Cádiz has an excellent cycle network and you can hire bikes in the city. For us, this was a great opportunity to explore the area by bike.
In the morning, it didn’t look as if the sun would prevail. But as on the previous days, the weather did not disappoint us on this day. It was surprisingly warm for November and by midday the sun was shining through the clouds. Perfect for getting on our bikes and heading to the beach.
Bike hire in Cádiz
The bike hire opened its doors at 10 a.m. and we were able to pick up our pre-booked “retro bikes”. We wanted to travel without a motor and with the excellently maintained bikes from LAS BICIS NARANJAS, that was no problem. There was even a map for a better overview.
Bikes can be hired here by the hour or by the day. If you don’t like travelling alone, there are also guided bike tours to the most beautiful places in the city and, on request, tours to special photo spots.
After handing over the bikes, we set off straight away. Our route – we cycled the same way there and back – can be clearly seen on the map.
Bike tour in Cádiz
Our journey begins directly on the beautiful promenade that runs along the former fortifications. Not only do we have a fantastic view of the sea from here, we can also discover the fortifications that protect the town from the sea with huge walls. I particularly like the little “houses”, which today are almost exclusively decorated with ecclesiastical figures. I wonder if guards used to stand here and watch the sea?
The path is not only suitable for cycling. It’s also a great place to go for a walk and experience a marvellous sunset, especially in the evening.
Jardines de Alameda Apodaca
There are some green spaces between the sea and the city. Even though we only drove a few metres, I had to stop briefly at Jardines de Alameda Apodaca (since 2021 Alameda Clara Campoamor). What a beautiful little park!
In 1927/28, the architect Juan Talavera y Heredia remodelled this complex in the Seville style, the prevailing trend at the time. The wrought-iron benches and lanterns as well as the use of glazed ceramics are characteristic of this style. He laid out small squares from which paths branched off. In this way, he organised the grounds into rectangular spaces. Works such as fountains and sculptures embellish the park.
However, I find the predominant vegetation much more interesting. I discover deciduous trees, banana trees and two specimens of Ficus macropylla. The large-leaved fig is a member of the fig genus (Ficus) in the mulberry family (Moraceae). This gigantic tree was brought to Cádiz from Australia at the beginning of the 20th century. On photos you can hardly recognise its size. However, the trunk thickness can be estimated a little.
After the photo, it’s time to drive on, we want to discover more of Cádiz.
Castillo de Santa Catalina
Next, we reach the Castillo de Santa Catalina. This early 17th century fortress is located on the beach of La Caleta.
In 1596, King Philip II decided to improve the city’s defences after the city was plundered. The engineer Cristobal de Rojas was commissioned and initially decided to build a fortress in the bay of Santa Catalina. In this way, he wanted to defend the city on its most vulnerable front, the sea borders.
To this day, the complex stands directly on the town beach without any major changes and can be visited free of charge. We decided to postpone this visit to a later date and drove along the city beach La Caleta.
This stretch of beach is one of the city’s favourite excursion destinations. Relaxing in the sun, swimming in the sea and right next to the old town. Film fans will also be familiar with this stretch of beach. The famous scene with the NSA agent Jinx (Halle Berry), who elegantly emerges from the water in a bikini, was filmed here for the James Bond film “Die Another Day” (2002).
The striking building of the Sede Centro de Arqueología Subacuática is also located on this stretch of beach. It reminds me of the sea bridges with their buildings, as you can discover in Brighton, for example. It’s a shame that you can’t just visit the building. There are offices and research laboratories here – I would have preferred a restaurant.
From Castillo de San Sebastian to the cathedral
The cycle path continues directly along the coast and we come to the Puerta de Caleta. This is not only a way to get to the city beach, but also leads to a pier with a path that reaches far into the sea and ends at the Castillo de San Sebastian. A beautiful path to walk along, unfortunately you cannot visit the Castillo.
Not far away, we discover the cathedral of Cádiz . For me, it is one of the most impressive places in the city and definitely worth a visit. We were there shortly before our cycle tour and visited the cathedral and crypt. We also climbed the tower and enjoyed the excellent view over the city.
Just a few metres further on, we reached the Santa María del Mar beach section and stopped briefly. There were numerous surfers in the water waiting for the perfect wave. The sun was glistening in the water and we could see some surfers trying to stay standing. A few years ago, we made our first attempts on the wobbly surfboard during a holiday. It was not only fun, but also really exhausting to paddle out and stand on the board again and again. That’s why I can understand it so well when surfers treat themselves to a relaxing break at sea.
The cycle path continues for a while past the new town with its tower blocks and restaurants until it takes a detour around a naval facility.
Bike tour in Cádiz – Off into the dunes
The town then ends and we find ourselves on the land link that connects Cádiz with the mainland. The connecting road and the railway line run through the middle and there are cycle paths on the sides. We cycled on the “sea side”, which was only separated from the water by a long stretch of dunes.
For me, this was the start of one of the most beautiful sections of the route, which led partly along a wooden plank path in the dunes. From time to time, small paths led directly onto the beach and at a large car park we decided that our visit to the beach in Cadíz should now begin. So we had to dismount and push until we were standing in the middle of the beautiful white beach.
Soaking our feet in the sea, burying our fingers in the sand and, above all, enjoying the beautiful and relaxing view of the sea. The sun came out more and more and sitting on the beach in Spain in a T-shirt in November really is a dream!
It was only when we started to get hungry and looked at the clock and realised that we had been on the beach for almost two hours that we headed back to Cádiz.
On the way, we stopped at one of the beach restaurants (Nahubeach) for a meal. A really good restaurant that is very popular. We were lucky and found a free table on the covered terrace. From there we were able to enjoy the view of the sea while eating and round off our perfect day at the beach before returning the bikes to Cádiz.
For us, the bike tour in Cádiz was a great experience and the opportunity to explore more remote areas in comfort.
Thanks to Cádiz Tourismus and LAS BICIS NARANJAS for the bike tour in Cádiz.
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