CÁDIZ - A PARADISE OF CONTRASTS

"Heavenly beaches among Roman ruins, incredible sand dunes and small coves along the coast; whitewashed villages on the sides of the green mountains of the Sierra, and three thousand years of history through which numerous civilisations have passed, confer a very special character on Europe's most southern region"

If the province of Cádiz is characterised by anything in particular, it must be for its ample possibilities. The most southern corner of Europe is a compendium of nature, sun, beaches and history, where the legacy of its three thousand year past tells incredible tales of the civilisations which have formed its character.

Beneath a sun which rarely rests, and with a climate which is more than kind, the province which guards the northern gate of the pillars of Hercules offers visitors an unimaginable variety of tourist activities. From its 260 kilometres of coast, bathed by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, to the steep peaks of the Sierra de Grazalema, Cádiz is a natural treasure as can be seen by its six nature parks and its 138 kilometres of beaches, with a wealth of Blue Flags signifying the cleanest seas in Europe. The mountain villages with their whitewashed houses are absolutely beautiful and should not be missed when in this part of the world.

Artisan crafts like leather from Ubrique, gastronomic products such as prawns from Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the full-bodied, internationally recognised wines of Jerez are just a small sample of the delights on offer in this province, which, with its natural areas, beaches, museums and historic remains, offers visitors the opportunity of enjoying the full flavour of the contrasts conferred by the passage of different civilisations during thousands of years.

A historic legacy
The passage of different cultures has left us with an extraordinary wealth of history, culture and art: more than 30 castles and fortifications, the wall paintings of the Tajo de Las Figuras (Benalup-Casas Viejas), the Roman ruins of Carteia (San Roque) and Baelo Claudia (Tarifa), works of art by El Greco, Murillo, Zurbarán and Goya, and the historic richness of La Cartuja in Jerez and the cathedral in Cádiz.

Fairs, festivals and traditions
Cádiz province has approximately 265 days of festivals and cultural events each year. Many of these have been declared of National or International Tourist Interest such as Carnival in Cádiz, the Jerez Horse Fair, Holy Week in Arcos de la Frontera, Corpus Christi in Zahara de la Sierra, the festivals of Exaltation of the Guadalquivir River and the Sanlúcar Horse Races, which are the oldest in Spain and began 160 years ago.

Six natural parks in the province
The province of Cádiz has six natural parks: inland are Los Alcornocales and Grazalema, and along the coast are the Doñana area, La Breña and the marshes in Barbate, the Straits of Gibraltar and the Bay of Cádiz. These make Cádiz the province with the largest amount of protected areas in Andalucía.

A sea of activities
For those who enjoy adventure and nature there is a network of more than sixty companies who organise descents into gorges, climbing, pot-holing, mountain and rock climbing, canoeing, hang-gliding, delta-wing, hot air ballooning and diving among other options such as courses in botany, cooking and crafts, and even surfing or kite-surfing on the beaches at Tarifa.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

The passing of the centuries has given the province of Cádiz a varied history, and each area jealously guards its legacy

The very different municipalities which make up this multicultural province have a common historical legacy. From Cádiz city to the white villages of the Sierra, history oozes from each crack and every corner of these southern lands. Cádiz capital, three thousand years old, is the most ancient city of western Europe. Tartessans and Phoenicians visited this region, the Romans and Visigoths also left their footprints and from 711 onwards it was Muslim territory until Alfonso X The Wise incorporated it into the kingdom of Castilla in the 13th century. In the 18th century, the Golden Century for Cádiz, this city monopolised overseas commerce and established links with America for ever. And as if this were not enough, Cádiz, this cosmopolitan and liberal city, was the birthplace of and witness to 'La Pepa', the first Spanish constitution, approved on the 19th of March 1812.

The Frontier
Vejer de la Frontera, Castellar de la Frontera, Jimena de la Frontera...these are the villages which were on the border between the Castilians and the Muslims, who fought for what they considered to be their own land: Andalucía. The battle finished at the end of the 15th century but its memories are ineradicable. The villages are all situated on high ground, with their houses built between battlements and castles.

Remembering America
The so-called American Route is one of the most familiar tourist trips through the province, evoking the colours, flavours, architecture, gardens, daily life and even the way of thought of towns and cities such as Cádiz, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, all closely linked with foreign commerce. The route is a reminder of the links between Cádiz and Latin America and the marks that these have left on the Cádiz coast, through visits to the ancestral homes of those who shipped goods to the Indias, the old Customs Post of Cuba and the Philippines, the lookout towers to see the ships coming in, and the monasteries which were founded to house the missionary monks while they waited to be transferred overseas.

The White Villages
A total of 19 small towns and villages, bathed in whitewash and nestling in the green mountainsides of the Sierra comprise this unforgettable excursion. Arcos, Grazalema, Setenil de las Bodegas, El Bosque, Olvera and Zahara de la Sierra are some of the main examples. Some very interesting visits can be made along this route – like the blanket factory in Grazalema, to see how blankets are made by traditional artisan methods, the oil mill at Zahara de la Sierra to find out how olive oil is produced, and the leather craftsmen in Ubrique