Jerez de la Frontera Travel Guide

87km (54 miles) S of Seville, 593km (368 miles) SW of Madrid, 34km (21 miles) NE of Cádiz

Dating back nearly 3,000 years, Jerez may not be the region’s most beautiful nor architecturally rich city, but you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere that better embodies the spirit of Andalucía. This busy, commercial hub is defined by three quintessentially Spanish things: Sherry, horses, and flamenco. You can enjoy them all to the highest standard during even a short stay.

The pedestrianized plazas and cobbled streets around the old town are dotted with stylish restaurants, tiny sherry depots (tabancos), and flamenco-infused bars. Upon this stage, smartly dressed jerezanos stroll with an aristocratic ease. They know they’ve got the good things in life sorted, even if the city’s wealthiest days are behind it. The soundtrack is the bulería, the quick-paced form of flamenco that originated in the barrios of San Miguel and Santiago. Jerez is the perfect base from which to explore the towns and countryside that comprise the celebrated Sherry Triangle. Over the centuries, the charming little Andalusian town of Jerez de la Frontera has shipped thousands of casks of golden sherry around the world.

The name of the town is pronounced "Heh-res" or "Heh-reth," in Andalusian or Castilian, respectively. The French and the Moors called it various names, including Heres and Scheris, which the English corrupted to sherry.