Teatro Romano y Barrio del Pópulo

An 18th-century Baroque-Neoclassical cathedral with a golden tiled dome, a symbol of Cádiz's maritime skyline. Composer Manuel de Falla is buried in its underground crypt. You can climb the Torre de Poniente for a panoramic view over the city and the Atlantic.

The city's former watchtower and Cádiz's tallest tower, home to a camera obscura that projects the streets and monuments live onto a circular screen in real time. From its terrace you can pick out the roughly 130 watchtowers dotting the city's rooftops, a legacy of Cádiz's trading past with the Americas.

A small urban beach between the San Sebastián and Santa Catalina castles, the city's most iconic and the setting for a James Bond scene. Its fine sand, the Balneario de la Palma promenade and the sunset views make it a must, though it fills up fast in summer.

A star-shaped fortress built in the late 16th century after the Anglo-Dutch attack of 1596, standing right by La Caleta beach. Today it hosts temporary exhibitions and offers one of the best free viewpoints over the Atlantic and the old town.

A neoclassical food market from 1838, one of Spain's oldest, ringed by a stone colonnade. Stalls selling fish and shellfish fresh off the bay, fried-fish counters and tapas bars make this market a living portrait of Cádiz's food culture.

Cádiz Carnival is officially recognized as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest, and it has nothing to do with float parades. Here, the coupla song rules. Two carnivals run in parallel: the official contest (COAC) at the Gran Teatro Falla, ticketed, and the street carnival, free and stageless, where the so-called "illegal" groups sing on any corner.

About 30 brotherhoods make their official penitential walk to Cádiz Cathedral, and the whole official route fits inside the old town: Calle Nueva, San Juan de Dios, Pelota and Plaza de la Catedral. The date moves every year, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Watching the processions from the street costs nothing.

The medieval Jewish quarter of whitewashed alleyways, flower-filled courtyards and squares shaded by orange trees. Nestled beside the Alcázar and the Cathedral, it is the romantic heart of Seville. Wandering streets like Agua or Vida, discovering the Hospital de los Venerables and sitting in the Plaza de Doña Elvira are experiences that capture the very soul of the city.

The most photographed alley in Córdoba, set within the medieval Judería. Its whitewashed façades covered in pots of geraniums and begonias form a natural frame through which the Mosque's bell tower appears in the distance. Together with the surrounding Judería neighbourhood, it is the finest surviving example of Andalusian urban planning.

Córdoba's medieval Jewish quarter, declared a World Heritage Site, is one of the best-preserved historic districts in Europe. Its narrow cobbled streets conceal the Synagogue of 1315 — one of only three surviving medieval synagogues in Spain — and the Casa de Sefarad. The maze of lanes between Calle Judíos and Plaza Maimónides is made for getting pleasantly lost.