Plaza de Espa帽a (Square of Spain), Cadiz
Square of Spain is C谩diz鈥檚 mix of sunshine, history, and political drama鈥攂asically an outdoor living room with better architecture. Its centerpiece is a gleaming white monument to the Spanish Constitution of 1812, one of Europe鈥檚 first written constitutions and a big deal for C谩diz, which hosted its signing. The design is no slouch, representing two bronze horsemen symbolizing war and peace, plus a heroic Hercules, the city鈥檚 mythic mascot, keeping watch over it all.
But the monument isn鈥檛 the only show here. The Customs Palace, with its imposing neoclassical fa莽ade and heavy columns, still struts its stuff as the provincial government鈥檚 headquarters. Then there鈥檚 the House of the Five Towers鈥攍iterally five connected houses, each topped with its own little watchtower. Built in the late 1700s, it鈥檚 a textbook example of C谩diz architecture on the cusp of change, shifting from elaborate Baroque to the cleaner lines of Neoclassicism.
On the north side, the San Carlos neighborhood frames the square with elegant 18th-century homes, their fa莽ades reflecting the city鈥檚 golden age of trade and power. All of it sits around leafy parkland, where benches invite you to imagine what life looked like here two centuries ago.
The best part about the square is you don鈥檛 need a history degree to enjoy it鈥攋ust a good pair of sunglasses and maybe an ice cream in hand.
But the monument isn鈥檛 the only show here. The Customs Palace, with its imposing neoclassical fa莽ade and heavy columns, still struts its stuff as the provincial government鈥檚 headquarters. Then there鈥檚 the House of the Five Towers鈥攍iterally five connected houses, each topped with its own little watchtower. Built in the late 1700s, it鈥檚 a textbook example of C谩diz architecture on the cusp of change, shifting from elaborate Baroque to the cleaner lines of Neoclassicism.
On the north side, the San Carlos neighborhood frames the square with elegant 18th-century homes, their fa莽ades reflecting the city鈥檚 golden age of trade and power. All of it sits around leafy parkland, where benches invite you to imagine what life looked like here two centuries ago.
The best part about the square is you don鈥檛 need a history degree to enjoy it鈥攋ust a good pair of sunglasses and maybe an ice cream in hand.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Cadiz. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Plaza de Espa帽a (Square of Spain) on Map
Sight Name: Plaza de Espa帽a (Square of Spain)
Sight Location: Cadiz, Spain (See walking tours in Cadiz)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Cadiz, Spain (See walking tours in Cadiz)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Cadiz, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in Cadiz
Creating your own self-guided walk in Cadiz is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Cadiz Introduction Walking Tour
C谩diz isn鈥檛 just old鈥攊t鈥檚 mythologically old. Some say Hercules himself founded the city after his tenth labor, fresh from slaying a three-headed monster and stealing a herd of red cattle. Others鈥攍ess into mythology, more into maritime records鈥攕ay it was the Phoenicians who rolled up in black ships around 1100 BC and named it Gadir, meaning 鈥渨alled stronghold.鈥� Either way, it鈥檚... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Cadiz's Old Fortifications Walking Tour
鈥淐谩diz is a silver cup, surrounded by walls and kissed by the sea.鈥� The saying isn鈥檛 just poetry鈥攊t鈥檚 urban planning. For over 3,000 years, this port city has been circling itself with stone, preparing for whoever might come sailing over the horizon. And given C谩diz鈥檚 enviable position and wealth, plenty of enemies did.
After Columbus launched voyages two and four from here,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
After Columbus launched voyages two and four from here,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
Cadiz's Plazas Walking Tour
Nicknamed 鈥渢he silver cup鈥� for the way its peninsula juts into the Atlantic, C谩diz sparkles as one of Spain鈥檚 oldest coastal gems. The Old Town is a maze of narrow streets, whitewashed fa莽ades, and balconies that seem to compete over who can grow the brightest gardens. Add in centuries of Moorish, Baroque, and Neoclassical influence, and you鈥檝e got a city that wears its history in layers... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles