El Puerto de Santa María

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El Puerto de Santa María (El Puerto) is a city located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 82,306, of which 50,000 live in the urban center, and the remainder in the surrounding areas.

The town of El Puerto de Santa Maria is 10 km north east of Cadiz across the bay of Cadiz and is best known for its ferry El Vaporcito which has been in operation for 76 years carrying passengers to and from Cadiz to El Puerto. Columbus visited El Puerto in 1480 and received encouragement for his travel plans and he also met Juan de la Cosa who in 1500 issued the first world map. In the nineteenth century the city became the General Headquarters for the French Army during the war of Independence under the reign of Jose Bonaparte (1801-1812) The town is seeped in history, museums and monuments. It is also within easy accessible reach of richly historical cities of Seville and Cádiz.

El Puerto has a famous bull ring which dates back to 1880 with space for 15,000 spectators and bull fighting is still enjoyed during the Feria season, which are during the month of August and during the Feria de la Primavera which is in early May. This Feria is dedicated to Sherry and 180,0000 half bottles get drunk in 4 days!!! There are several Bodegas in the town centre all of which can be visited by the public. The most famous being the Osborne and Terry Bodegas who export sherry and brandy worldwide . In the cellars in El Puerto sherry is produced using the traditional method called “solera”. This method produces the pale dry sherries to the sweet Muscatel sherry, Amontillados and the older Olorosos.

El Puerto is an excellent place to sample local tapas and seafood, for which it is famous. Food is an important reason why El Puerto de Santa Maria attracts hundreds of tourists. The Bay of Cadiz is famous for it’s fresh seafood fish and that teamed with the plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables leads to excellent restaurant menus. Eating seafood in El Puerto is something everyone has to experience, most tourists head for the Rivera del Marisco where you can by seafood in paper cones to take away or eat at the tables. There are a wide variety of eateries all located with walking distance in the town centre.