The Oldest City in Spain

Cadiz is widely known as the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain.  It's located in southern Spain and has the remnants of a fortified city.  It's said to be the first city founded in Europe by the Phoenecians around 1100 BC. Cadiz is brimming with history and a walk through the old town will bring narrow winding streets.  It's a densly populated area.  Walking through the old town you can take a seat at a cafe, stroll along for some shopping, or try some tapas.  The old town is beautiful and it's surrounded by the sea and beautiful gardens and it reminded me a bit of Capri, Italy (minus the cliffs).  It has been the main port for the Spanish Navy since the 18th century and is also a major port for many cruise ships.

Traveling in the beginning of May, it was already very hot.  Beach goers were out in full force.  I had my host family give me a personal tour of Cadiz and explain some of the history of the town.  Cadiz isn't just sun and beaches.  Our host family explained that though Cadiz was once a bustling city and even still appears to be packed, there are many people moving away from the area as there are no jobs available.  The Spanish economy in general is doing very poorly right now.  They have the highest rate of unemployment in the European Union. Their unemployment rate is nearly 26%.  That's a quarter of the people!

Though Cadiz and Spain in general are struggling, as a tourist, you wouldn't know it.  It's just as vibrant as ever.  Below you can see the flower market, where flowers and other items are sold on the weekend.  We tried some tapas that consisted of some delicious Spanish cheeses and chicharon which is fried pork rinds. There are also the many beachgoers.

But then you see just how real the economic problem is as protesters march up and down the streets.  The sign says, "Against unemployment and the Capital.  Social Revolution."  Hopefully Spain will be able to pull themselves back up.

The last thing our host family showed us were these beautiful twisted trees that were over a hundred years old located on the Avenida Dugue de Najera. What a great way to end our day in Cadiz by reveling in the the beauty of these trees.

Cadiz Cathedral

Main Square

Though Cadiz is not a big city, there is a lot to do and you could conceivable spend a few days there walking the square and lounging on the beach as it is not that expensive and tourism is keeping Cadiz alive.

I rated Cadiz high in near a beach, good food, historical, kid friendly, nightlife, photo ops, safe for solo travel (IMO), shopping, and unique. 

Stay tuned for the next stop on my trip, Seville.

And you can also check out my previous stop, Madrid.

What do you think of Spain's oldest city?

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