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Planning a trip to Cadiz
About 15 trains arrive daily from Sevilla (trip time: 1 hr. 45 min., cost: 13€–16€). Most stop at Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María along the way. There are three to four direct trains a day from Madrid’s Atocha station (trip time: around 4.5 hours, cost: 65€–110€). The train station is at Plaza de Sevilla next to the port.
About eight buses run daily from Sevilla’s Prado de San Sebastián bus station, operated by Comes (tel. 95-680-70-59) (trip time: 1hr. 45min., cost around 18€. There are several buses a day from Madrid’s Estación del Sur to Cádiz. The service, operated Socibus (tel. 90-222-92-92), takes about 8 hours, and costs about 40€. The terminal is on the north side of town, a few blocks west of the main port.
By car from Sevilla, the A-4/E-5 toll road will bring you into Cádiz across the magnificent Puente de la Constitución de 1812 suspension bridge. Traffic and parking in the old town are heavily restricted and the one-way system can be baffling. It’s best to find a car park outside the old town, say Parking Canalejas, Av. Ramón de Carranza s/n (interparking.es; 25€), and make the rest of your stay on foot.
The tourist office, Paseo de Canalejas, s/n (tel. 95-624-10-01), is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6:30pm, weekends from 9am to 5pm. You can pick up a useful map with color-coded walking routes.
Getting Around and Getting Your Bearings in Cadiz
You can walk around the Old Town on foot, which is about the only way to see it.
Unlike most cities, it’s a little difficult to say where the center of Cádiz lies. The old town is made up of several distinct barrios (districts) and most have their own leafy squares and centers of activity.
Plaza de San Juan de Dios, with its town hall, is probably what most would consider the center, but then you have the lively Plaza de la Catedral, the refined Plaza de Mina, and the wide-open Plaza de San Antonio, where the composer Manuel de Falla lived. Not to mention the marketplace of Plaza de la Libertad, and the flower stalls of adjoining Plaza de las Flores.
And those are just the big ones. Seek out Plaza de la Candelaria, Plaza de San Francisco, and Plaza del Mentidero for a relaxing break among exotic trees, fountains, and statues of famous gaditanos. And don’t miss Plaza de España, with its monument to the Spanish Constitution of 1812, signed here in Cádiz.
Fast Facts
Currency Exchange -- ATMs are scattered throughout the city with a cluster of banks around Plaza San Juan de Dios in the center and along Avenida Ramón de Carranza facing the port. The most central bank with ATMs is Banco Santander Central Hispano, Calle Columela 13 (tel. 90-224-24-24), open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 2pm and Saturday from 8:30am to 1pm.
Dentists -- If you have a dental emergency, inquire with your hotel or the local tourist office, which has been known to make emergency phone calls around town for visitors in dental pain. Two local dental clinics are Urgencia Dental Avenida, Av. Ana de Viya 32 (tel. 95-625-26-00), and the Clínica Dental Brasil 8 (tel. 95-626-24-69).
Emergencies -- To summon the police, dial tel. 091. To report a fire or call an ambulance, dial tel. 085 or 95-627-00-80.
Hospital -- The biggest and best-accessorized of the local hospitals is Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21 (tel. 95-600-21-00).
Internet Cafe -- You'll find a battery of computers at Novap, Cuesta de las Calesas 45 (tel. 95-626-44-68), across from the railway station, in Old Cádiz. It charges 1.20€ ($1.90) per hour for access. You'll also find a local branch of Western Union and international and national phone cards for sale.
Newspapers -- Local dailies include Diario de Cádiz, with a relatively right-wing agenda, selling for 1€ ($1.60) each, and the more centrist Cádiz Información, also priced at 1€ ($1.60) per copy. For information on cultural and pop events in Andalusia, the tourist office distributes a free monthly tourist magazine called ¿Qué Hacer?
Pharmacy -- Each of the many pharmacies scattered throughout the city prominently displays the name, address, and phone number of whatever pharmacy is scheduled to be open overnight. A particularly central pharmacy to the Old City is Farmacia Colorado, Calle Cobos 2 Cristóbal Colón y Cobos (tel. 95-628-26-03).
Post Office -- The main branch is at Plaza de las Flores (aka Plaza Topete; tel. 95-621-05-11). It's open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 8:30pm and Saturday 9:30am to 2pm.
Toilets -- A few public toilets are scattered throughout various neighborhoods of the New and Old towns, most notably a cluster positioned on the Avenida Ramón de Carranza, and one at the Plaza de Mina. If we're far from either of those points, we usually duck into the nearest bar, often opting to buy something (coffee, mineral water, sherry) on the way out.
