Across the bay from Cádiz, El Puerto de Santa María wears two hats. Its elegant old town testifies to its days as a burgeoning trading and steamer port – Columbus’ 1492 flagship, the Santa María, was from here – while its fish restaurants make a popular and hard-to-beat lunch excursion from Cádiz, Jerez or Sevilla. In summer, though, the nearby beaches rocks to some of Spain’s raunchiest nightlife. El Puerto de Santa María is also a sherry town, home to such well-known brands as Osborne and Terry, whose cavernous bodegas impart their distinctive fragrance to the narrow streets.
One of the best ways to get to the town is by boat from Cádiz. The old town lies on the northwest bank of the Río Guadalete, which flows into the Bahía de Cádiz. The town’s two beaches are on the bay: Playa de la Puntilla on the city side, and the longer Playa de Valdelagrana on the other side of the river. Several buses link the beaches with the old centre.
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