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El Puerto de Santa María

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Beautiful local sandy beach with palm trees Playa de la Puntilla on Atlantic ocean in El Puerto de Santa-Maria, Andalusia, Spain

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Overview

When you're surrounded by such cultural luminaries as Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Seville, it's easy to overlook the small print; such is the fate of El Puerto de Santa María, despite its collection of well-known icons. Osborne sherry, with its famous bull logo (a highly recognisable symbol of Spain), was founded and retains its headquarters here, as do half a dozen other sherry bodegas. With its abundance of sandy blond beaches, tempting cuisine, sherry wineries and smattering of architectural heirlooms, El Puerto can seem like southern Andalucía in microcosm. It's an easy day trip from Cádiz or Jerez.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain - August 20, 2008: View of the Osborne Bodega (Bodega El Tiro) with a bull statue in the foreground, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz Province, Andalusia, Spain, Western Europe.

    Bodegas Osborne

    El Puerto de Santa María

    Creator of the legendary black-bull logo still exhibited on life-size billboards all over Spain (now without the name), Osborne is El Puerto's best-known…

  • Plaza Real de Toros

    Plaza Real de Toros

    El Puerto de Santa María

    Four blocks southwest of Plaza de España is El Puerto’s grand Plaza de Toros, built in 1880 with room for 15,000 spectators and still one of Andalucía’s…

  • Bodegas Gutiérrez Colosía

    Bodegas Gutiérrez Colosía

    El Puerto de Santa María

    An intimate, family-run, 1838-founded sherry bodega, right beside the catamaran dock. Tours (1½ hours) end with a six-wine tasting, which can include…

  • Castillo de San Marcos

    Castillo de San Marcos

    El Puerto de Santa María

    Heavily restored in the 20th century and now owned by Bodegas Caballero, El Puerto's castle was constructed over an Islamic mosque by Alfonso X El Sabio…

  • Fundación Rafael Alberti

    Fundación Rafael Alberti

    El Puerto de Santa María

    Two blocks inland from Plaza Alfonso X El Sabio, this foundation has interesting, thoughtfully displayed exhibits on Rafael Alberti (1902–99), one of…

  • Playa de Valdelagrana

    Playa de Valdelagrana

    El Puerto de Santa María

    Popular Playa de Valdelagrana, on the eastern side of the Río Guadalete, is backed by high-rise hotels and apartments and a strip of bars and restaurants…

  • Playa de la Puntilla

    Playa de la Puntilla

    El Puerto de Santa María

    A 1.5km walk southwest of central El Puerto, pine-fringed Playa de la Puntilla is the town's most immediately accessible beach. Buses 1 and 2 (€1.20) run…

  • Playa Fuentebravía

    Playa Fuentebravía

    El Puerto de Santa María

    About 6km northwest of town, beyond the northwestern end of Playa de Santa Catalina, lies busy, gold-tinged Playa Fuentebravía, served by bus 6 from the…

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