San Fernando

San Fernando is a very popular destination for those who want to enjoy a hot, beach holiday as well as those who are interested in seeing the cultural heritage of nearby Cádiz city. Boasting over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, it is no surprise that San Fernando has many hotels to accommodate the waves of tourists that come to visit.

La Venta de la Vargas in San Fernando is an intersting Venta / restaurant which is famous for being the place where flamenco sincer Camarón de la Isla started his career by playing at venues such as La Venta de Vargas, along with his life long friend Rancapino, another revered figure in the world of cante.

Situated within the Bahía de Cadiz Natural Park near San Fernando is this sandy punta (headland) of 74.5ha, created by the sea, wind and sedimentation processes at work in the Guadalete river estuary. On and around the spit are a similar flora and fauna to that found elsewhere in the park. Historically, the headland was of military-strategic importance and there are still remains of the Sancti-Petri castle.

Encompassing a 10,522ha flat landscape of sandy beaches, marshes, salt pans, freshwater lakes and tidal inlets, as well as the two natural areas of Isla del Trocadero and the Marismas de Sancti Petri, the Cadiz Bay supports a surprising wealth of wildlife, given the built-up areas that are in and around it, which make up a population of around 400,000.

The San Fernando beaches are Camposoto which is 9km long of fine, golden sand. It is well known for its excellent wind surfing conditions, thanks to the fairly strong winds on the Costa de la Luz. Playa del Castillo the beautiful 3 kilometre stretch of beach.

If you are considering visiting San Fernando you may find our maps a useful tool, we provide three maps, one of the region of Andalucia with San Fernando highlighted. The second handcrafted map gives the location of San Fernando with the corresponding local road network.

San Fernando has a lot to offer in terms of artistic worth and interesting architecture. It underwent its most rapid growth during the 18th Century and so it makes sense that its most important buildings come from that prosperous time.

San Fernando has been inhabited by settlers since prehistoric times. Relics from the Stone Age, the Palaeolithic Age, and from Roman times have been discovered there and show signs of primitive agricultural activities from very early on. The first historic finds date back to around 1,100 BC, with the arrival of the Phoenicians.

You will find the beautiful Jardín Botánico (Botanic Garden) in Calle Coghen in San Fernando. 18th-century Europe was the golden age when botanic gardens flourished throughout Europe. Important botanic gardens in the nearby city of Cadiz (in the Royal College of Naval Surgeons).

The town of San Fernando, often referred to as La Isla del Sur (the Island of the South), is not actually an island but a small peninsula, set within the stunning setting of the Bay of Cadiz. Covering an area of some 30 km2, it is connected to Cadiz City by an eight kilometre strip of land and for centuries was connected on the rest of the mainland only by the Zuazo bridge. It is an important Andalucian town, with a population of close to 100,000.