Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera is a city located within the province of Cadiz, in the southwestern part of Spain. It is considered as the transportation and communications center of the province. Because it is located in a fertile part of the region, agriculture is also a major sector in the city.

Sights & Activities

Anyone who is interested in witnessing how the Flamenco dance is properly executed should stop by this city. Jerez de la Frontera has a long tradition that celebrates this particular dance and is the home of the Andalucian Flamenco Foundation. The foundation is housed within the beautiful 18th century Palacio de Pemartin, situated on Plaza de San Juan. The foundation aims to promote flamenco through raising public awareness by means of displaying related items and presenting videos. Entrance to its museum is free.

There is another interesting museum in the city, the Museu de Reloj or the Clock Museum. It is housed within the La Atalava Palace on Calle Leales and showcases more than 300 clocks that date from the 16th to the 19th centuries. These valuable timepieces were collected from all over the country and the rest of the continent.
On the northwestern part of the city and situated at the Plaza del Mercado is the Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Jerez, which contains numerous artifacts, some of them prehistoric, collected from around the city and the region.

Along Calle Pizarro is the Real Escuela de Arte Equestre, an equestrian school that is housed in a 19th century mansion that was designed by Garnier, the same person who designed the Paris Opera in France. Visitors are allowed to tour the premises and its stables, as well as view its ‘Equestrian Ballet’ that is presented every Thursday.

At the Plaza de la Encarnation is the Cathedral of San Salvador, a Baroque structure that was completed in the 18th century on the site of an earlier mosque. Visitors who stop by this attraction should not miss the 14th century painting made by Zurbaran, the ‘La Virgen Nina.’ Visitors can also climb up its bell tower where spectacular views of the city can be had.

Within the old part of the city is an 18th century house that contains Arabic baths. These structures are remnants of the time when Jerez de la Frontera was still under Muslim rule and still serve its functions up to the present times.

In the western part of Jerez de la Frontera is the Parque Zoológico, considered to be largest in Andalucia. This family-friendly destination is also associated with the city’s Botanical Garden, which cultivates numerous species of plants found in the region.
Beyond the boundaries of the city and located a few kilometers southeast is the former Carthusian monastery where the ‘Carthusian’ breed of horses were first produced.

Weather

Winters in Jerez de la Frontera is mild with the frequent occurrence of rain showers. This weather is typical of a Mediterranean climate which also brings hot summers days that experiences rare to no precipitation at all. Because of this, a lot of visitors come to the city during these times. Autumn is signaled by the gradual changing of leaf colors and the city becomes comfortably pleasant again. The same can be said of the spring months of May to June, though the leaves do not change its colors and the flowers in the surrounding countryside begin to bloom.