There’s something magical about fortress cities rising from the sea; Dubrovnik, Valletta and Saint-Malo in Brittany attract hordes of visitors each year. But Càdiz, founded by the Phoenicians 3000 years ago on the Atlantic coast of Andalusía, feels like the European outpost that time forgot.
One of Europe’s oldest cities, what makes it remarkable is its location at the tip of a peninsula. It is surrounded by water but for an isthmus connecting it back to the mainland. That isthmus is now an unlovely post-war grid but walled old Càdiz remains in its wind-tossed glory. A staple postcard image is of its pepper-pot guard towers still sentinel high above the pounding surf. There is a sense of being permanently onboard a ship.
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