A town that has been known throughout its history for the medicinal waters in its surroundings. Located in the central area of the province of Cadiz, with a history dating back to prehistoric times and that leaves an important legacy that you can enjoy during your visit.
The baths of Gigonza and Fuentesanta, famous for its medicinal waters were especially famous during Roman times.
The Romans inhabited the area during its heyday until the fall of the Roman Empire; then the territory was occupied by Byzantines and Visigoths until the entry of the Arabs in the south of the peninsula managed to expel them and the place was named "Valley of the Baths".
After the Christian conquest the territory was handed over to a family whose descendants founded the village of Paterna in 1503, although not it didn´t separate from Alcala de los Gazules until 1825.
Currently the town bases its economy on crops and livestock.
One of the main attractions of Paterna is its proximity to the "Ruta del Toro", route through nature which begins in Jerez de la Frontera and passes through towns like Medina Sidonia, Benalup, Tarifa or Algeciras among others. The route passes by farms that are dedicated to the breeding of bulls, so they are often found during the tour.
Gastronomy is another important aspect of Paterna, the venison and vegetables of the region are two of its main ingredients of dishes that combine both ingredients like pout.
The nearest airport to Paterna is the airport of Jerez, although as Malaga is the main gateway for tourism in Andalusia, we will show you how to get to Paterna from Malaga.
Take the Mediterranean motorway A-7 through Manilva and San Roque, shortly before arriving at Algeciras, you can choose whether to cross the Natural Park of Alcornocales or continue towards Algeciras and along the coast, which is the longer route.
If you cross the Natural Park of Alcornocales, you should take the route towards Los Barrios and Alcala de los Gazules; otherwise you should take the route towards Algeciras and Tarifa to get to Vejer de la Frontera, from where you take the direction to Medina Sidonia.
In the map below we can see the route to take in detail; if you want to see the route to take if you decide to drive along the coast, drag it and you will see the alternate route.
You can hire a car in Malaga or check our prices for a transfer from Malaga airport.
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