Spending the entire month of August in southern Spain was a CHOICE. As much as we love Sevilla, and we hope to make it our home base in Spain when we move, the 112°F (~45C) days were tough to stomach. Initially, I wanted to take a day trip to Córdoba, but the forecast looked basically the same there, and I knew we wouldn’t be able to enjoy sightseeing in those conditions. So I started to research places within an hour or two from Sevilla that could give us a true respite from the heat, just for a day. And that’s how I found Cádiz.
It seemed like everyone else had the same idea, considering that it was nearly impossible to find a train to Cádiz that still had seats available for any weekend day we were in Sevilla. Eventually, we were able to find a spot on the first train of the day on a Friday morning, but everything coming back later that day was sold out… so we turned to popular European carpooling app, BlaBlaCar, for the trip back home. (More on that later.)
Anyway, if you want to get from Sevilla to Cádiz, here’s what you need to know!
Cádiz, Spain
Distance from Sevilla: 120km/75 miles
Cádiz is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in Western Europe that is still standing, founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC/BCE. Like Sevilla, Cádiz is in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalucía. Way down on the far southwest of Spain, Cádiz sits on a peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded almost entirely by water. Remember that the accent on the “a” in Cádiz’s name means the stress is on the first syllable; CAH-diz.
We arrived in Cádiz around 8:30 a.m., and we left at 8:50 p.m. with our BlaBlaCar. That was probably much more time than we needed, but it was better to have too much time than not enough. I think that 8-10 hours would be sufficient to see the best of what Cádiz has to offer, as well as have a few good meals.
So, what should you do and see in Cádiz?
You have to start with the Cádiz Cathedral. After seeing like 100 cathedrals in Spain, the Cádiz one really stands out. Not really so much on the inside, as it’s not very ornate. But on the outside, the vibes are super tropical, as it’s surrounded by palm trees with the ocean in the background. Now that’s something you don’t see every day.
It costs €7 per person to go inside, and it’s not all that interesting in there. Although the crypt was weirdly enjoyable, in a creepy way. But the best part of visiting the church is climbing the west tower, and you have to buy a ticket if you want to do that. Instead of a bunch of stairs, it’s a steep ramp most of the way up. From the top, you get amazing views of the city’s whitewashed buildings, the miles of beaches, and the cathedral’s iconic yellow dome (which honestly looks like it’s seen better days).
If you want another great view from high up, you can also go to the Torre Tavira, which also costs €7. We didn’t do it because we’d already done the cathedral. But if you want your city view to include the cathedral in it, then this would probably be your better option.
Not far from the cathedral is the Mercado Central, or central market. If you show up too early, there won’t be anything going on. But if you go around Spanish lunchtime — around 1 to 3 p.m. — it’s pretty impressive. Local Cádiz residents swarm the stalls, which are full of fresh fruits and vegetable, spices, seafood, and more, looking for the best deals. The seafood section was particularly interesting, in my opinion, as the full heads of two sharks and one gigantic swordfish were on proud display.
Of course, you can’t go to Cádiz without checking out the beach! There are lots of popular beaches — I thought the coolest one was Playa La Caleta, which is a bay in between two castles. No big deal, right? We didn’t bring our swim stuff, because it didn’t seem like it would be a good idea to join our carpool back to Sevilla all beachy and sandy, but I’m definitely swimming next time we go to Cádiz. Also, it seems like bikini tops are optional. 😉
About those two castles. One is Castillo de Santa Catalina (St. Catherine in English. That’s me.) and it’s a 16th-century fortress. It’s not too interesting from the outside, though it is next to the gorgeous Parque Genovés. However, the online reviews said the castle is underrated and definitely worth a visit. So we tried to check it out — especially since admission is free — but unfortunately they were closing early that day for a flamenco festival.
The other castle, Castillo de San Sebastián, is a bit more outwardly impressive and sits at the end of a loooong walkway, which was built to connect the fortress to the mainland after originally being an island. Although we knew the castle was temporarily closed for renovation (I think it has been for a long time, and there’s no determined date of re-opening), we still took the walkway out to its gates, enjoying the ocean views and watching the tide come in.
If you’re looking for another walk with a view, check out the Paseo de Vendaval (above). It’s is a beautiful walk along the south side of Cádiz, from the Castillo de San Sebastian to the cathedral. My favorite part of the walk — besides the view of the cathedral on approach — were the colonies of feral cats living on the rocks below! 😻 You could see all kinds of scratching posts, boxes, and cat carriers that were provided by someone who is taking care of them. They looked scrappy, and like they lived a hard life — but they also looked happy, lazing on their seaside rocks in the warm Spanish sun.
That should be plenty to keep you busy for a day! As far as food and drink you need to have in Cádiz: Food would be pescaíto frito, which is lightly fried fish. Drink would be sherry, which is produced only in the province of Cádiz — in Spanish, you can ask for jerez. And if you need ice cream, which you probably will, I recommend Bajo Cero on Plaza San Francisco.
Get from Sevilla to Cádiz by…
Train: Sevilla’s main train station is Sevilla-Santa Justa, which is pretty centrally located. You can buy your tickets online with RailEurope or your favorite European train booking platform. The typical ticket price each way is about €9-€16, with a journey time of around 1 hour and 45 minutes. When you arrive in Cádiz, you’re only about a 20-minute walk from the old city center.
Bus: Apparently there are buses that go from Sevilla to Cádiz and back. I didn’t personally do this, so I can’t vouch for the experience, but the bus is an option. If you book through a company called Transportes Generales Comes, it looks like it costs about €20 round-trip and takes about the same amount of time as the train. In Sevilla, it leaves from Estación de Autobuses Prado de San Sebastián, which is not far from the Alcázar.
BlaBlaCar: BlaBlaCar is a carpooling app that I joined when I lived in Madrid. You may remember my stories about commuting 2 hours by bus, each way, to my job in the rural Spanish countryside. So I signed up for BlaBlaCar back in 2018, and it was the first of many times I caught a ride with a stranger in Spain — though the only time it was monitored by an app, until this trip. 🙃
Basically, you put in where you are, and where you want to go, and people who are driving that route post their trips for you to join. Matt and I each paid €11 for the journey from Cádiz back to Sevilla that night. We rode with a man named Gonzalo, who picked us up — along with two other passengers — just outside the train station.
There wasn’t much “Bla Bla” in that car, as the 1 hour and 15 minute journey was pretty quiet. (Which was fine with us.) It got the job done, and it was as cheap as the train, and a little faster, too. So if you want to give BlaBlaCar a try, it’s definitely option if you find a carpool for the route you need. But it would work best if you or someone in your party speaks Spanish. And if you get kidnapped, don’t blame me!
What else do you want to know about taking a day trip from Sevilla to Cádiz? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
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