Travel Jerez and Cádiz, Spain – Episode 997

Hear about travel to Jerez de la Frontera and the province of Cádiz in Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks about a recent press trip to the 2026 Culinary Capital of Spain.

This episode is based on a recent press trip to Cádiz and Jerez, with guest Kristen Henning from Travel Past 50 joining Chris to talk about why travelers should consider this corner of Andalusia.

The focus of the trip was Jerez de la Frontera, recently named Spain’s Culinary Capital for 2026. But as Chris and Kristen discovered, Jerez is not just about food. It is also about sherry, Andalusian horses, Carthusian monks, flamenco, history, and easy access to the beaches and ports of Cádiz Province.

Why Visit Cádiz Province and Jerez?

Kristen describes Jerez as best known for sherry wine production, but says there is far more to the region than she expected. Travelers will find horses, especially the Andalusian horse, a deep history stretching from Roman times to the Moors, connections to Columbus and Magellan, flamenco, beaches, golf, and a strong food culture.

Chris starts by adding context for Cádiz, the oldest city in Spain, founded by the Phoenicians around 1100 BC. Cádiz later became Carthaginian, Roman, Visigothic, Moorish, and, after the Reconquest, Spanish. Its maritime history made it one of Spain’s most important ports, especially once trade with the New World shifted from Seville to Cádiz.

Itinerary

Cádiz: Spain’s Oldest City

Chris began his trip in Cádiz, a city that was historically an island and is now a peninsula. Its location creates a protected harbor, and its long history is still visible in the old city.

Although visitors will not find Phoenician buildings still standing, Chris mentions that underground tunnels (Cueva del Pájaro Azul) date from that era. The city also has the remains of a Roman theater near the cathedral.

The Cádiz Cathedral dominates the old city skyline. Chris recommends climbing the cathedral’s clock tower for views over the city. Outside the cathedral, visitors can see the outline of the older church built after the Reconquest and later destroyed by English attacks in the 1500s.

Walking Cádiz

Chris stayed in the old town at Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta, a former palace that was once the British consulate and, briefly, effectively the British embassy when Cádiz was one of the few parts of Spain not captured by Napoleon.

The hotel has one of Cádiz’s historic lookout towers. These towers were once used by merchants to watch for ships returning from the Atlantic. Chris notes that Cádiz once had around 160 of these towers, with 126 still remaining.

The old city is a maze of narrow streets, small plazas, and walking routes. Chris recommends not having a car while staying in the old city. Instead, he suggests exploring on foot, using Google Maps or an audio walking app like City App Tour.

Recommended stops in Cádiz include:

• Cádiz Cathedral
• Yacimiento Arqueológico Gadir
• Roman Theatre Archaeological Site of Cádiz
• Mercado Central de Cádiz
• Playa de la Caleta
• Castillo de Santa Catalina
• Castillo de San Sebastián
• Parador de Cádiz

Chris especially enjoyed walking the western edge of the old city, including the route between the two castles and along the coast near Playa de la Caleta.

Jerez and the Andalusian Horse

For many American visitors, Chris says the best-known reason to visit Jerez is horses. Kristen calls the horses spectacular and was especially interested in both the horse show and the breeding center.

The episode explains the history of the Andalusian horse, also associated with the Carthusian line of horses. Chris originally assumed the horses might have arrived through the Moors or through later Habsburg connections, but the history of horses in Spain goes back much further. Cave art in Spain shows horses from thousands of years ago.

The more specific documented lineage of the Spanish horse connects to the Reconquest and to the Carthusian monks. Around 1480, a nobleman left his land and money to the Carthusians, a contemplative order founded in the French Alps in 1080. The monks came to Jerez and began breeding horses, keeping detailed records and developing a bloodline that can be traced back centuries.

The Jerez Charterhouse

Chris visited the Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera, also known as the Jerez de la Frontera Charterhouse or Cartuja de Santa Maria de la Defensión. The monastery was founded in 1480 and is tied to the horse-breeding story of Jerez.

The monastery sits near the site of a 1368 victory over the Moors, a battle associated with the intercession of the Virgin Mary. The name “Our Lady of the Defense” comes from that history.

The Carthusian monks are no longer there. Chris explains that the monks were eventually moved to South Korea, and an order of nuns now occupies the monastery. It has only recently been opened to the public.

Cartuja Stud Farm

The horse bloodline was nearly lost during the Napoleonic invasion, but a mare and stallion were sold to the Zapata family in Arcos de la Frontera. Chris says many of today’s Spanish horses trace their lineage back to that pair.

The Spanish government now owns the largest stud farm for these horses, Cartuja Stud Farm, or Yeguada Cartuja. Chris and Kristen visited the farm, where they saw young colts, including one that was just a day old.

The farm had about 60 horses when the Spanish government took it over, and now has around 300. It also has a school for grooms and produces about 30 colts a year.

Kristen explains that the horses spend roughly their first three years in pasture, then begin their years of training. Some are selected for higher-level dressage, while others are not.

Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art

Chris and Kristen also visited the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez for the show How the Andalusian Horses Dance.

Chris describes the show as dressage set to music, with horses walking sideways, backing up, rearing, weaving in patterns, and appearing to dance. He recommends getting tickets ahead of time and, if possible, buying the ticket that includes behind-the-scenes access.

That access can include the tack room, stalls, and carriage museum. Kristen especially enjoyed seeing the custom leatherwork and restored historic carriages.

Hotel Punta Bermeja Premium

Rather than staying in downtown Jerez, the group stayed near the beach in El Puerto de Santa María at Hotel Punta Bermeja Premium.

Kristen says that staying by the Bay of Cádiz gave the trip a more relaxed feel and made it easy to reach Jerez, the bodegas, the monastery, and nearby restaurants. Chris describes the hotel as a beach resort with impressive pools and views over the bay toward Cádiz.

The location worked well for exploring the province, especially for travelers who may want a mix of beaches, food, sherry, horses, and day trips.

Sherry in Jerez

A major part of the episode is devoted to Sherry, the fortified wine that defines Jerez. Chris says that before the trip, he associated sherry with sweet wine, but learned that much of what locals drink is dry, especially fino.

Kristen had tasted sherry in Jerez before and was already drawn to fino, the lightest and driest style. Chris and Kristen discuss the Sherry Triangle, the region in Cádiz Province where sherry is produced.

The group tasted six styles of sherry:

• Fino
• Amontillado
• Oloroso
• Palo Cortado
• Pedro Ximénez
• Cream

Chris explains that five of these are made from the Palomino grape, while Pedro Ximénez is made from a different grape. Fino is protected from oxidation by a layer of yeast called flor. Amontillado begins as fino, but becomes oxidized as the flor breaks down. Oloroso is oxidized from the start. Palo Cortado historically began as a “mistake,” when a fino did not develop as expected.

Pedro Ximénez and cream are the sweeter styles. Chris says he especially liked Pedro Ximénez as a cooking ingredient and cream as an after-dinner drink.

Bodegas León Domecq and Viña Lorente y Barba

The group did sherry tastings at Bodegas León Domecq in Jerez and at Viña Lorente y Barba.

At Viña Lorente y Barba, the group took a carriage ride through the vineyards, with a place in front of them to hold a glass of wine. The owner, Mauricio Lorente, explained the connection between sherry and the Age of Exploration.

Chris says that Magellan spent more money on sherry than on any other provision for his voyage around the world, because fortified wine lasted better on long sea voyages than ordinary wine or water.

Kristen highlights the white, chalky soil in the vineyards, which helps define the terroir of sherry. From the vineyard, they could see toward Sanlúcar and the Guadalquivir River.

Food in Cádiz Province

The trip was built around Jerez’s recognition as Spain’s Culinary Capital for 2026. Chris explains that the competition looks at ingredients, traditional food, and innovation. Jerez had all three.

Kristen says food was one of the highlights of the trip. She was impressed by traditional ingredients such as olives, olive oil, jamón, cheeses, tomatoes, paprika, almonds, and sherry vinegar, but also by how chefs are using those ingredients in creative ways.

Chris jokes that their guide told them to “just assume olive oil,” because olive oil appears in nearly everything.

Traditional Food

The group visited the central market in Jerez with chef Javier Muñoz of La Carbona. They saw sausages, chorizo, blood sausage, vegetables, fresh seafood, moving shrimp, and even live snails.

They also visited traditional restaurants, including Romerijo in El Puerto de Santa María, where they ate fried seafood. Kristen especially liked how each fish was treated differently. Chris mentions cazón en adobo, dogfish marinated in vinegar and spices, which he enjoyed even though he does not usually like seafood.

At Restaurante Venta el Albero, they tried traditional Jerez cooking in a family-run restaurant open only for lunch from Thursday through Sunday. Dishes included salmorejo, pork cheek cooked with Pedro Ximénez and almonds, and berza, a traditional meat stew with chard, chickpeas, sausage, pork, olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and cloves.

At Restaurante El Faro de El Puerto, Chris learned that rice dishes are traditionally considered lunch, not dinner, at least by some older-generation Spaniards.

Innovative Food at La Carbona

The group also ate at La Carbona, where chef Javier Muñoz uses sherry and the landscape of Jerez creatively.

Chris describes dishes flavored with a distillation of the region’s white soil, bread made with the flor yeast used in sherry production, and dishes smoked with grapevine branches. The cooking at La Carbona showed the innovative side of Jerez’s culinary reputation.

Flamenco in Jerez

In downtown Jerez, Chris visited the Alcázar de Jerez and saw the outside of the Catedral de Jerez. He also went to Tabanco El Pasaje for a flamenco performance.

The performance featured a guitarist, a singer, and a dancer. Chris says he did not understand the lyrics, but found the performance powerful and entertaining. The dancer leads the performance, with the music partly practiced and partly improvisational, like jazz.

The group had reserved a table and ate jamón and sausages while watching the show.

Feria del Caballo

The group just missed the Feria del Caballo, Jerez’s famous horse fair. Chris describes it as one of the top fairs in Spain, with horses everywhere, women in flamenco dresses, men in traditional riding outfits, and parties that go late into the night.

He recommends staying downtown if visiting during the fair, especially if you plan to join the late-night festivities.

MotoGP in Jerez

Another major event in Jerez is the MotoGP race at the Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto. Chris says the event can draw around 100,000 people, many arriving on motorcycles.

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Show Notes

Travel Past 50
Cádiz
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2026
Sherry
Andalusian horse
Cádiz Cathedral
Roman Theatre Archaeological Site of Cádiz
Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta (Hotel)
Castillo de Santa Catalina
Castillo de San Sebastián
Playa de la Caleta
Parador de Cádiz
Mercado Central de Cádiz
City App Tour
Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art
Carthusians
Jerez de la Frontera Charterhouse
Cartuja Stud Farm
Dressage
Hotel Punta Bermeja Premium
Sherry Triangle
Bodegas León Domecq
Viña Lorente y Barba
Tío Pepe
Osborne
La Carbona (Restaurant)
Romerijo Restaurant
Restaurante Venta el Albero
Restaurante El Faro de El Puerto
Catedral de Jerez
Alcázar de Jerez
Tabanco El Pasaje
Feria del Caballo
Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix

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