Cádiz has been a city for over 3,000 years. The Phoenicians founded it. The Romans expanded it. The Spanish Empire launched its expeditions to the Americas from here. And somehow, after all of that, it still feels like a place that belongs to its own people.

It sits at the end of a narrow peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic — surrounded by sea on almost all sides, with a light and an openness you won't find anywhere else in Andalucía. The old town is compact and walkable, full of golden-stoned towers, tiled domes, and tapas bars that have been doing the same thing for generations.

A place that feels wonderfully far away from the Costa del Sol — without needing to do the driving yourself.

What to do in Cádiz:

• Climb the Torre Tavira for panoramic views across the rooftops and out to the Atlantic
• Visit the Cathedral — one of the finest in Andalucía
• Walk the seafront walls and watch the Atlantic come in
• Explore the Mercado Central for some of the freshest seafood in Spain
• Get lost in the Barrio del Pópulo, the oldest neighbourhood in the city
• Lunch at a terrace bar with a cold manzanilla — the local fino sherry, bone dry and perfect with prawns