Cadiz is magnificently contained in a small area making a tour of the city incredibly easy to carry out. I was there earlier this year as part of my New Year’s road trip and found it to be a charming town on the Atlantic which was well worth the day trip.

The whole city has outgrown its walled borders so you end up driving through a fair bit of the more modern chunks of the urban sprawl before getting into the walled medieval core. There are many reasonably priced hotels available but since the bulk of the city centre is pedestrianised, prepare yourself for a walk amongst the narrow Spanish alleys to get to your destination. Parking is also rather restricted, as is the case in any major confluence; a little careful thinking and a few extra minutes walking will soothe those frayed nerves a lot sooner.

If all you have is 24 hours in Cadiz, here are my recommendations to ensure your stay is memorable:

1. Start your morning with a brisk walk around the fortifications that surround the old town. A large amount of this is along the shore and the bracing Atlantic winds will surely wipe the last remnants of the land of Nod away if the walk itself doesn’t. You will pass the docks and the passenger terminal but the western-facing fortifications hold a more contemporary claim to fame as the scene of the James Bond film Casino Royale; the bit where a muscular Daniel Craig emerges from the sea was filmed here. Total time – about 1 hour, depending on your pace.

   

2. Head to the Torre Tavira and its camera obscura which is part of the network of similar devices all along the Iberian peninsula. The contraption is located inside a tall 18th century tower and was used for surveillance and port monitoring in days of old. Tickets are priced at 6 EUR and a tour of the small museum as well as the demonstration itself will last a further hour. Don’t forget to head up to the roof and admire Cadiz from above.

   

3. A few blocks away from the tower, you will be able to feast your eyes on the ‘Cathedral Nueva’; don’t let the name mislead you though as this is a bona fide 18th century cathedral. The building is in reasonably good condition and the tour with audio guide costs 5 EUR
   Bonus tip: Illuminati fans and conspiracy theorists should keep an eye out for the eye of Osiris which looms from most surfaces in the cathedral! Total time: 1.5 hours.

   

4. Time for lunch, surely? There are many good eateries located in the cathedral area. Depending on how early you awoke, most of them will now be setting up shop which means that you may even be one of the first few customers beating the traditional rush that is the stock of their trade. I had a tasty and savoury selection of tapas at Meson de la Posadilla which weighed in at a reasonable 10 EUR. Total time: 2 hours; why hurry when you can enjoy life, after all?
5. Till now, we’ve had a cultural morning so a little retail therapy may not be a bad idea, right? The winding roads all have their little shops but the bulk of the shopping is concentrated around Calle San Francisco. You will find numerous little boutiques if you pop into a side street or two. Wander around, explore and enjoy getting lost.
6. If you’re still feeling up to exploring more, the Oratory of La Santa Cueva has an original Goya amidst its collection. When will you next be in Cadiz? Pop your head in and savour the view.
7. If Goya is not your thing, perhaps a short nap to recharge your batteries would be a better choice for now. Cadiz has some great restaurants for later and you don’t want to be nodding into your mains, now would you? Alternatively, grab a cerveza in Plaza de San Juan de Dios and watch the Andalusian day unfold.

   

8. Everyone in Cadiz has a favourite restaurant of their own. I tried El Faro which had a great menu and fresh fish of the day which was cooked to perfection. Walking the empty Cadizian streets at night was a little disconcerting but I suspect that this was an effect of the wine, more than anything else.

What is your favourite thing to do in Cadiz?