10 Things to do in Cádiz with Kids

Cadiz is one of the favourite destinations for tourists travelling in Andalusia and is also an ideal place to visit with family and children, because it offers family beaches, water parks for young and old, exhibitions of all kinds and a wide variety of attractions for children.

Among the best things to see and do in Cadiz with children you can also go ice skating, take a dolphin and whale watching excursion in the Strait of Gibraltar, visit an amusement park and visit a youth fair. There are also plenty of Christmas activities for all the family during the Cádiz winter and excursions to enjoy in the summer.

If you are planning to visit Cádiz in summer you cannot miss the beaches of Cádiz, which are some of the best on the Andalusian coast. If you are visiting the city with children you can opt for La Caleta, located in an area close to the old town.

La Caleta beach is ideal to visit with children because it has warm waters and is surrounded by gastronomic services and other leisure activities that will simplify your visit. It is also a favourite with visitors and is one of the longest beaches in Cádiz, so you'll never be short of space to set up your umbrella, although it can get very crowded during the summer.

If you prefer less crow ded beaches you can visit Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a seaside resort near Jerez de la Frontera which is also the epicentre of local activities. If you visit Cádiz in August you can attend the Sanlúcar Horse Races, a traditional event that has been held in the city for over 100 years.

In Sanlúcar I recommend you visit the Playa de la Calzada and the Playa de las Piletas. You can also find quiet swimming areas in Conil de la Frontera, Zahara de los Atunes and Tarifa, where you can find Bolonia Beach, which has been voted one of the most beautiful beaches in Spain several years in a row.

During the summer, El Puerto de Santa María offers one of the most eclectic Cadiz experiences with the presentation of the Medieval Market, a fair where you can discover the city's past during the Middle Ages and which includes dance performances, medieval gastronomy and craft stalls and children's activities.

If you plan to visit the Medieval Market with children, you can attend the circus shows and the performance of jesters, among other typical characters from the Middle Ages. The Medieval Market is held every year in June in the Plaza del Castillo, which adds to the atmosphere of the period.

El Puerto de Santa María is located very close to Jerez de la Frontera and the beaches of Levante and Valdelagrana, so you can make the most of your visit by visiting these nearby places as well, especially if you are planning a short stay in the city and want to save time. If that's your case, here's a list of things to see and do to discover Cadiz in 3 days.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the street market is free.
• When... Every year during the month of June.
• Where... Plaza del Castillo, El Puerto de Santa María.

If you are planning to visit Cadiz in winter with children you can visit the Plaza de San Antonio, which during Christmas Eve becomes the reference point of the old town. There you can visit the Christmas Market and the 12-metre high tree, as well as the ice skating rink, which is open for children and adults alike.

The ice skating rink in the Plaza de San Antonio is open from the first days of December until Epiphany and admission is free. You can go to the rink with your own skates or rent a pair from the stalls at the Christmas Market. To get to the old town area you can take public transport or the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus of Cádiz which includes a stop in the square.

The Christmas Train, the Christmas Carol Stall and the Professional Craft Fair are some of the other children's attractions you can find in the Plaza de San Antonio.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the ice rink is free.
• When... From the first week of December until Epiphany.
• Where... Plaza de San Antonio, Cádiz.

If your travel itinerary includes a visit to Cadiz in October, you can opt for a dolphin and whale watching excursion in the Strait of Gibraltar, an experience the kids will love and you will discover the beauty and history of the Strait.

The boats of the whale watching tours in the Strait of Gibraltar leave from the beaches of Tarifa during the mating and migration season of the whales and dolphins, and during these tours you can also live the experience of sailing between two continents and on clear days you can also see from the boat the Rock of Gibraltar and the African coast of Morocco.

You can also go on whale watching tours if you decide to visit Cadiz in January, although it is a cold and rainy season, so sailing becomes difficult, but during the mild days you can discover the marine species that live permanently in the area of the strait.

Cadiz in summer is known for its beaches, its hot climate and the many summer attractions the city has to offer. One of them is to visit one of Cadiz' s water parks, a great alternative if you are planning to visit the city with children.

There are many water parks throughout the Bay of Cádiz, but the most renowned is Aqualand, which in El Puerto de Santa María offers visitors giant slides, wave pools, playgrounds and water games. There is also a restaurant and drinks area.

In inland Cádiz you can visit Bahía Park in Algeciras, a water park with slides, five pools, trampolines and rest areas for all ages, with restaurants and bars.

Note that the water parks are usually open during the high season months between June and August, which are the hottest months in the city. To secure your spot, you can book your tickets in advance online, especially as the summer season is when the city receives the largest influx of tourists.

If you are planning to visit Cadiz in December or during Christmas with children, there are many plans you can make to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the city, including visiting the Playmobil Expoclick fair, visiting the Christmas market in the Plaza de San Antonio and visiting Juvelandia.

The Playmobil Expoclick fair in Chiclana is an exhibition of dioramas and giant plastic dolls that has become a tradition for the whole family. This event is held every year from the last days of November until Epiphany and in each edition it has a different theme, which can consist of the recreation of famous series and films such as The Walking Dead and Star Wars, which makes it one of the children's favourite activities.

The Christmas market in the Plaza de San Antonio is one of the most traditional in Cádiz and is the centre of some of the most important activities during Christmas. There you can browse the stalls, buy gifts and Christmas decorations, enjoy the winter gastronomy and see the 12-metre Christmas tree that every year becomes the main attraction in the old quarter of Cadiz.

Another Christmas option is to visit Juvelandia, in Jerez de la Frontera, which is a children's and young people's leisure fair that takes place every year in the González Hontoria Park and which combines games libraries, sports competitions, inflatable games, circus performances and children's music shows in its programme. This fair also allows you to visit Jerez, which is one of the best things to do from Cádiz.

The Puppet Museum in Cádiz is one of the favourite activities for children visiting the city. Located at the old Puerta de Tierra entrance to the city, it contains displays with information and history about the world of puppets and puppeteers, as well as 500 objects that represent what was for years one of the main industries of the city, as Cadiz was known for the manufacture of puppets and ventriloquist puppets.

The museum also offers interactive activities for children, and tours in which the most significant historical events of Spain and Cadiz are reviewed in puppet performances set up in small theatres in which the little ones can also play characters and recreate their own stories.

Admission to the Museo del Títere de Cádiz is free and with the ticket it is also possible to access the performances of the Teatro de títeres de la Tía Norica, which stands out for its musical shows for children and for its comedy monologues.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the museum is free.
• Opening hours... Tuesday to Sunday from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm.
• Where.... Puertas de Tierra, Bóvedas de Santa Elena, Cádiz.

Genovés Park is one of the most emblematic places in Cádiz and also the most representative green lung of the old part of the city. Situated by the sea, facing the bay, it has a wide variety of local shrubs and trees, monuments, palm trees, a grotto with a pond and a children's play area.

The grotto is also often a favourite spot for children because the area includes a waterfall that flows into a pond inhabited by a large number of ducks and surrounded by giant dinosaur sculptures. There is also an area to buy food and drinks.

The Parque Genovés also includes attractions for adults as there you can access the Mirador de Santa Bárbara, a place from where it is possible to contemplate the immensity of the bay and also the perspective of the park and a large part of the old town. Admission to the park is free.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the park is free.
• Opening hours... The park is open daily from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm.
• Where... Av. Dr. Gómez Ulla s/n, Cádiz.

The patron saint festivities of the Virgen del Rosario have a particular celebration in Los Barrios, a village in the interior of the province of Cadiz. There, the town council organises an amusement park named after the Virgin, which aims to collect donations.

The amusement park in Los Barrios has children's games, food stalls, a roller coaster and a bumper car track for young and old, so it can be visited by the whole family. In addition, the park has an initiative whereby for two hours of the day the rides operate without music or animation sound so that children with autism can attend.

The park is open during the local festivities, which are held every year during the second week of October, although Los Barrios is just over 100 kilometres from the capital of Cádiz, so it can be an uncomfortable trip if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that's your case, here's a list of the best things to do in Cádiz in 2 days.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the park is free and each attraction has an initial cost of approximately 3 euros.
• When... During the second week of October.
• Where... In Los Barrios, Cádiz.

The Parque de la Ciudad de los Niños y las Niñas which is located halfway between Cádiz and Jerez de la Frontera is not an amusement park or a theme park, but a fictitious, scale-built village designed for children, where the whole family can enjoy themselves among the play and leisure areas, shows and a long list of activities.

In this park children can learn about life in society and visit benches, public squares and do adult activities. They can also use the zip lines, water areas, bicycle and tricycle areas and skating areas. There are also restaurants and bars on the site for lunch. If you plan to visit Cadiz in December you can also enjoy the Christmas activities.

During the summer the park also runs a summer film season and camps for children's groups, including craft workshops, balloon twisting and painting.

Interesting details

• Price... Entry to the park has an initial price of approximately 9 euros per person.
• Opening hours... Monday to Saturday from 8.00 am to 0.00 am. On Sundays the park is closed and only available for private events.
• Where... Arcos de la Frontera s/n, Jerez de la Frontera.