planning a trip to Cádiz, you’re going to love it.

🗓 Remember, Cádiz, like many other cities, suffers from “closed-on-a-Monday-syndrome”. The cathedral is open but the museum is not. Some restaurants are also closed. Be sure to check opening times before you make a plan for your day in Cádiz.

What is there to see in beautiful Cádiz?

Cádiz is one of the oldest cities in Europe, in fact, it claims to be the very oldest inhabited city in Europe. It was founded by the Phoenicians around 1100 BCE.

🔎 One of the really cool things about Cádiz is that as you explore the city you’ll move between ancient Phoenician & Roman ruins to modern cafes, restaurants and bars.

Let’s take a look at some of the best things to do with just 1 day to explore Cádiz.

Cádiz old town (Casco Antiguo)

The old town is truly one of the joys of Cádiz. There are numerous way to manage your exploration of Cádiz but however you decide to do it, be sure to marvel at the historic buildings, visit the numerous plazas, wow over the ginormous ficus trees and don’t miss the main sites (all listed below).

👣 Take a free walking tour with GuruWalk or enjoy getting yourself lost in the small and winding streets of Cádiz’s charming old town

🚐 The Hop-On-Hop-Off tourist bus is a popular and easy way to see much of Cádiz

🛞 Segway tours of Cádiz offer the adventurous a fun way to explore the city – not only do you see the Old City but you also get to drive the segway down to (and on) the beaches!

📲 or simply download an audioguide app to entertain you with snippets of information about the city as you explore at your own speed

🥙 Take a delicious 2.5 hour tapas tour to explore the old town and learn about the city’s culinary scene

Cathedral of Cádiz

🔔 If you’re interested in churches then take a stop on Plaza de la Catedral to check out the cathedral. The highlight of a visit to the cathedral is climbing the Torre de Reloj (the bell tower) for fabulous views over the city. Like Sevilla’s cathedral tower, La Giralda, this tower is ascended with ramps, not steps, until the very last moment when there is a narrow spiral staircase.

➕ there are VR headsets available for anyone who enjoys a little random flying around the cathedral.

🎟 It costs €8 for a ticket the cathedral, tower & museum. I didn’t bother with the museum as I’m not especially interested in church-y artefacts but the tower was worth every cent. (You can buy online but I bought mine on the day. The queue was a few minutes wait only)

Teatro Romano de Cádiz (Roman Theatre)

This impressive first-century BCE theatre is partially visible from the street and the entrance is just off the Plaza de la Catedral. The modern museum includes some good information (in Spanish & English) and a short video. Once you’ve seen this you head outside to walk through the impressive theatre hallway and out into the theatre itself.

🎟 Free entry to the small museum & theatre.

➕ Don’t miss the Callejón del Duende right in front of the Roman theatre entrance. This street is the narrowest street in all of Cádiz.

Torre Tavira – (Tavira Tower)

This is Cádiz’s camera obscura. It’s just a ten-minute climb to the top (despite being the city’s highest point). From the top, there is are gorgeous panoramic views of Cádiz Cathedral.

Note that you must reserve your admission time online.

Yaciemento Arqueologico Gadír 

This free archaeological museum is home to the ruins of a Phoenician settlement. The visit begins with a short video and then you’re given time to walk around the 3000-year-old ruins of the city of Gadír and exclaim (because you will) over everything including the animal and even human remains (from a young man who was killed by fire in the seventh century BCE). This is my favourite thing to see in the old city.

➕ La Cueva del Pajaro Azul – another great option for learning about the Phoenicians in Cádiz. Take a walk through the underground tunnels of the ancient Phoenician port dating from the 3rd century BCE. Must book in advance on their website. It was closed when I last visited Cádiz on a Monday so I know I need to return to check this out soon.

Museo de Cádiz (Plaza de la Mina)

This museum is full of local artefacts and art and sadly I’ve not managed to visit yet. I will soon, though. (closed on Mondays)

The plazas

In Spain, plazas are the life and soul of a city and Cádiz is no exception. Notable are

Plaza de las Flores  – a beautiful small plaza with a flower market, cafes and bars

Plaza de España – a huge plaza marking the importance of Cádiz in modern Spain’s history with the enormous Monumento de la Constitución. It’s a delightful place to stroll through.

Plaza de la Catedral – you simply can’t visit Cádiz and not stop by this impressive plaza. Here you’ll find not only the city’s cathedral but also the heart of city life: there are numerous bars & restaurants on this plaza.

Plaza San Juan de Dios – this delightful plaza is directly over the road from the malecon near the Puerta del Mar Gaditana. It is a great place to sit and watch life go by and at night, the fountains are nicely lit. The impressive Ayuntamiento de Cádiz is here.

Plaza Candelaria – this is another beautiful plaza with a delightful number of trees creating plenty of shade. I recently ate at Restaurante Sonámbulo here and highly recommend you do the same!

Eating in Cádiz

Before we get onto discussing the beaches in Cádiz I want to mention that Cádiz is definitely considered something of a culinary destination. The fresh seafood is truly a reason enough to come to Cádiz for a day trip.

Let’s look at a few of the most popular fish plates you’ll find. (If you’re vegetarian, skip to the next section – I’m sorry)

🐟 The most popular local food in Cádiz is fried fish or pescaíto frito. While you can get this dish at pretty much any beachside chiringuito in Andalucía, nowhere does it better than Cádiz. The fish plate consists of a selection of fried fish, including whitebait, sardines, mackerel and more.

🐟 Cazón en adobo – battered dogfish (the batter has specific herbs in it)

🍤 Tortillitas de camarones – tiny (unpeeled) shrimp are fried in chickpea flour batter to make flat prawn cakes. I’m not a massive fan but most people seem to adore them.

🐟 Papas con choco – cuttlefish and potato stew, a very popular local dish. (do not assume choco has anything to do with chocolate, because it does not. I know someone who made this mistake and was then very sad!)

🐟 Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna – if you’re in Cádiz in spring time you might be lucky enough to try the “Almadreba”. This delicacy has been fished here since Phoenician times and is a part of the region’s cultural heritage. The sliced tuna above is an Almadreba dish I very much enjoyed at Restaurante Sonámbulo.

Mercado Central de Abastos (Plaza de la Libertad)

This popular market is a great place to stop by if your plans in Cádiz include a picnic on the beach as here you’ll find everything you need for your feast with a view.

Cádiz’ coast

As Cádiz is a coastal city, you really can’t come to Cádiz and not check out what’s going on along the coast. Before we even get to the beaches, there’s a multitude to explore:

Walk the Campo del Sur (the malecón)

This walkway follows the curve of the coast. It isn’t a beach walk, rather you look down over the water from a curved and gorgeous pathway. Apparently it was this part of Cádiz that inspired the layout of Havana. It’s also reminiscent of the Paseo de España in Malaga.

Parque Genovés

Walk either through this beautiful park (there’s a small playground at one end) or walk alongside it like we did to take in more gorgeous coastal views.

Baluarte de la Candelaria

🌳 When we visited it wasn’t possible to go inside this 17th-century fort but we fell in love with the gardens (Jardines Clara Campoamor) just outside it. This was our first introduction to the astounding giant rubber trees (ficus) of Cádiz.

There are some here and some just outside the university in front of the beach (Playa de la Caleta).

Castillo de San Sebastián

You can’t miss the 400-metre bridge to the island-castle out at sea from the far end of Playa de la Caleta. While you can’t actually enter the castle, the walk itself is a lot of fun.

Castillo de Santa Catalina 

One of the two forts flanking the city beach, this fort was built in the 1600s. Today it’s free to enter and look around. When we visited it had a good photography exhibition open to the public.

Beaches in Cádiz

 Playa de la Caleta 

This is a small beach in the old fisherman’s quarter of La Viña in Cádiz’s old city. The beach is flanked by forts on either side. It is a popular beach that is well worth a look even if you don’t have any plans to sunbathe. There are lifeguards on duty in the summer.

In English you’ll see it referred to as La Caleta Beach. La Viña is a fun area to explore and here you’ll find some of Cádiz’s best tapas bars.

Playa Santa Maria del Mar

Located between the old and new areas of Cádiz, this beach is popular with both surfers and regular beach goers. There are bathrooms here and in summer it has lifeguards

Playa de la Victoria

This is a lovely long beach (nearly 3km) that is popular with locals and visitors alike for its golden sand. In fact, it’s regularly named one of the best urban beaches in all of Europe. You’ll see people enjoying all sorts of impromptu sporting activities, sunbathing, relaxing in cafes and, of course, swimming on this gorgeous beach.

Costa de la Luz

And, of course, the province of Cádiz is graced with a multitude of fabulous beaches – it’s a part of the Costa de la Luz, so if you’re in the area for a while, there are plenty of awesome beaches for you to visit.

Cultural Events

Carnaval in Cádiz is 11 days of mayhem and fun. It is basically a city-wide street (costume) party but for me, the most interesting part is the Falla competition (not to be confused with the Fallas Festival of Valencia). This is an integral part of Carnaval and consists of groups of people writing and performing satirical songs about current events. The main competition take place at the Gran Teatro Falla but you’ll also get a chance to see them in the streets during the first week of Carnaval.

Carnaval generally takes place in February.

However you decide to spend your day in Cádiz, whatever you do, I hope you have a fabulous time.

Let’s help with the rest of your Andalucía planning too: