Cádiz, population 160,000, is one of southern Spain's major cities. It is a great base for exploring the beautiful beaches and villages on the coast and in the mountains of southern Andalucía. It is situated near Gibraltar as well as Jerez de la Frontera, the home of sherry, and features Carnaval, a festival that takes place every February. Carnaval dates back to the Franco years, when it was the only large outdoor festival that was allowed to happen, perhaps out of fear of Cádiz's remarkable history of liberalism and resistance to dictatorship. Cádiz also celebrates Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in traditional Andalucian style, with celebrants outdoors, wearing capirotes and carrying statues celebrating the Virgin Mary, decorated in enormous amounts of silver and gold.

Cádiz is one of Europe's oldest cities - perhaps even its oldest. It is situated in the south of Spain, on a peninsula, and historically played an important role as a port. In modern times it has been known as a bastion of liberalism, achieving a prominent place in Spain's modern era. It's founding dates to at least 1,100 BCE, when the Phoenicians used it to trade goods from the surrounding regions - amber, tin, and silver. Later it was controlled by the Carthaginians, and after the Punic Wars fell to the Romans, who used it as a trading port and navel base.

After the Romans left, it lost much of its prior importance; under Visigothic and Moorish control, it faded into oblivion. But in 1262 it was reconquered by Christians, and resumed its status as a major city. It regained its prestige during Spain's years as the world's major naval power, notably when Columbus sailed from it on some of his voyages. Sir Francis Drake, attempting to win control of trade with the New World, attacked it. He failed, as did Napolean's armies, who never conquered it. A short time later, it became the center of Spain's liberal, pro-democracy movement, for which it was the site of the declaration of Spain's first constitution in 1812. During the Franco years, it was an important home to underground pro-democracy activists.

Cádiz is a beautiful city, with interesting shops and more greenery than most of Spain. It is not heavily touristed, lacking any major tourist attractions like the Alhambra or the Catedral de Sevilla. Thus it is a wonderful place to visit to experience Spanish culture. It has a few museums to celebrate its illustrious past but on the whole, it bears little evidence of its history. It is, however, a very interesting, very fun town and a good base for explorations of the gorgeous surrounding regions.