Arcos de la Frontera
Lined with fine ancient buildings, Plaza del Cabildo is the heart of Arcos' old town, its vertiginous mirador affording exquisite panoramas over the Río…
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In the northeastern reaches of Cádiz province lie a string of classic pueblos blancos (white towns) rooted in turbulent border history. Most centre on beautiful, fortified old cores, a testament to the fact that these towns once stood on the contentious Moorish-Christian border for more than two centuries, between the 1248 Christian conquest of Seville and the 1492 fall of Moorish Granada. Today, they're a delight to explore, with moody streets twisting past whitewashed houses to crumbling castles and imposing churches. The most spectacular of all is Arcos de la Frontera, to the east and northeast of which are Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, Olvera and Setenil de las Bodegas.
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Lined with fine ancient buildings, Plaza del Cabildo is the heart of Arcos' old town, its vertiginous mirador affording exquisite panoramas over the Río…
Basílica Menor de Santa María de la Asunción
Arcos de la Frontera
This Gothic-baroque creation is one of Andalucía's more beautiful, intriguing churches, built over several centuries on the site of a mosque. Check out…
Arcos de la Frontera
If it's open, step into the vestibule of this working 1642 convent, push a bell, and a concealed cloistered nun on the other side of a wooden partition…
Cádiz' White Towns
A path opposite the Hotel Arco de la Villa leads to Zahara's 12th-century castle keep (it's a steep, steady 10- to 15-minute climb). The castle's…
Cádiz' White Towns
Three kilometres southeast of Olvera's historic core, en route to Torre Alháquime, this 17th-century sanctuary honours the town's patron saint. Its…
Cádiz' White Towns
Perched on a crag at 623m high atop town is Olvera's late-12th-century castle, which later formed part of Nasrid-era Granada's defensive systems. Clamber…
Arcos de la Frontera
Containing a 16th-century main altarpiece said to be the oldest in Cádiz province, this Gothic-baroque confection contains one of Andalucía's most…
Grazalema
Grazalema centres on the 18th-century Plaza de España, overlooked by the Iglesia de la Aurora, begun in 1760 and completed 40 years later, and refreshed…
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Taste the best of Cádiz: seafood, sherry and southern Spanish cuisineSep 18, 2019 • 6 min read
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