10 Things to Do in Cádiz in January

Cadiz is famous for its beaches, its magical sunsets and the hot summer that attracts tourists to the coast, but it also offers a full programme of fairs, festivals, street markets, concerts and activities for all ages throughout the year.

Among the best things to see and do in Cádiz in January are the patron saint festivals, the races in El Puerto de Santa María, the New Year's concerts and the opening of the carnival at the Gran Teatro Falla. Here is a list of all the activities you can do in the first month of the year in Cádiz.

The winter months are characterised by being a time of concerts in Cádiz and in the New Year you can attend many events in different parts of the province. Every year in San Fernando, Conil de la Frontera, Algeciras, El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera, among other nearby places, the local councils organise music concerts featuring national artists.

During these concerts you will be able to see first class shows at affordable prices or even for free or for the price of a meal, as in many cases these concerts are for charity and are organised to collect donations. In addition, the cities usually organise calendars in which the shows do not coincide with each other, so during January you will be able to attend shows throughout the month.

In the centre of Cádiz you can also attend the concerts that are held every year at the Palacio de Congresos in El Pópulo, which will ensure that you don't have to leave the city, as you can attend by public transport or on the hop-on-hop-off Cádiz tourist bus that includes a stop in the area.

One of the best things to do in Cádiz is to enjoy the gastronomy, especially in the winter months, when you can take shelter from the cold in a restaurant or tasca to enjoy the typical dishes of the city.

You can't leave Cádiz without trying gazpachuelo, Andalusian-style migas, oxtail, asparagus soup, potato stew and puchero, but I also advise you to try the sea oysters and prawns, which are served fresh in the port areas during January because this is one of the fishing seasons.

You can also try the local gastronomy in one of the best flamenco shows in Cádiz, as the fusion of musical folklore and typical dishes is a perfect combination that is often found in Cádiz restaurants.

January is one of the ideal times to practice sports on the coast of Cadiz and El Puerto de Santa Maria offers one of the best sporting events in Cadiz, which consists of a race around the circular circuit of the Guadalete Park over a total distance of 8 kilometres from the start to the finish line, located at the viewpoint.

The Eco Cross race offers categories for children and adults, as well as a shorter course for older adults. The total route through the park takes only 4 hours, so if you decide to take part in the race and want to make the most of your visit, you can also visit the nearby towns of Jerez de la Frontera and the Poblado de Doña Blanca.

You can register for the El Puerto de Santa Maria Eco Cross race in advance online and you have until one week before the start of the race to do so. The registration fee is approximately 9 euros per person, regardless of the category chosen.

Details of interest

• Price... Registration for the Eco Cross race costs approximately 9 euros per person.
• When... In January each year.
• Where... Guadalete Park, El Puerto de Santa María.

The Guadalquivir River in the northern part of the Cadiz coast is one of the most representative places in Andalusia and one of the best ways to experience the New Year is to participate in some of the activities that are organised around the tributary, ranging from visiting the markets in the area to taking a boat trip along the coast of Cadiz and along the river's breakwater.

From Sanlúcar de Barrameda to Seville, the Guadalquivir River marks the pulse of the cities and for the Andalusians it is a place of pilgrimage and thanksgiving, so welcoming the New Year by experiencing some of the activities around the river is one of the typical customs.

If you are planning to visit the coast of Cadiz in January you cannot miss a visit to the Guadalquivir River, even if you are planning a short stay, as you will be able to discover one of Spain's emblematic sites in activities that last no more than 3 or 4 hours at the most. If you are planning to spend only a short time in the city, here is a list of activities so you can discover Cadiz in 3 days.

The Three Wise Men Parade is a tradition in Cadiz and consists of a parade of floats in which Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar share the route through the streets of the old town with the children and throw sweets and treats to those who come to greet us. The parade takes place every year on 5th January, the day before Twelfth Night.

During the parade, as well as the Three Wise Men, other characters from TV cartoons and children's films also appear and march together to meet the children, so if you are planning to visit Cádiz with children, attending the parade is one of the options they might like best.

The Cabalgata de Reyes Magos is also the prelude to the delivery of gifts on Three Kings' Night and one of the most visited family activities in Cádiz during the first days of the year.

Interesting details

• Price... The parade is free to attend.
• When... 5th January every year.
• Where... The parade goes through the streets of the old town.

Conil de la Frontera is one of the meccas of Cadiz tourist gastronomy, especially because its recipes usually include fresh tuna from the coast of Cadiz, but it is also the setting for the Romería de San Sebastián, a typical Andalusian patron saint festival in which a procession of the faithful sets off walking from the town squares towards the pine groves of El Colorao.

The pilgrimage begins early in the morning of the day fixed in the calendar, which is celebrated every year during the third week of January, and the image of San Sebastián is followed by a crowd accompanied by decorated carts, flowers, riders on horseback and local music. In the pinewoods of Conil de la Frontera you will find regional food stalls and celebrations where visitors can attend to discover a typical Cadiz procession.

The Romería de San Sebastián is also known as the Fiesta del Palmito, due to the harvesting of the product of the native palm trees, and is one of the celebrations that attracts the most visitors from the interior of Cádiz.

Details of interest

• Price... Attendance at the pilgrimage is free of charge.
• When.... During the third week of January each year.
• Where... The procession starts in the squares of Conil de la Frontera and goes as far as El Colorao.

January is one of the coldest months of the year on the coast of Cadiz, but it is also when the wind and waves are best for a surfing experience in Tarifa, in the south of Cadiz and in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar. Surfers from all over Andalusia flock here during the first days of the year to make the most of the January waves, so you can surf whether you have previous experience or not.

Visiting Tarifa is one of the best things to do from Cadiz because of its location close to the African continent it has some of the best beaches on the coast of Cadiz, you can go on whale and dolphin watching excursions and also do water sports such as paddle surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and snorkelling as well as surfing.

If you want to experience surfing in Tarifa you can book lessons which usually include board and wetsuit hire and enjoy the best time of the year to battle waves up to 3 metres high.

The Cadiz carnivals are one of the main attractions of the city and take place in February each year, but the celebrations formally begin in January, in the Gran Teatro Falla, where the Official Contest of Groups of the Carnival of Cadiz begins , the pompous name given to the event in which the groups offer their repertoires rehearsed throughout the year in a contest that is broadcast on national television.

This contest lasts throughout the month of January and after the awards ceremony, the groups take to the streets to celebrate the Carnival of Cádiz, where the chirigotas, choirs, cuarteros, floats and comparsas (groups of groups) take all the attention on the coast of Cádiz.

During the Concurso de Agrupaciones in Cádiz, the Carnival gastronomic events also take place in the neighbourhoods of La Viña, in the Plaza de San Antonio and in the Plaza de la Catedral. You can try sea urchins, sea oysters and Galician empanadas at the stalls and peñas at each event.

Setenil de las Bodegas is one of the most beautiful villages in the mountains of Cadiz and if you plan to visit Cadiz in winter you can also experience the festivities of San Sebastian in January, which are celebrated with a procession through the main streets of the village and a bar with typical products.

Following the procession of the patron saint's feast of San Sebastian you can visit the main sites of Setenil de las Bodegas, as it passes through the streets Villa, Plaza de Andalucía, Constitución, Ronda, Cuevas del Sol, Coronilla and Paseo Federico Lorca. Along the route you can stroll among the houses built in the caves and along the paths built on the edge of the cliff.

Setenil de las Bodegas also presents the best of its gastronomy during the patron saint's fiestas and you can try the "cortijeras" soups, asparagus scrambled eggs, "gazpachuelo", stewed broad beans and sweet potatoes with honey. You can also accompany your meals with the local wine and Iberian cured meats and sausages.

Interesting details

• Price.... Taking part in the procession through the patron saint's fair of San Sebastián is free of charge.
• When.... During the third week of January each year.
• Where... Setenil de las Bodegas, Cádiz.

If you are planning to visit Cadiz in December you will see that the city is bathed in festive spirit and the Christmas markets multiply in the city, with the one in the Plaza de San Antonio being the most representative. After Epiphany, the Christmas markets close to make way for the second-hand markets in San Fernando, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, among other towns in Cadiz.

In these markets you can buy and sell second-hand clothes and articles and also exchange objects, with the aim of fraternising with other visitors to the flea market. Many of these flea markets have charitable purposes, as they sell donated items and the proceeds are used to support different causes.

If you don't want to leave the centre of Cádiz , you can visit the flea market in the old town, in the Plaza de la Libertad, located in front of the Central Market. In some of the markets you can also find typical food stalls.

January is the coldest month of the year in Cadiz, recording average temperatures of 10°, with highs of 15° and lows of 5°, although temperatures rarely reach the lower ranges.

January is also a rainy month, so bear in mind to pack waterproof clothing and rain shoes, as much of Cadiz's tourism is outdoors and you don't want to miss out on some of the city's excursions and activities because you don't have the right equipment.

January is one of the months with the lowest number of tourists in Cadiz, so it is also a great opportunity to get to know the city in a quiet way and with few tourists, although this is largely due to the lower temperatures and the impossibility of taking a swim off the coast of Cadiz.

If you visit Cádiz in October you will see that the number of tourists decreases due to the end of summer, but not as much as from November onwards, when it is not possible to go to the beach and take a swim. Therefore, to get the most out of your trip in January, I advise you to visit the nearby towns, take walks around the city centre and get to know the idiosyncrasy of Cádiz at its fiestas and concerts.

December and January are the cheapest months to visit Cádiz, so if you want to see the city while saving money, this is an ideal month for your travel plan. However, bear in mind that many of the best activities on the Cádiz calendar in January, such as concerts and some fiestas, include an entrance fee.

January is a good month to get accommodation at discounted prices and if you book in advance online you can secure your place on excursions and also get discounts for pre-booking.

January is a cold and rainy month in Cádiz so I advise you to pack the following items of clothing to avoid being affected by the weather during your trip:

• Thermal T-shirt
• Woollen jumpers
• Woollen scarf
• Woollen socks
• Cotton T-shirts
• Waterproof jacket
• Waterproof boots
• Umbrella
• Rain jacket
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Sports shoes
• Lightweight coat
• Lightweight trousers