Jerez & Cádiz Private Day Trip

There are few places in Spain which can lay claim to the international recognition enjoyed by Jerez. Thanks to its wine, jerez or sherry, the equestrian tradition, the bulls, flamenco, and motor racing, this Andalusian town’s name has been known far and wide for many years. The Phoenicians arrived in the surrounding area some 3000 years ago to establish a colony called Xera, which became known as Ceret under the rule of the Romans and Sheres or Xeres when it became an Arabic fortress. Under the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, the prosperous trading of its famous wines with the English began. The Muslims left a deep mark on the town including the layout of the quarters situated at the heart of the old Arabic city town center such as San Lucas and San Mateo, where the church of the same name is to be found, the Market Square (housing the Archaeological Museum), and Riquelme Palace. But without a doubt, the most important Al-Andalus feature is the Alcázar de Jerez situated within the walled enclosure of the Mosque, the Arab Baths, and the Olive Garden with its cisterns and fountains in perfect harmony with the Baroque palace of Villavicencio built upon the ruins of the original Islamic palace with a tower where the visitor can find the original camera obscura.
The “Tacita del Plata” is considered the oldest city in the Western World. It was founded (in 1100 B.C.) by the Phoenicians, a seafaring people who turned Gadir into an important trading colony where the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Visigoths and the Muslims would all subsequently settle. An open, cosmopolitan city, its port was chosen by Columbus as the point of departure for his second voyage to the New World. The city would then become, after the decline of Seville, the port to The Indies, drawing the flow of trade with the American Continent.