Castle of San Marcos (El Puerto de Santa María)

The Castle of San Marcos (Castillo de San Marcos) is a 13th-century fortified church in the centre of El Puerto de Santa María, on the Plaza Alfonso X el Sabio, a short walk from the River Guadalete. Alfonso X turned a mosque into a church and walled it with towers, and the mosque’s prayer wall is still inside. You can only see it on a guided visit booked with Bodegas Caballero, the sherry firm that owns it; the standard tour costs 10 € and lasts about two hours. It suits history and sherry fans; skip it if you want to wander freely or cannot fit a fixed tour time.

Quick facts

• Names: Castillo de San Marcos; in English also the Castle of St Mark. It is really a church-fortress (iglesia-fortaleza).
• Where: Plaza Alfonso X el Sabio, in the old centre of El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz province), close to the River Guadalete.
• Coordinates: 36.5964, -6.2266.
• Built: around 1264, under Alfonso X, on the foundations of a mosque; extended in the 15th century.
• Protection: declared a monument in 1920; now a Bien de Interés Cultural.
• Owner: Bodegas Caballero, a sherry house founded in 1830, which runs the visits.
• Visits: guided, by appointment; 10 € for the standard tour (checked November 2026, Andalusia tourism board).
• Contact: +34 956 851 751, visitas@castillodesanmarcos.es (Andalusia tourism board).

Access and parking

On foot: the castle is in the middle of the old town. OpenStreetMap puts the El Puerto de Santa María railway station about 1.1 km north-east in a straight line, and the river front with the Terminal Marítima Metropolitana, the town’s passenger boat terminal, about 240 m south.

By bus: the nearest town bus stop on OpenStreetMap is Micaela Aramburu–Las Galeras, about 130 m east, and Plaza del Polvorista is about 190 m south.

By car: OpenStreetMap shows a paid surface car park about 170 m south, towards the river, the paid Parking Calderón about 350 m north-east, and an underground car park called Centro about 450 m north. The streets around the castle are narrow, so park and walk.

What to expect

From outside, it looks like a castle with battlements and corner towers. Inside, it is a church. After Alfonso X took the town in the 13th century, he converted its mosque into a church dedicated to the Virgin, reinforced the foundations and added vaults and four towers, two hexagonal and two square (Wikipedia). The qibla wall, the wall of the mosque that faced Mecca, with the place of its mihrab, still stands inside the Christian church, along with the Almohad look of some of the vaults. That survival is the main reason to go.

The building has had a long life since. Alfonso X based his short-lived military order of Santa María de España here. In the 15th century a sacristy with Gothic vaults and rooms off the terrace, the so-called patio de armas, were added. Christopher Columbus and the mapmaker Juan de la Cosa are linked to the castle in the town’s history, and Juan de la Cosa drew his famous world map of 1500 in El Puerto de Santa María. A bust of him and a small fountain with a copy of the map stand next to the castle (Wikipedia). The castle was closed in 1868 and left empty until it was restored in the 1940s.

Today it belongs to Bodegas Caballero, and the visit mixes history with sherry. The bodega’s listing on the Andalusia tourism board describes a museum on the castle’s history, from its Roman origins to the Reconquest, and a tour that ends with a tasting of the house’s products, including its ponche and sherries. The castle also hosts events for up to 300 people, so private functions can affect the timetable.

Prices and opening

Visits are by appointment only. The timetable on the Bodegas Caballero listing, checked November 2026:

• October to June: Tuesday 11:30 in English, 12:30 and 13:30 in Spanish; Thursday and Saturday 11:30 in English, 10:30, 12:30 and 13:30 in Spanish.
• July to September: Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 11:30 in English, 10:30, 12:30 and 13:30 in Spanish, plus evening tours at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00; Tuesday 11:30 in English, 12:30 and 13:30 in Spanish.
• Standard tour: about 2 hours, 10 €.
• Tour with a five-wine tasting and appetiser: about 2½ hours, 35 €.

The castle’s own listing on the same site gives different details: audio-guide, guided and tasting visits lasting 45 minutes to 2 hours, adult prices from 6 € to 12 €, children aged 5 to 18 at 5 €, and free visits on Monday mornings. The two listings do not agree, and we could not open the castle’s website (castillodesanmarcos.com) to settle it, so confirm the time, language and price when you book by phone or email.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

From October to June there are tours on only three days a week, so plan around Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. In summer the evening tours avoid the midday heat. Combine the visit with a walk along the river front and through the old town of El Puerto de Santa María, which is full of bodegas and old palaces.

Nearby alternatives

• El Puerto de Santa María town guide, 0.6 km away: the town, its beaches, bodegas and the bay of Cádiz.
• Puerto Sherry, 3.1 km away: the marina on the bay west of the town centre.
• Puerto Real, 8.3 km away: the town on the inner bay of Cádiz.
• Cádiz town guide, 9.5 km away: the old city across the bay.
• Cádiz Cathedral, 9.7 km away: the domed cathedral on the Cádiz sea front, with a tower you climb by ramp.
• Rota, 12.2 km away: the beach town at the north-west end of the bay.

Distances are in a straight line from the castle.

FAQ

Can you visit the Castle of San Marcos?

Yes, but only on a guided tour booked in advance with Bodegas Caballero, which owns the castle. From October to June tours run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

How much does the Castle of San Marcos cost?

The standard tour is 10 € and the tour with a five-wine tasting and appetiser is 35 €, according to the Bodegas Caballero listing on the Andalusia tourism board, checked November 2026.

Are there tours in English?

Yes. Every tour day in the listing has an English tour at 11:30; the other times are in Spanish.

What is special about the castle?

It is a 13th-century church built inside a converted mosque, and the mosque’s qibla wall, the wall that faced Mecca, still stands inside.

Is there parking near the Castle of San Marcos?

Yes. OpenStreetMap shows a paid car park about 170 m south, towards the river, and others within 450 m.

Sources and freshness