In Cadiz you´ll find this beautiful town where you can enjoy the finest cuisine of Cadiz and great beaches with fine sand and clear waters.
This town is located between the train stations of Jerez de la Frontera and Puerto Real, very close to Cadiz and is a place we recommend visiting.
There have been found archaeological remains in the area of Puerto de Santa Maria dating from the Lower Palaeolithic, as well as remains of a Phoenician settlement between centuries IX and III BC.
The original name of the city was Port Menestheus, given after the Trojan War by a warlord of Athens who founded the city.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the barbarians took over the southern territories until in early eighth century the Arabs managed to drive them out to the north and free the population of great oppression and abuse to which they were subjected. From the Muslim conquest the place was renamed Amaria Alcanter.
During the year 1260 the place was conquered by Christian armies which changed the name to Santa Maria del Puerto, due to the phonetic similarity and more according to their beliefs. It was from this period that the town reached its peak as it was directly related to the discovery of America, being furthermore the place where the first complete world map was drawn by Juan de la Cosa, probably commissioned by a nobleman.
Walking through the streets of Puerto de Santa Maria is to discover the past as if we were in it. This town has a large number of historical buildings around the eighteenth century manor houses that were abandoned and currently used as tenements.
Among some of the activities you can enjoy in Puerto de Santa Maria are:
Guided tours of the city
From the tourist office which is located next to the Castillo de San Marcos, tours leave every Saturday at 11.30 am covering the main monuments for only 4 euros.
Municipal Museum
Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm. On Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays the Museum opens from 11 am to 2 pm.
Casa Cargadores a Indias
Puerto de Santa Maria has always had an important role in trade with America, its exporting and commercial port with the peninsula and Europe.
It is rather curious to venture inside and experience a time now past ... many period buildings that are currently tenements follow this style of central patio with pots, very representative of the typical Andalusian mansion.
Mansion of Los Leones
Currently there are holiday apartments which was once a XVIII century baroque style house.
Castle of San Marcos
One of the most representative monuments of Puerto de Santa Maria.
Phoenician settlement
The site is located on an artificial hill that was formed by the accumulation over time of constructions and deposits growing to a height at some points of up to 9 meters.
Also in Puerto de Santa Maria you can enjoy long walks and discover places like Puerto Sherry or guided bike tours and other attractions.
You can get to the city on several roads being the shortest the route through the Natural Park of Alcornocales from where you have to take the direction towards Jerez de la Frontera until an exit towards Puerto de Santa Maria.
You can also opt for a train from Malaga to Seville with stops at Dos Hermanas (penultimate stop) and from there take another train to Cadiz and get off after Jerez de la Frontera.
You can check our prices of car rental in Malaga or taxis to Cadiz from our site.
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