Weekend: visit Cadiz in three days

• Morning
  On the second day, Tavira Tower makes an excellent starting point: this former 18^th-century watchtower remains the best vantage point to survey the whole city. After a short ascent, you reach the camera obscura, an optical device that projects a panoramic view of Cadiz onto a circular table. Through an interplay of lenses and mirrors, every bell tower, terrace, and shady corner comes to life as if in a miniature. Once the visit is over, head on foot to Plaza de las Flores, where the buzz of the stalls and coffee shops restores a neighborhood perspective. Continuing to Plaza Mina, the pace slows down, the facades become more understated, and the noise of the city fades away. You are a stone’s throw from the museums.

• Lunch
  Not far from Plaza Mina, Almanaque Casa de Comidas welcomes you in a restored former palace. On the menu: tapas with a twist, seasonal produce, and dishes of the day to share.
• Afternoon
  After lunch, step through the doors of Cadiz Museum. On the first floor, contemplate two Phoenician sarcophagi with frozen faces, discovered during the excavations in the urban subsoil. On the upper floor, the Baroque painting rooms display a number of works by Zurbarán, Murillo, and Alonso Cano. The visit ends with a more modest ethnographic section, where everyday objects, clothes, and tools trace Andalusian life in the 19^th and 20^th
• Evening
  At the end of the day, head back to the El Pópulo neighborhood, where the wine bars serve chilled manzanilla (Andalusian dry white wine) in small straight-sided glasses, accompanied with olives and sliced jamón. Calle Mesón, one of the oldest streets in Cadiz, boasts several shady terraces where you can dine on grilled fish or a seafood arroz caldoso (rice stew).

• Morning
  On your last morning, walk along Alameda Apodaca y Marques de Comillas, long tree-lined promenades overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Espacio de Cultura Contemporánea de Cádiz (ECCO) presents excellent exhibitions by Andalusian artists, focused on social changes in Southern Spain. En route, take a detour via Genovés Park, a charming 19^th-century seaside garden.
• Lunch
  For lunch, make your way to Santa María del Mar Beach, one of the nicest in the center. Looking out on the waves, several restaurants serve simple dishes inspired by the sea: grilled sardines, black rice with cuttlefish ink, octopus and mild chili salad. The murmur of the Atlantic is the soundtrack to your meal, in the shade of a parasol.
• Afternoon
  From the beach, a promenade takes you toward the south, all the way to Cortadura. This wilder, long ribbon of sand stretches out between the sea and the road. You are most likely to meet Gaditan families, who have come to escape the busier coastline of the city center. The sand stays warm until late in the day, and the steady breeze relieves the heat.
• Evening
  For your last meal, you can find a spot on a terrace along the Paseo Marítimo or put together a picnic on the beach to watch the sunset: a few empanadas and the sound of the waves are just the thing to bring your stay in Cadiz to a gentle close.

From Cadiz, you can reach Jerez de la Frontera, the region’s winemaking capital, in around forty minutes. In its historic center, visit the Almohad Alcázar, the Baroque cathedral, and San Miguel Church, then step into a sherry bodega for a tasting.