Cadiz Old Town

Cadiz occupies the end of a narrow spit with sea on three sides, and Phoenician settlement here is traditionally dated to around 1100 BC, which is the basis for the claim that it is the oldest continuously inhabited city in western Europe. Its wealth came from the American trade after the Guadalquivir silted up, and the eighteenth-century town reflects it: tall houses with lookout towers built by merchants watching for their ships, of which over a hundred survive, with the Torre Tavira open to climb and holding a camera obscura. The cathedral of the same century carries a yellow-tiled dome visible from the whole city. Beaches run along both sides, and the February carnival is the largest in mainland Spain.

What you actually see

• The lookout towers - over a hundred merchant watchtowers on the rooftops.
• The yellow-domed cathedral - an eighteenth-century building on the seafront.
• The sea walls - fortifications enclosing the old town on three sides.
• The February carnival - Spain's largest mainland carnival, with satirical choirs.

When to go

Spring and autumn for comfortable walking; February for the carnival, when the city is full and accommodation must be booked far ahead. Summer brings Spanish holidaymakers and heat, moderated by the Atlantic wind.

Honest expectations

The old town is dense and parking is close to impossible, so arriving by train is far easier. Carnival crowds are enormous and the city is effectively closed to ordinary visiting during it. The Atlantic wind blows hard year-round.

Nearby

Bolonia and Tarifa lie south down the Costa de la Luz; Jerez and El Puerto de Santa Maria are across the bay.