Puerto de Santa María in 1 day: what to see and do (10 must-sees)

If there is a place in the Cadiz coast with a reputation for having a lot of atmosphere, that is El Puerto de Santa María, a Andalucía.

Located inside the Bay of Cádiz, in front of the historic capital of the province, with a population of about 90.000 inhabitants, in the summer it reaches 300.000 vacation residents.

But above all, it is a place visited in summer by all vacationers who reside in the different areas of the Cádiz coast, or in such prominent enclaves as Jerez de la Frontera.

Beyond walking through its streets and experiencing its great atmosphere in the summer, The Port of Santa Maria It has attractions that are based on its history as an important port for trade with America, and in the gastronomy that you can enjoy

What to see when visiting El Puerto de Santa María (our experience)

With the experience of our recent visit to Puerto de Santa MaríaBelow I'll detail the main attractions of this Cadiz enclave, making it suitable for any other time of year, beyond the summer holidays.

Castle of San Marcos in El Puerto de Santa María

If we have to highlight a historical monument in El Puerto de Santa María that is, without a doubt, the San Marcos castle.

It is a medieval fortress that was built in the 13th century and is currently owned by the Knight family, well known for the production of spirits y sherry wines, among which stands out the Punch Knight.

The aforementioned castle is now the company's institutional headquarters and its emblem.

The origin of the current castle is a mosque It was built in the 10th century, and since then it has had various reconstructions, so the monument is the reflection of a mixture of cultures.

You will access it through an Arab arch to reach the large room where a good part of the original mosque is preserved.

Supported by many Roman columns from the 1st century, in the mosque grounds you will be surprised by the wall of the Qiblah behind which is located the mihrab.

Its conservation is due to the time when the Christian king Alfonso arrived at this place in the middle of the 13th century.

He then decided to protect the wall by placing another one in front of it, so that the original wall was not discovered until the last century during the latest renovations.

From then on the enclave became a church-fortress until from the 14th century onwards it began to be known as the San Marcos castle.

It should be noted that at the base of the tower of tribute, where you can go up, there is a 13th century chapel.

And in the room at the top of the tower he stayed Christopher Columbus when he came to seek financing for the Dukes of Medinaceli for his expeditions to America.

Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles

La main church of El Puerto de Santa María is Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles, which was completed in Gothic style at the end of the 15th century.

On your walk through this Cadiz town you will find it in the Spain Square, and in it you will see that what was going to be its main façade, now known as the Door of Forgiveness, it was not finished.

An earthquake that occurred in 1636 caused the main nave to collapse so that the building was left in very poor condition.

For this reason, it had to be rebuilt, a work that was completed in 1671 and during which its large side door, known as the Puerta del Sol, which gives the aforementioned Spain Square.

Inside you will see a three-story nave with baroque decorations and the 17th century choir.

The original Gothic altarpiece was replaced in the 18th century by the neoclassical temple that you will be able to see during your visit.

Rafael Alberti Foundation in El Puerto de Santa María

Did you know that the famous poet Rafael Alberti, 27 Generation, born in El Puerto de Santa María?

This is indeed the case, and during your visit to the Cadiz town you can see the house where he lived with his family during his childhood, which is currently one of the two buildings in which the Fundación Rafael Alberti.

In this enclave that is going to become a municipal museum, the donations made to the city by the famous poet are preserved, one when he returned from exile in 1979, and another when his foundation was created in 1994.

Now at the headquarters of the foundation (entrance price, 4 euros) you can paintings and various objects in which the poetry of Alberti has all the prominence.

Courtyards of the Casas palace of Puerto de Santa María

But apart from the monuments mentioned, from my point of view the great attraction of the visit of El Puerto de Santa María is to be able to see some of the patios of the numerous palace houses that extend through its historic center.

These are historic houses of the ancient merchants and shippers who settled in the city during the heyday of trade with America.

In fact, to The Port of Santa Maria It is known as the City of 100 palaces, since in fact more than a hundred palatial houses of these characteristics are preserved.

Although the vast majority are privately owned or belong to neighborhood communities, there are some that house public establishments, which you can visit.

Thus, the most notable is the Aranibar Palace, building built in 1660 by some ancient Indian porters, and which presents a decoration with classic elements.

This palace, whose interior highlights the mudejar room, currently houses the tourist office, in addition to hosting events.

Another notable one is Lions Palace House 1790th century, built in baroque style in XNUMX, and now houses some tourist apartments.

Other patios that you could also see are the one of the Blas de Lezo Palace House, where the Apartments Larga 70 , and that of the pension House nº 6 in the St. Bartholomew Street.

As I have mentioned, most of the palace houses They are neighbors' yards, like the house of the Monk family, where four brothers now live.

There are about 70 palace houses of these characteristics, to the point that the so-called Cultural Association of the Portuense Courtyards organizes every year at the beginning of April the Party of the Patios, days in which more than twenty patios are open to visits.

Visit the Osborne Winery in El Puerto de Santa María

Now entering the gastronomic field, if there is a classic visit among those who travel to The Port of Santa Maria that is the one of the Osborne wineries.

It is a large winery complex that was created in 1800 that receives thousands of visitors every year, which five years ago was conditioned for tourists to visit.

In this way now in the standard visit You can tour an old winery equipped with training spaces, in whose barrels wines are aged using the hatchery and solera system for more than 40 years.

You will also visit the Osborne Bull Museum, located in another old winery where everything related to the history of the famous bull that you can see on the roads of Spain is displayed.

The visit ends with walk through a brandy cellar and tasting of four wines of the prestigious brand of Sherry wines.

Visit the Aponiente restaurant by chef Ángel León in Puerto de Santa María

Also from a gastronomic perspective, a very original and interesting visit that you can do in The Port of Santa Maria es visit the kitchens of the Aponiente restaurant, three Michelin stars of the chef Angel lion.

The restaurant is located in the building of the tide mill largest in Europe, installed in 1815, located behind the train station, in the surroundings of some salinas, an area that was degraded in the past.

During the visit of the Aponiente restaurant, which takes place first thing in the morning, you will be able to see how the up to 70 employees of the hotel establishment work, and how the chefs prepare the original dishes that will later be tasted.

You will also be able to see the very interesting development laboratory of new developments, where, for example, there is a plankton plantation. To visit it you must contact the restaurant In a direct way.

Sailing trip through the Bay of Cádiz from Puerto de Santa María

The maritime enclave of the Bay of Cádiz he is going to invite you to give a sailboat ride or do something else nautical activity during your visit to this town in the province of Cádiz.

For example, give a sunset sailboat ride for an hour and a half watch the sunset, or take a walk to see the main enclaves and defensive bastions of the Cadiz city.

All this starting from the large leisure boat port of El Puerto de Santa María, Puerto Sherry. whose hotel It is one of the most classic accommodation options in this Cadiz town.

Vineyard Houses in Puerto de Santa María

Another peculiarity of El Puerto de Santa María, is to know the so-called Vineyard Houses, rural buildings, most of them built in the 19th century next to the vineyards that surround the town.

Currently they have different functions, such as rural accommodation, As is the case La Holy madness, a very charming establishment where you can stay or eat surrounded by vineyards.

In order to know this tradition, you can even make a route to visit the Casas de Viña.

Lagunas del Puerto Natural Park

If you are passionate about nature, in the Puerto de Santa María You also have the opportunity to enjoy it walking through the Lagunas del Puerto natural park.

It is a protected natural area with a great wealth of birds, where in one of its three lagoons you can even see flamingos.

A project is currently being developed to enable access and facilitate visits, which is framed in the wine tourism route which extends from Jerez to Rota.

Where to eat in Puerto de Santa María

At meal time, the offer you have is very wide and interesting.

At the highest level you will eat in the aforementioned Aponiente restaurant, and in a more informal way, in the gourmet tavern that Angel lion It is kept in the old restaurant headquarters in the center of town.

A classic of El Puerto, always very busy, is the Romerijo Cooker, a large establishment that has become an icon of the Cadiz town, and where you have a very extensive offer of seafood and fish.

In this regard you also have the alternative of La Venencia restaurant, located in the Yacht Club. where fish and seafood are also culinary protagonists.

And from a gastronomic point of view, we recommend that you be sure to try hot garlic, a popular preparation in the region of Jerez and El Puerto that is prepared after the harvest season, in autumn and winter.

It is not easy to find it in bars in the town, and it is more common to be able to try it in the vineyard houses, although they have indicated two places in the town where on Saturdays you can taste hot garlic, Avenida bar and the bar El Betis.

Where to sleep in El Puerto de Santa María

Apart from places already mentioned, when it comes to stay in El Puerto de Santa María we can recommend the Hotel Duque de Medinaceli, an old house of the terry family Located in front of the wineries, a 5-star hotel that is a classic of the place.

And also him Hotel Monasterio de San Miguel, where we stayed on our visit, a 4-star hotel located in the building of an old XNUMXth century monastery, very well located near the center of town.

Tours and excursions in El Puerto de Santa María

Facing your visit of El Puerto de Santa MaríaIn addition to the general guided tour that we mentioned at the beginning of this article, you also have the option of signing up for thematic guided tours.

That is the case of the Columbian Route through El Puerto de Santa María, tour with a duration of 2 hours in which starting from Monastery of La Victoria you will walk along the banks of the Guadalete river passing through the old port, and you will reach the San Marcos castle.

Or also the Chargers of the Indies tour, in which in two hours you will delve into the tradition of the palace houses.