The magnificent city of Cadiz is located in southern Spain close to the city of Seville. If you are looking for a more traditional holiday to Spain then Cadiz is the ideal choice for you. Thought to be the oldest city in Europe, Cadiz is steeped in history with places of historic interest and

Cadiz Cathedral

museums to keep you occupied on your cheap package holidays to the Costa De La Luz. Cadiz also has a good selection of restaurants, tapas bars and shops.

The charming old quarter of Cadiz is Moorish in appearance with narrow cobbled lanes connecting large plazas, white washed houses, a cathedral with a stunning golden dome and the remains of the city’s 18th century walls.

Donana National Park

The UNESCO World Heritage Site, Donana National Park, will be of particular interest to nature lovers. The park occupies the right bank of the Guadalquivir River at its estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. This diverse park has marshland, fixed and moving dunes, lagoons, scrub woodland and maquis. It is also home to one of the largest heron colonies in the Mediterranean region, five threatened bird species and is the winter habitat for hundreds of thousands of water fowl every year. The park is also home to Spanish lynx, Adalbert’s eagle, Black vulture, red kite, reptiles and amphibians.

Lying inland from Cadiz are the Pueblos Blancos (White Villages) which are small villages with chalk coated houses which date back to the Middle Ages. Four of the best villages to visit are Setenil, Grazalema, Arcos de la Frontera and Zahara de la Sierra. Bird watchers will be in their element with many species of eagles and vultures being found in the villages. There are also some bull breeding farms around Medina Sidonia where you can see the bulls grazing in

Cadiz

their natural environment.

Situated at the end of Cadiz is the 2 mile stretch of Blue Flag beach called La Victoria. During the peak summer months there are small beach bars and facilities available at the beach which narrows as it reaches Santa Maria del Mar Beach and is accessed by ramps and steps from the promenade. Sitting between the Castle of Santa Catalina and San Sebastian is La Caleta Beach which is usually much busier than La Victoria and Santa Maria del Mar. Less than two miles out of Cadiz is the beautiful white sandy beach of Playa de la Cortadura which is ideal for lazing in the sea and taking a dip in the clear blue sea.

Cadiz Port lies between the Atlantic and Northern Africa, near to the Strait of Gibraltar. The port is a popular stop-off for many cruise ships and is also the terminal for ferries travelling between Spain and the Canary Islands.

There are many towns in the surrounding area including Jerez de la Frontera which is the centre of the sherry industry and home to the regional airport. A tour of the bodegas (cellars) and a visit to the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art are a must on your last minute holidays to Cadiz.

The Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) in Huelva Province runs from the Guadiana river (separates Portugal from Spain) to the Guadalquivir river in the east. This part of the Atlantic coastline has long, unspoilt sandy beaches backed by pine woods and sand dunes and many protected coastal reserves.

The coastline is punctuated by small fishing ports and modern resorts.

Costa de la Luz

The Costa de la Luz has some beautiful, secluded beaches on offer. The Playa de Castilla east of Matalascañas that runs alongside the Parque Nacional de Donaña is a 25km long beach that is only accessible by foot.

Just over the border with Portugal is the fishing port of Ayamonte, worth visiting for it’s pleasant squares and pretty, narrow pedestrianised streets.

Next along the coast is the popular resort and fishing port of Isla Cristina, surrounded by marshland and the Paraje Natural Marismas de Isla Cristina.

Paraje

Further east is the beach at La Antilla and the little port of El Terrón. Here there are wonderful views across the Piedras river estuary to the fishing village of El Rompido and the nature reserve, the Paraje Natural Marismas del Río Piedras y Flecha del Rompido.

Punta Umbría is the largest resort on the Costa de la Luz and the nearest resort to Huelva City. It has magnificent beaches, great seafood restaurants and is on the edge of Paraje Natural Marismas del Odiel, an impressive wetland reserve.

Mazagón

East of Huelva City is Mazagón, a modern resort with some excellent beaches, including one backed by sandstone cliffs. Further east is Matalascañas which has a good beach and is only a few kms from the Parque Nacional de Donaña.

From north to south
Sanlucar de Barrameda has beautiful golden sands and overlooks the River Guadalquivir and Donaña National Park. Further south, around the small villages of Chipiona and Rota, there are lots of lovely beaches. The town of El Puerto de Santa Maria is famous for its restaurants serving succulent king prawns washed down with chilled Manzanilla wine.

Cadiz Beach

The historic walled city of Cadiz is built in a Peninsular jutting into the bay of Cadiz. The isthmus joining the mainland has miles of beaches and the Bay of Cadiz is a natural park.

Further south the coastline becomes ragged and is dominated by coves and cliffs often backed by pine forests. The best are located just to the north of the fishing town of Barbate and are protected in the cliffs and pinewood of Barbate Natural Park. Not to be missed are the coastal villages of Conil de la Frontera, Caños de Meca, Zahara de las Atunes and the fortified hilltop white village of Vejer. Bolonia hamlet, with it’s Roman ruins, sits in a isolated cove protected by rocky headlands.

Next along the coastline is the windsurfing capital of Europe, Tarifa. Its best wind and kite surfing beaches are Playa Los Lances and Playa Valdevaqueros.

Turning the corner into the Mediterranean (skipping the industrial bay of Algeciras) are the unspoiled beaches to the west of the Sotogrande development. To the east near Guadiaro there are some beautiful coves and rocky headlands which are ideal for diving. Next comes the province of Malaga and the section of coastline known as the Costa del Sol.