Cadiz Guide 2024

Almost the last port before Gibraltar and the Mediterranean lies Cádiz in southwestern Spain. The home of the Spanish Navy, it has always been important because of its strategic position. That's why it has over a hundred watchtowers. But the port really boomed in the 16th century as a base for the slave trade. The blood of many nations makes up its rich soil and dark turbulent history. Welcome to Cádiz, the oldest inhabited town in the western world with over 3,000 years of history. The town is easily accessible by foot and we're going to take a look. If you've been to Cádiz before and are thinking of going somewhere further afoot, Jerez is 35 kilometers away, which is 30 minutes. That's where Sherry comes from. If you want to try Seville, that's further. 120 kilometers, about an hour and a half. As with every town surrounded by sea, Cádiz has to protect itself. A walk around Cádiz is easy to do by yourself, but there's so much history, a guide might make it more interesting. In the Plaza de España is La Cortez monument. It was built in 1929 and it's commemorative of the 1812 constitution. Cádiz is a port that cruisers often return to, but there's always something to find that you might not have seen before. We found this beautiful park with these lovely caves and they've got a bridge going over the top of them. Perfect for children to play in. This is the bridge over the top of the caves. Great views. Because Seville is such a tricky place to get to, but that, I mean, the trains don't run exactly when you want them to, so you're pretty much reliant on the ship's excursions. And that's why many ships have a late sail away on the day they stay there, or in fact stay overnight. We luckily had an overnight, which meant we could try a local restaurant. Found a gorgeous little restaurant in Cádiz overnight, and taking advantage of the local wine, Rioja, gorgeous. Wind your way down the narrow alleyways with the Moorish-style houses with their flower deck balconies, and you'll find the flower market. The fridge magnets are about two euros, so Cádiz is not expensive. Just past the flower market, you'll find the central market, and there's no escaping the fact that Cádiz sits between fertile land with the beautiful vegetables and the sea. Cádiz is situated on a narrow piece of land. Leaving the market and walking towards the sea on the other side, you'll find the cathedral. If you're walking from the ship along the seafront towards the castle, you'll come across these beautiful botanical gardens with play areas for the children. Construction on the cathedral began in 1772, Baroque style, and it was finished in the 19th century, neoclassical style. It has the third most important treasury in Spain. You'll need a ticket to go in and for the tower and the museum, and it stands in this lovely bustling square. Opposite the cathedral is the former cathedral, the 13th-century Church of Santa Cruz, which was destroyed by the English Armada. If churches are your thing, you will love this square. There are three beautiful churches here. The Santiago Apostle Church was built in the 17th century and belonged to the Jesuit college. It has designs by Alonso Romero and holds notable altarpieces and sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries. Next to the cathedral is the back of the Roman theatre, and it all sits on land which is supposedly originally an old Islamic settlement and castle. The Roman theatre is visible from the coastal road, but you'll find the entrance down a side street through the Los Blanco Arch, and this is the entrance to the theatre. Standing in the area where the grounds of the old castle used to be is the Roman theatre. This is one of the largest examples of Roman theatres in the Iberian Peninsula, and admission is free. As you come out of the theatre, you'll find the museum store, which is for the Roman theatre. The puppet museum is easy to find. It's just by the city wall. This is all the work of the genius Francisco Peralta. Entrance to this museum is free, and it's well worth a visit. The map can appear a little confusing, but the 18th century Tavira Tower is actually only a stone's throw away from the market. Tavira Tower is part of the palace of Marquis of Ricano. It's situated at the highest point of the old town and is one of the 100 watchtowers in Cádiz. Nothing in Cádiz is very far, even though it looks it on the map, it might be because they want you to get the bus. But the castle is just a stone's throw away from the town, and we're going to take a walk out there. La Caleta Beach is next to the old quarter and is a beautiful setting. It's a fantastic walk along the causeway, with the sea crashing in on both sides and the fishermen bringing in their catch. But sadly, San Sebastian's castle has been closed for some time. At the other end of La Caleta Beach is Santa Barbara Castle. You could just come here and chill and spend the day on the beach, or you could use it as a gateway town to Seville and Torres. Whatever you do, enjoy and have a look on Doris' visits for all our trips. Welcome to Lisbon. There are two ships berthed in the new cruise terminal today, the Azamara Quest and the Spirit Adventure, and we've just walked a higgledy-piggledy route up the back streets to this fantastic vantage point. It took us about 10 minutes. But there is another way you could get to the top of the hill. So that's Joseph I, and he was the king at the time of the earthquake in 1755. The easiest way to explore Lisbon is to turn left from the ship, walk along the coastal road towards Commercial Square. You'll know it because of the huge statue of King José mounted on his horse in the middle. We're going to purchase a ticket from the Metro to explore the city. Bus Metro daily ticket. This ticket supposedly gets you on metros, lifts, funiculars and trams. Let's see if it works. But it won't get you all the way to the palace. That's a couple of euros more. So we've arrived at the palace. It's just one straight road down, and it's an 18-minute walk after the 18 minutes on the train. Not far. Not to be missed, the Tiled Ceramic Canal. It's decorated with 18th century scenes, and the royal family often used to take a boat down here on sunny afternoons to enjoy themselves. The palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles. Turn right through the square, you'll find the cathedral and all the sites. But if you want the trendy side of Lisbon, keep on walking, you'll find some old shacks, and behind them, you'll find the Time Out building. And it's so worth a visit. This place is really rocking, and no matter what you're tasting food or drink, you are going to definitely find it here. There's everything. Everywhere you go, there's port wine tasting. It's a bit early at the moment. Here in Porto, you can see the port being made rather like our tour of Champagne in France, which you can see on Doris Visits. Here, you go through the caves, you see the process, and then at the end, you have a port tasting. The way to get to the top is to walk up the hill and then go over the bridge at the lower level, and we'll show you what to do next. This is the top bridge, and I'm walking back across it and actually stopping to admire the view every few seconds. It's stunning. The Viking Neptune is beyond. Not only is the food world-class, the service incomparable, the attention to detail, well, I'll show you. Look at the towels. They're all perfectly aligned, and someone goes around and checks that all the time. They've even got suntan lotion on the pool deck for the guests. Tea time, and we've got scones and cream and jam, and you do have the option for sandwiches as well. You can have late breakfast if you get up late. You can have lunch, and they also have extra sandwiches in here at tea time for tea, and you've got a wonderful view. Then you can come back in the evening and have a drink. These screens are all around the ship, and so whatever you want to know, you can quickly check. So Viking Daily, that'll tell you what's on and when, and if you want to know what's on at the theatre tonight. This is the main restaurant, still on deck two, and this is where we often eat. The food is superb, and the service is spectacular. You think this is small, don't you? But it's actually massive. Welcome to our stateroom on the Viking Neptune. As you can see, we have a lovely spacious double bed, spacious shower, nice glass-fronted cubicle. The ship's moving. I can't even feel it. We're sailing. What more is there to say?