The town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, 10 kilometres from Cadiz, is best-known for being the third town in the ‘Sherry Triangle’, also comprising of Jerez and Sanlucar.

It was also the port from which Colombus sailed on his second voyage to the Americas: El Puerto came to prominence in the 18th Century as a place where seeds were brought from the New World.

This made the town very prosperous and it became known as the cuidad de los cien palacios, the city of the hundred palaces. Indeed, in addition to its many Majestic casas grandes, El Puerto de Santa Maria also boasts a medieval castle, many splendid churches, and Spain’s most prestigious bullring after Madrid and Seville. Much of the town is very pretty and picturesque: traditionally Andalucian, with white-walledstreets and flowers tumbling from windowledges.
 
Bodegas
Like Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Maria has many bodegas open to the public, the most famous of which are Osborne and Terry. Both of these, named after Irish merchants who settled here, export sherry and brandy worldwide. In the cellars of El Puerto, the dry, pale sherry known as Fino, along with Muscatel and Oloroso, are produced using traditional methods.
The Osborne bodega offers daily tours at 10.30am. You can book by calling 956869100, or ask for more information in the tourist office

Beaches
El Puerto de Santa Maria is also home to several clean and attractive beaches, the best of which are Vistahermosa, Valdelagrana, and La Puntilla. Valdelagrana and La Puntilla are said to be the best of the bunch, but in the summer months they can become very crowded, and if you don’t care much for lively bars and discos you should avoid Puntilla and Valdelagrana in favour of Playa Santa Catalina, a little further west.
In July and August there are evening boat trips around the bay. They begin at 9.45am, last for 90 minutes and cost five euros. All details can be given by the tourist office, which also produces a handy map of the town, all its palacios and other key
attractions.

Eating and Drinking
El Puerto de Santa Maria also has some of the best seafood restaurants on the Costa de la Luz, Apart from the bars lining the beaches of Puntilla and Valdelagrana, many of the best tapas and seafood bars can be found on the Ribera del Marisco, a street upstream from the ferry dock near to the Plaza de la Herrería. Try Restuarant Andaluz in Avda. Michaela Aramburu - fabulous local fayre!

Ferias and Fiestas
El Puerto de Santa Maria is quite lively and is home to many fiestas and ferias. The ones worth noting are the Feria de Primavera, held on the fifth or sixth week after Easter, and the Feria del Vino in mid-May.
This sees 180 thousand bottles of sherry drunk in four days, complemented by people dancing Sevillanas in the street. Semana Santa in El Puerto is as lively as any Spanish town, with processions daily from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and like other towns on the costas, the town also celebrates the Hogueras de San Juan on June 23rd with midsummer bonfires and fireworks on the beaches.

Finally, on 16 July El Puerto celebrates the Dia de la virgen del Carmen, a patron saint whose statue is taken from the church, carried into the sea on board a fishing boat, and paraded around the town.

Things to see   -  Churches, Monasteries,
Museums and more:

•El Puerto’s plaza de toros dates back to 1880 and seats 15 thousand people.

•Iglesia Mayor Prioral, a baroque and gothic church dating back to the 13th century

•Castillo de San Marcos, built in 1364 over the remains of a 10th century mosque.

•Casa de la Marquesa de Candia- showing archaeological finds from the local area, and artwork

•Fundacion Rafael Alberti (www.rafaelalberti.es) which is a museum dedicated to El Puerto’s artist and poet, friend and associate to other Spanish greats such as Lorca and Picasso.

•Monastery of the Victory (early 16th century

•Hermitage of Santa Clara (16th-18th century)

Casas de Palacios:

•Palace of Aranibar
•Palace of Almirante Valdivieso
•Palace of Imblusqueta
•Palace of Marqués de Villarreal y Purullena
•Casa Vizarrón (Casa de las cadenas)