Almeria & Cadiz (Seville)

[jmk171]

I am cruising in November and will be in Almeria from 7 am - 5pm and Cadiz (Seville) from 8 am - 11 pm ... long days!

 

This is my first cruise and I'm traveling single so private tours aren't cost effective unless those on the roll call want to join in.

 

I love the idea of wine & cheese tastings, strolling around taking in the sights, and viewing especially panoramic scenery but don't especially want to take ship excursions.

 

Will I have good luck with public transpo? Is there anything I need to be sure and see?

 

Thanks in advance for the input!

Jennifer

[chrismch]

On our HAL trip in June they actually brought on a T/I person who handed out detailed maps to people with different walking tours of Cadiz. If that is not available on your ship, I'm sure they will have people there with maps as you get off the ship. We found that to be the case in many of these lesser known ports.

 

The ship docks in town so there is no need for any transportation. It's a pleasant walk through the town seeing the plazas, small parks, historic buildings and churches. There is also a farmers market where they sell produce as well as fish & seafood including live snails & jumping shrimp. This area is the sherry district so make sure you buy/or sip sherry from the Jerez district which has an excellent reputation.

 

Prior to leaving, I found getting info on Almeria was the hardest thing to do. Almeria is a lovely cosmopolitan city with a broad blvd (like you'd see in any major US or European city with high end shops) shaded by neatly trimmed ficus trees. We tried to follow the map we got from the tour people as we got off the ship but got lost in trying to find the old city. However, locals who were very happy to assist visitors with directions. They love their city. Again the ship docks in town so no need to find transportation or use the shuttle.

 

The biggest attraction is the Alcazaba (old fort). It covered a large area that had multiple levels, tons of steps and great panoramic views. Were there about 1-2 hrs walking it. Then we went over to the farmers market building which was a couple blocks east of the main blvd. We had lunch in one of the nearby restaurants by the market. No picture menus and no English but that was ok as we knew we wanted grilled sardines. I'm not a fan of the canned sardines you find in grocery stores, but I loved these. We got a plate of 10 freshly grilled small whole fish that were about 6" each with French bread. They had olive oil at the table to drizzle on the bread & fish. It was fabulous! If you don't speak Spanish, make sure you learn to read menus before you go. Also, be aware that it's still ok to smoke in restaurants in Spain. So if you are bothered by smoke, stay out on the patios where it dissipates better.