What to See in El Puerto de Santa Maria - Top Sights and Attractions

Medieval castle with a wine cellar. Castle of San Marcos is a medieval castle located in El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, Spain. The castle was erected as a fortified church by King Alfonso X of Castile. It was built on the site of a mosque of which the wall of the qibla survives.

Close to the castle there is a replica of the map of Juan de la Cosa and a little fountain.^[1]

Catholic church in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. The Priory Church is a minor basilica church in El Puerto de Santa María, province of Cádiz, Spain. It is documented from 1486 when the building was under construction. It was damaged by an earthquake in the 17th century and was partly rebuilt in the Baroque style. As a result of being constructed in two phases, the church contains both Gothic and Baroque architecture, exemplified in its portals.

It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural (a category in the Spanish heritage register) in 1982.^[2]

Beach

Museum in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. The Museo Arqueológico Municipal de El Puerto de Santa María is a museum located in El Puerto de Santa María, in the province of Cádiz, southern Spain. It was founded in 1980.

It contains paintings and sculptures of Francisco Lameyer, Eulogio Varela Sartorio, Enrique Ochoa, Fernando Jesús, Juan Lara, Manolo Prieto, and some works of Rafael Alberti.

Some pieces are exhibited in another building called Hospitalito.^[3]

Monastery in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. Monasterio de la Victoria is a former monastery located in El Puerto de Santa María, province of Cádiz, southern Spain. It was built in the 16th century by Dukes of Medinaceli. The buildings housed a prison between 1886 and 1981.

Its church was declared Bien de Interés Cultural on December 29, 1978.^[4]

Arena in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. The Real Plaza de Toros de El Puerto de Santa María is a bullring in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain.

Dating from the 19th century, it has an eclectic architectural style and was completed in 1880. It is the work of Manuel Portillo de Avila y Herrera. The arena is 99 metres in diameter and the central ruedo measures 60 m. It is estimated to hold 12,186 spectators, making it one of the largest rings in Spain behind Madrid's Las Ventas and the ring in Valencia.^[5]

Theater in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. The Pedro Muñoz Seca Municipal Theater is a 600-seat theater located in El Puerto de Santa María, Cadiz, Spain. It is named after Pedro Muñoz Seca, a playwright originally from the city.

The theater is located in Polvorista Plaza (Plaza del Polvorista), in a building that served as a barracks for a cavalry regiment of the Spanish Army in the 18th century. El Puerto de Santa María's former Main Theater (Teatro Principal) was destroyed in a fire in 1984; this new Municipal Theater was inaugurated on October 27, 2007.^[6]

Church

The House of Vizarrón is a house located in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 2006.^[7]

History museum