If you have extra time in visiting Cadiz, Spain, it’s definitely worth a detour to visit the port town of Santa Maria on the opposite side of the Peninsula. A historic and colorful city with charming architecture, historic buildings and walking promenades, I found a visit to Santa Maria in Cadiz to be very easy and delightful to visit. Our group met up with our friendly guide Daniel who showed us some fantastic highlights to visiting the city.
Originally, we were planning on taking the local ferry from Cadiz to Santa Maria, but the winds were pretty harsh on the bay, so we ended up taking a regional train which was still efficient and fast getting into the heart of the historic district.
Explore and Visit to Santa Maria, Cadiz
How to get from Cádiz City to El Puerto de Santa María
- By ferry/catamaran – scenic option
- Walk to the Terminal Marítima de Cádiz at Plaza de Sevilla.
- Take the B-042 catamaran to the Terminal Marítima de El Puerto de Santa María.
- The crossing takes about 30 minutes.
- This is a particularly enjoyable option because you travel across Cádiz Bay and get views of the coastline.
- Services operate on weekdays and weekends, although schedules vary. Check the day’s timetable before going.
- By train – convenient and straightforward
- Go to Cádiz Railway Station, next to Plaza de Sevilla.
- Take a Renfe Cercanías C-1 or appropriate regional train toward El Puerto de Santa María.
- The journey is roughly 25–30 minutes, with direct trains available.
- El Puerto’s railway station is on Plaza de la Estación and has connections with local buses and taxis.
- By bus – economical option
- Buses leave Cádiz from locations including Plaza Asdrúbal and the Cádiz bus station, depending on the service.
- Routes such as M-040/M-960/M-967 serve El Puerto de Santa María.
- Journey times are generally around 25–40 minutes, depending on the route and destination. (siu.cmtbc.es)
- By car
- The driving distance is approximately 20 km.
- Follow the CA-35/AP-4 direction toward Puerto de Santa María/Jerez.
- Driving normally takes around 20 minutes, depending on traffic.
- Parking in El Puerto can become more difficult during summer and busy weekends.
- By taxi
- A taxi provides a direct trip and takes approximately 15–20 minutes, depending on your starting point and traffic.
Best option for a visitor
- For the experience: Take the catamaran from Cádiz to El Puerto.
- For simplicity: Take the C-1 train.
- For the lowest-cost flexible option: Check the bus.
- For visiting beaches or several locations outside the center: A car can be more convenient.
Tip: If you’re doing this as a day trip, you can take the catamaran to El Puerto in the morning and return to Cádiz by train, giving you two different experiences of Cádiz Bay.
A brief history about Santa Maria
El Puerto de Santa María, located on the Bay of Cádiz in Andalusia, has a long history dating back to ancient times. The area was associated with the Phoenicians and later became an important Roman settlement known as Portus Gaditanus. According to tradition, the city was founded by Menestheus, a Greek hero who supposedly settled here after the Trojan War, although this story is legendary rather than historically proven. Following centuries of Muslim rule, the town was conquered by Alfonso X of Castile in 1260 and developed into an important maritime and trading center. During the Age of Exploration, El Puerto played a significant role in voyages to the Americas, including connections with Christopher Columbus. Its sheltered position on the Bay of Cádiz later helped it become an important center for fishing, maritime commerce, and sherry wine production, traditions that remain central to the character of the city today.
Top attractions to visit in Santa Maria, Cadiz
Here are some of my favorite places I visited along with some other noteworthy places I included in this post of places to also experience if you have extra time to explore more attractions around the city.
- Castillo de San Marcos
- One of the city’s most important historic landmarks.
- Built over the remains of a former Islamic mosque and transformed into a fortified church under Alfonso X in the 13th century.
- Notable for its distinctive stone architecture and connection to the city’s medieval history.
Tip – use the audio guide with the QR code to really give you a great overview of the entire grounds, it’s comprehensive and easy to follow. There’s also some great viewpoints to climb and enjoy some great views of the city.
- Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de los Milagros
- Impressive Gothic-style church in the historic center.
- Features later Baroque additions and an elaborate interior.
- Its location on Plaza de España makes it easy to combine with a walking tour.
Tip – There’s a side entrance to visit the church, when mass is in service you are allowed to enter through the main door entrance and typically for free.
- Historic Old Town
- Wander through narrow streets lined with traditional Andalusian houses.
- Look for historic palaces, courtyards, churches, and small plazas.
- Particularly enjoyable around the streets surrounding Plaza de España and Plaza de las Galeras.
- Palacio de Araníbar
- One of the city’s notable historic palaces.
- Built during the period when El Puerto prospered from trade with the Americas.
- Its architecture reflects the wealth and influence of local merchant families.
- Fundación Rafael Alberti
- Museum and cultural center dedicated to the famous Spanish poet Rafael Alberti, who was born in El Puerto de Santa María.
- Displays manuscripts, photographs, personal objects, and information about his life and literary career.
- Bodegas de El Puerto de Santa María
- Visit one of the traditional sherry wineries to learn about local wine production.
- Tours typically explain the solera and criadera aging system.
- Tastings can include fino, amontillado, oloroso, and other wines associated with the Sherry Triangle.
- Plaza de Toros
- Historic bullring dating from the late 19th century.
- Its large circular structure is an important part of the city’s architectural heritage.
- Even visitors who do not attend bullfighting can appreciate its historic significance.
- Plaza de las Galeras Reales
- Attractive waterfront square beside the Guadalete River.
- A pleasant place to stop for a drink or meal while exploring the center.
- The nearby riverside promenade offers views toward Cádiz Bay.
- Río Guadalete Waterfront
- Walk along the river and enjoy views of boats, the marina, and the surrounding bay.
- Particularly attractive around sunset.
- Restaurants and cafés provide places to stop along the waterfront.
Tip – there’s lots of great spots for photo ops and also nice resting areas and places to go for a quick bite.
- Playa de Valdelagrana
- One of the most popular beaches near El Puerto.
- Long sandy shoreline with views across Cádiz Bay.
- Good choice for swimming, walking, watersports, or relaxing by the sea.
- Playa de La Puntilla
- Convenient beach close to the city center.
- Sheltered waters make it popular with families.
- Nearby restaurants and beach bars make it easy to combine sightseeing with lunch.
- Parque Natural Bahía de Cádiz
- Natural landscapes of salt marshes, tidal channels, dunes, and wetlands.
- A good area for walking, cycling, birdwatching, and experiencing the coastal environment around El Puerto.
- Puerto Sherry
- Modern marina and leisure area just outside the historic center.
- Offers restaurants, cafés, sailing activities, and views over the bay.
- The nearby beaches provide another opportunity to enjoy the coast.
Tip – worthwhile to visit if you want to enjoy some great seafood venues with views of the harbor area.
- El Centro Histórico and Palacios de Cargadores a Indias
- Look for the grand merchant houses built by wealthy families involved in trade with the Americas.
- Their enclosed courtyards, elegant façades, and watchtowers reflect El Puerto’s prosperous maritime past.
- A self-guided walking tour is an excellent way to discover these buildings.
Local foods or cuisine to try at Santa Maria
If you are looking to try some of the local dishes and fantastic cuisine from the area, consider these dishes below that capture the fishing traditions, traditional drinks like sherry wine and other local specialty dishes:
- Tortillitas de camarones
- Thin, crispy fritters made with tiny shrimp (camarones), flour, water, and onion.
- A classic Cádiz specialty and an excellent choice for a tapa or just a starter dish
- Pescaíto frito
- A mixed platter of small fried fish and seafood.
- Look for boquerones (anchovies), acedías (sole), chocos (cuttlefish), puntillitas (small squid), and cazón (dogfish).
- Caldillo de perro
- One of the area’s traditional fish soups.
- Usually prepared with fresh fish, garlic and onion, then finished with bitter-orange juice, giving it a distinctive flavor.
- Piriñaca
- A refreshing salad of tomatoes, green peppers and onions dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
- It is particularly good alongside grilled caballa (mackerel).
- Caballa con piriñaca
- Grilled mackerel served with the fresh tomato, pepper and onion salad.
- A simple dish that reflects the area’s fishing heritage.
- Urta a la roteña
- A local-style dish featuring urta, a firm-fleshed fish from the Cádiz coast, cooked with tomatoes, peppers, onions and other vegetables.
- It is particularly associated with the wider Bay of Cádiz area. (El Puerto de Santa Maria)
- Coquinas and almejas a la marinera
- Small clams or cockles cooked with garlic, olive oil, wine and herbs.
- Langostinos and other local mariscos
- Try fresh langostinos, gambas, cigalas, nécoras, cañaíllas and other shellfish.
- The seafood is such an important part of El Puerto’s food culture that the waterfront area is known as the Ribera del Marisco.
- Raya al pan frito
- A traditional ray dish served with a sauce based around fried bread and other ingredients.
- It is one of the older maritime dishes associated with El Puerto.
- Lenguados con fideos
- Sole prepared with noodles in a traditional local preparation.
- Another example of the area’s seafood-based home cooking.
- Papas aliñás
- Boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil, vinegar, onion and parsley.
- Often served cold as a tapa and particularly refreshing with seafood.
- Panizas
- Fried strips made from chickpea flour.
- A simple traditional Cádiz snack that makes an interesting alternative to the more familiar fried seafood.
- Ajo caliente
- A rustic local dish based on bread, garlic, olive oil and other ingredients.
- It reflects the more traditional, hearty side of El Puerto’s cuisine.
Don’t Forget the Local Sherry
- Fino and other wines from El Puerto
- El Puerto de Santa María is part of the Sherry Triangle, together with Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
- Try a glass of fino with seafood, fried fish or tapas.
- A local sherry can be particularly good with fried fish, shellfish and tapas, making it an important part of the El Puerto food experience.
A Good Food Experience to Look For
For a first visit, you could make a meal around tortillitas de camarones → mixed pescaíto frito → local shellfish → papas aliñás or piriñaca → a glass of fino. The city’s traditional seafood restaurants and tapas bars make it easy to sample several dishes rather than ordering one large meal.
Check out these other posts on visiting Cadiz Province
Here’s some other fantastic places worth exploring in the region if you have more time to explore Cadiz Province.
One full day visiting Cadiz, Spain
Day trip to Vejer de la Frontera
Top things to do in Cadiz, Spain
Specialty foods and markets in Cadiz
Conclusion to visiting La Puerta Santa Maria
If you want to do an easy day trip from Cadiz city, La Puerta Santa Maria is a port city that is a convenient ferry or train ride to this historic town with many beautiful landmarks and monuments to explore along with delicious local seafood to try out when you visit. You can stroll down walking promenades, visit the large and intact Castello, the main basilica and many other architecturally historic landmarks and plazas to explore along with the expansive waterfront Malecon to explore. Seeped with so much history that dates back to Phoenician times, you’ll enjoy exploring all the sites that were mentioned above and you can pick and choose which attractions fits your interest and time frame.
Definitely consider visiting La Puerta Santa Maria as an easy day trip from Cadiz city, and you’ll enjoy having a fun and a great meal visiting this port city.
About Noel Morata with Visit Spain and Mediterranean.com
Having lived in Andalucia, I love traveling through the different parts of the many provinces of the Communidad. La Puerta Santa Maria is one of those coastal cities a close distance to Cadiz that really captivate and slowly unfolds and draws you in. You’ll love exploring every corner of the city, historic landmarks, waterfront areas and the downtown district. I hope that you get to enjoy all the many facets of the city and spend more time visiting here. Thanks for checking out Visit Spain and Mediterranean, please check out my other posts to visiting Cadiz and surrounding regions on the links above.
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