Aerial view of cathedral and village

Getty Images/Cultura RF

Catedral de Cádiz

Top choice in Cádiz


Cádiz' beautiful yellow-domed cathedral is an impressively proportioned baroque-neoclassical construction, best appreciated from seafront Campo del Sur in the evening sun. Though commissioned in 1716, the project wasn't finished until 1838, by which time neoclassical elements (the dome, towers and main facade) had diluted architect Vicente Acero's original baroque plan. Highlights within are the intricate wood-carved choir (one of Andalucía's finest) and, in the crypt, the stone tomb of renowned 20th-century gaditano composer Manuel de Falla (1876–1946).

Tickets include audio guides, the religious treasures of the Museo Catedralicio, just east, and a climb up the cathedral's (eastern) Torre del Reloj, with fabulous wraparound old-city views.


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1. Torre del Reloj

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Following half a century off limits, the eastern tower of the cathedral is now open once more. Ascend via the twirling ramp for fabulous wraparound views…

2. Campo del Sur

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Flanked by pastel-painted houses, Cádiz' curving malecón is eerily reminiscent of Cuba's Havana, which it's believed to have inspired.

3. Iglesia de Santa Cruz

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Cádiz' most ancient church and original cathedral was a Gothic-Mudéjar creation commissioned by Alfonso X El Sabio in 1263, on the site of a former mosque…

4. Museo Catedralicio

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A stone’s throw east of Cádiz' cathedral, its museum is housed in the 16th-century Casa de la Contaduría, displaying an excavated medieval street,…

5. Teatro Romano

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On the seaward edge of the Barrio del Pópulo, Cádiz' Roman theatre dates from the late 1st century BCE and, originally, had space for 10,000 spectators. A…

6. Ayuntamiento

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Cádiz' neoclassical town hall dominates Plaza San Juan de Dios. The building dates from around 1800, though a town hall has stood on this site since the…

7. Plaza de San Juan de Dios

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Glammed up for the 200th anniversary of the 1812 constitution, cafe-lined Plaza de San Juan de Dios is dominated by the grand, neoclassical ayuntamiento,…

8. Plaza de Topete

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About 250m northwest of the cathedral, this triangular plaza is one of Cádiz’ most intimate. Bright with flowers, it's usually talked about as Plaza de…