Cádiz Cathedral

Cádiz Cathedral (Catedral de Cádiz) is the big domed church on the sea front of Cádiz old town, on the Plaza de la Catedral, about 0.8 km from the train station. A single ticket covers the cathedral, its crypt below sea level, where the composer Manuel de Falla is buried, and the climb up a bell tower by ramp rather than stairs. It took 116 years to build, from 1722 to 1838, so it starts Baroque and ends Neoclassical. It suits anyone spending a day in Cádiz; skip the inside if you only want the view of the golden dome, which you get free from the Campo del Sur promenade.

Quick facts

• Names: Catedral de Cádiz, formally the Cathedral of the Holy Cross over the Sea (Santa Cruz sobre el Mar, also “sobre las Aguas”). Locals call it the Catedral Nueva, the New Cathedral, to tell it from the Catedral Vieja, the old cathedral that is now the parish church of Santa Cruz.
• Where: Plaza de la Catedral, Cádiz old town (Cádiz province, Andalusia), on the south side of the old town, close to the Campo del Sur sea wall.
• Coordinates: 36.5290, -6.2953.
• Built: 1722 to 1838; the clock tower was finished in 1845 and the west tower in 1862.
• Style: Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical.
• Protection: national monument since 3 June 1931, now a Bien de Interés Cultural.
• Tickets: general 12 € (checked November 2026, Andalusia tourism board).
• Phone: +34 956 286 154 (Andalusia tourism board listing).

Access and parking

On foot: the cathedral is in the middle of the old town, so most visitors walk. OpenStreetMap puts Cádiz railway station about 0.8 km east in a straight line, and the Roman theatre and the old cathedral (Iglesia de Santa Cruz) about 100–160 m away.

By bus: OpenStreetMap shows a city bus stop called “Catedral”, on line 7, about 90 m west of the building, with further stops at the Mercado Central and at Teatro Romano-Mirandilla.

By car: the old town streets are narrow. The nearest car park on OpenStreetMap is the underground Parking Campo del Sur, a paid car park about 180 m west; there is some street-side parking on the Campo del Sur too, but expect it to be full in summer.

What to expect

A very large church, still the seat of the bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta, so services take place and parts may be closed for them. Building began to designs by Vicente Acero in 1722, a few years after the Casa de Contratación, the trade house for the Americas, moved from Seville to Cádiz in 1717 and the city wanted a cathedral to match. Acero left in 1739, and several architects followed him until Juan Daura saw it through to 1838 (Wikipedia). The long build shows in the mix of styles: Spain’s tourism portal describes a building begun Baroque and finished Neoclassical.

Inside, it is a Latin cross with three naves, a wide ambulatory and side chapels, Corinthian columns and decorated vaults (Andalusia tourism board). The high altar is a free-standing Neoclassical temple. The choir stalls are a highlight, although they did not originally belong to this cathedral. Many chapels hold sculpture brought from the old cathedral and from closed convents, including works by the Baroque sculptor Luisa Roldán, La Roldana.

The stone is a weak spot. Much of the building stood unfinished for decades next to the sea, and the stone crumbles; nets under the vaults catch falling pieces, and restoration has been going on since the early 2000s (Wikipedia). Do not be surprised by scaffolding or netting.

The crypt lies under the high altar, below sea level. It holds the tombs of many bishops, the composer Manuel de Falla and the writer José María Pemán. Its wide flat vault gives an odd echo; speak quietly and you will hear it.

The tower: the cathedral’s two bell towers end in small lookouts and are, at about 54 m above the ground, the highest points in the city. The west tower, the Torre de Poniente, opened to visitors in 2003; you go up by a ramp, and the top looks over the whole old town and the sea (Spain’s tourism portal).

The dome over the crossing is covered in yellow-gold glazed tiles, which is what you see from the sea and from the rooftops.

Prices and opening

From the Andalusia tourism board listing, checked November 2026:

• General ticket: 12 €.
• Over 65: 11 €. Students aged 13–25: 10 €.
• Visitors with a disability up to 59%: 11 €; 60% or more: free.
• Children under 12: free.
• Hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00–20:00, Sunday 13:30–20:00; last entry at 19:00. The listing shows no hours for public holidays.

The same ticket also gets you into the cathedral museum (Museo Catedralicio) in the Plaza Fray Félix, next to the old cathedral (Wikipedia). The official website is catedraldecadiz.com; we could not open it while checking, so confirm hours there before you go, especially around religious holidays.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

Go on a weekday morning, when the doors open at 10:00; on Sunday the cathedral only opens at 13:30. Climb the tower on a clear day for the view over the sea. In the late afternoon, walk the Campo del Sur sea wall just south of the cathedral, where the light falls on the dome and the towers.

Nearby alternatives

• Cádiz town guide, 0.3 km away: the old town, its squares, markets and beaches.
• Museum of Cádiz, 0.7 km away: the city’s main museum of archaeology and fine arts.
• La Caleta, 1.0 km away: the small beach of the old town, on its west side.
• Playa de la Victoria, 1.6 km away: the long city beach of new Cádiz.
• Puerto Sherry, 6.8 km away: the marina across the bay at El Puerto de Santa María.
• Castle of San Marcos, 9.7 km away: a fortified church in El Puerto de Santa María with a sherry bodega.

Distances are in a straight line from the cathedral.

FAQ

How much does it cost to visit Cádiz Cathedral?

The general ticket is 12 €, with reductions for over-65s and students and free entry for children under 12 (Andalusia tourism board, checked November 2026).

Can you climb the tower of Cádiz Cathedral?

Yes. The west tower, the Torre de Poniente, has been open to visitors since 2003 and is climbed by a ramp. The towers are about 54 m tall.

Who is buried in the crypt?

Bishops of Cádiz, the composer Manuel de Falla and the writer José María Pemán. The crypt lies below sea level under the high altar.

What are the opening hours?

Monday to Saturday 10:00–20:00 and Sunday 13:30–20:00, with last entry at 19:00, according to the Andalusia tourism board in November 2026. Check the official site before you go.

Is there parking near Cádiz Cathedral?

The nearest is the paid underground Parking Campo del Sur, about 180 m west. Most visitors walk from the train station, about 0.8 km away, or take bus line 7 to the Catedral stop.

Sources and freshness