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Alicante & Cadiz

Posted by (Southwest, Florida) on

This October we're taking a Transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale. One stop is Alicante. Has anyone been there recently? The shore excursions didn't impress me too much. Just wondering whether someone has had a successful first hand experience there recently.

Also, we are stopping in Malaga but I already have plans for transportation to Granada and a private guide to tour the Alhambra.

The last stop is Cadiz. Cadiz is a jump off point for day trips to Seville but earlier in our trip we would have already spent 3 days in Seville (versus 3 hours). They have a walking tour of Cadiz as a shore excursion but it is full. I signed up for a drive through Cadiz and a visit to Vejer de la Frontera.

Overview
Take a panoramic drive through the city of Cadiz, passing grand sites such as the imposing Constitution Monument and the Cadiz Cathedral. Then explore picturesque Vejer de la Frontera, with its white-washed houses and narrow, winding streets. Along the Atlantic coastline and enjoy views of forests and cliffs. Continue to Conil de la Frontera, with its many Arab influences. Then spend some time on your own.

I've never been to either. Anyone have comments on the above excursion?
Thanks,

Tom

Posted by
2995 posts

I had those stops on my transatlantic. I self explored each. In Alicante I enjoyed the market, a quirky street that looked like it was out of Alice in Wonderland, and the beachharea. I didn’t go to the castle because the elevator was not working. Cadiz is very walkable.

Posted by
346 posts

Bigtyke,

Thanks for your response. I've never been on a transatlantic crossing. What was 9 days at sea like?

Posted by
30228 posts

Vejer is a very pretty town of about 13,000. That excursion sounds like it provides a decent variety of sights. Although there's bus service from Cadiz to Vejer, it's not terribly frequent, and I would be cautious about relying on it to get back to your ship on schedule. (But I don't take cruises.)

You could easily visit historic Cadiz by walking around on your own, though I don't know where your ship docks and whether you'd need some form of transportation to get to the center of town.

Another possibility in that area, and accessible by train from Cadiz, is Jerez de la Frontera. I haven't been to Jerez, but others on the forum have mentioned opportunities for sherry tasting and horse shows there. Jerez is the home of sherry. The train trip doesn't take much longer than half an hour, and service is fairly frequent. Renfe.com indicates the fare is 5 euros, one-way, on most trains. A few trains are potentially a lot more costly.

Posted by
2995 posts

@acraven - the ships in Cadiz dock right in the center of town

Tom: I think we had 6 days at sea, Miami to Azores. It was our first cruise in 16 years. .We liked it and had no trouble relaxing and also keeping busy

Posted by
1287 posts

I spend three weeks in Vejer every March; it's an enchanting town and although one of the most beautiful of the "white villages," it is not inundated with tourists like Ronda and Marcos de la Frontera.. Do prepare for uphill walking when you visit Vejer.

The drive along the Atlantic Ocean coastline from Barbste north to The beach of Vejer and on to Conil passes through gorgeous scenery, with marshes and ocean on one side, and cows grazing below high cliffs on the other. I don't know how they plan to drive from Vejer to Conil but you will probably see part of this coast.

Let me know if you need any info on where to have lunch if you will be on your own during the tour.

There are some very good restaurants in Alicante, so maybe just have a great lunch, as the city is not very beautiful.

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