Cadiz is the oldest occidental city of Europe. Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans peopled this province and left behind an important testimony of their presence all along the Cadiz coast. What’s more, a series of historic milestones highlight how closely Cadiz is linked to the rest of the Iberian peninsula: in 711, the Muslims conquered these lands by defeating the Visigoths at the Guadalete river, thus changing the course of history; on three occasions Columbus’ ships set sail from here on his voyages to the New World, and arrived home in these same ports, which over time were transformed into a meeting point for the cultural currents between Andalusia and America; finally, another important event was the signing in Cadiz in 1812 of the first Spanish Constitution, which made the city into the capital of the nation for three years. Its 260 kilometres of Atlantic coastline feature long beaches with fine sand, many of them undeveloped and not excessively exploited for tourism. The whole coast is part of the Costa de la Luz. You will find everything from first-rate urban beaches like La Victoria in the city of Cadiz or La Barrosa in Chiclana, through to virgin beaches such as the Levante in El Puerto; Los Caños de Meca and Zahora in the Barbate area, Bolonia in Tarifa and El Palmar in Vejer. Places worth visiting inland include the vineyards of Jerez or the White Villages Route and the Bullfighting Route. The delicious gastronomy of Cadiz is a compilation of Andalusia’s most appetising dishes. The produce of the mountains and the sea, accompanied by outstanding wines, will transform any visit into a delicious experience. There is a wide range of fish and shellfish, including the local langoustines from Sanlúcar from which they take their name, the bienmesabe (fried marinated dogfish), the sea bream à la roteña, the gilthead sea bream baked in salt, clams with noodles, tiny shrimp omelettes, and numerous other dishes which are better to try than to describe. In the mountain area the local fare includes game casseroles (venison, wild boar, rabbit, partridge...), ajo caliente (garlic and pepper soup), Grazalema soup, kidneys with sherry, baby chorizos from El Bosque, pork loin in lard,... The pastries and sweets, infused with the region’s Arab heritage, feature unique products such as the typical tortas from Chiclana, alfajores and Christmas sweets from Medina, tocinillos de cielo from Jerez, and amarguillos from Grazalema... Every town and village offers something to tempt the sweet-toothed on their travels around the geography of Cadiz.