We have spent a few days exploring the northern part of Cadiz and now it’s time to take us to the southern parts and the long beach with all the big houses along the beach, in the distance it looks like Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Cadiz is located at the northern end of a long sandbar in the delta where the Guadalete and Rio de San Pedro rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean a short distance south of Seville. The guest harbor we chose to add to, is at 1 on the map. The orange lines are the bike paths and boardwalks we used when we were there.

1. Guest harbor
2. Park with big trees
3. La Caleta
4. Center
5. The old town by the southern city wall
6. The 4 km long promenade along the beach that continues 12 km to the south

The southern end of the inner city is behind the thick city wall which in the middle is pierced by a large esplanade. Here is a swarm of small alleys down to the main square, Plaza de San Juan de Dioz, which is lined with countless bars and restaurants. The square ends at the harbor where the cruise ships dock and we see some groups that we guess come from the ship that is in port right now.

We’re here in December and it gets a little chilly when the sun disappears behind the clouds. But as soon as the sun gets a chance to be seen, the temperature rises quickly to over 20 degrees sheltered from the wind.

The beach south of Cadiz

The next day it is a clear blue sky and we cycle south again, this time we continue on the promenade outside the city wall, all the way to where the walk ends, at Baluarte de la Cortaduna, just under 4 km outside the south city wall. On one side of the nice promenade is a wide sandy beach and then the blue Atlantic. On the other side, the promenade is lined with tall buildings. There is a sandy beach all the way and it continues another 12 km south where it is broken by the river delta having an estuary there. At regular intervals, there are restaurants down on the beach and most are actually open, although there are hardly any people on the beach.

When we have lunch, there is no free table at the first restaurants we come to. We get to try three times before we get to a restaurant that has a free table.

We end the afternoon by feeling how hot (cold) it is in the water. It’s ebb so the beach is extra wide now and the sand is so saturated with water at the shoreline that it forms a mirror.

We end the promenade with a refreshing drink at a small bar at the north end of the beach.

Tavira Tower with Camera Obscura

Before we leave Cadiz, we want to visit a famous Camera Obscura that we read about. It is located at the top of one of the city’s watchtowers and since they can only receive a few visitors at a time, we have been out well in advance and bought tickets for a tour.

In the middle is a large white bowl-shaped film screen and above it is the mirrors that project an image onto the film screen, much like a periscope. During the tour, the guide points the mirrors in different directions and tells about buildings and parts of the city’s history. We have sunny weather, which makes the picture clear and nice.

In principle, you see the same things as in the pictures below, which I photographed from the roof while we waited for it to be our turn.

During this visit, I also learned that this building has been included in a Tintin book where you see Captain Haddock scouting from the top of the Tavira Tower where Camera Obscura is installed. Tintin and Dupontarna look out to sea off the long sandy beach.

Luxury cruisers and cruise ships

During the week we were here, Cadiz was visited by several different cruise ships, luxury cruisers, and Santas on jet skis. The luxury cruiser Yas is a rebuilt military ship that I think has a striking and stylish design. The ship looks much smaller than it actually is.

Up next

It’s time to sail back to Lagos and the forecast looks promising to leave Cadiz tomorrow. It’s a day too early, we do not have room in Lagos until the day after tomorrow. Should we wait another day, we will have a strong headwind and we want to avoid that.