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Cádiz (province)

Travel Guide Europe Spain Andalusia Cádiz

Introduction

Playa Caleta - Cadiz

Everybody in England has heard of at least one place in Cadiz Province: Trafalgar! (stress on the final syllable if talking to a Spaniard). Incidentally many Spanish people tend to confuse the words Spaniard and spaniel!
The province has both some good coast - less spoiled by tourism than the better known costas - and some great mountain scenery.

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Geography

The limestone mountains of the Sierra de Grazalema form a deservedly well visited walking area and abut onto the even better known Sierra de Ronda in Malaga Province. In the northeast the province adjoins Huelva Province on the borders of the Doñana National Park.

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Cities, Towns and Villages

The pueblos blancos (white villages) are well known

Cádiz
Jerez de la Frontera
Ubrique - historically a town of leather and much manufacture of fine leather is still done. Interesting old streets adjacent to the Sierra.
Grazalema - see below.
Zahara de la Sierra a vey pleasant pueblo blanco with a church picturesquely situated at the top.
Arcos de la Frontera - overlooking a plain - many historical buildings.
Medina-Sidonia - unspoiled historical town
Jimena de la Frontiera - castle ruins give great views of Gibraltar.
Algeciras Ferry point for Tanger and Spanish enclaves in Morocco.
Tarifa - phenomenal surfing opportunities
La Linea de la Concepción - Crossing point for Gibraltar.

N.B. The ending '(de la Frontera)' in place names is used in far more than are shown here and might tax the brain, if you try to draw a frontier line based on it! The explanation is that it applies to the frontier between Moorish and Christian Spain during wars that caused frequent changes in where the border was drawn.

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Sights and Activities

Costa de la Luz - the Atlantic coast of the province. Windswept and wild but very scenic.
Sierra de Grazalema - Limestone mountains with many fine walks. Try to see the Garganta Verde (Green Gorge) from Zahara de la Sierra (but not in the vultures' nesting season) and both the Salto de Cabrero (Goatherd's Leap) and the Pinsapar from Grazalema. The latter is the largest remaining site of a rare fir that has been growing since the Tertiary period!

Cadiz's city council

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Events and Festivals

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Weather

Grazalema has the unenviable feature of having the highest rainfall in Spain.

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Getting There

By Plane

Jerez de la Frontera has a small airport (XRY), that is serviced by Iberia from Madrid and Vueling from Barcelona, and some of the other lowcost airlines, with destinations like Helsinki, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Palma de Mallorca, Brussels, London, Manchester and several other domestic destinations and seasonal flights (Amsterdam for example).