Playa de La Caleta

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 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.

Cádiz's oldest quarter, with remains of the city's medieval gates (Arco de los Blancos, del Pópulo and de la Rosa) and, beneath its houses, the second-largest Roman theatre in Hispania, dating from the 1st century BC. Its narrow streets pack in more than three thousand years of urban history.

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 most beautiful urban beach in Europe, with its unmistakable shell-like shape and the elegant 2 km Paseo de la Concha. Flanked by Monte Urgull and the island of Santa Clara, it offers fine sand, calm waters and postcard-perfect views of Palacio Miramar. The absolute symbol of Donostia and the epicentre of Basque summer life.

The main town beach, beside the promenade and old quarter.

Quieter beach on the far side of the church, family-friendly.