The city of Jerez de la Frontera it is located about 35 kilometers northeast of Cadiz and 20 kilometers from Sanlucar de Barrameda and boasts a beautiful historic center full of ancient churches and monuments but is famous above all as the land of sherry, horses and flamenco.
The historic center, the Old, is enchanting and is made up of beautiful squares surrounded by palm trees, an XNUMXth century Moorish fortress, the Salvador Cathedral, built on the site of a mosque and, surprisingly, the sherry production houses. The oldest part of the town, surrounded by ancient walls, contains splendid examples of religious and civil architecture such as the churches of San Mateo and San Lucas and the palaces of Riquelme and Permantín.
Both the word "Jerez" and "sherry" derive from the name Scheris with which the Arabs called the city and, thanks to the prosperous British investments which took place during the XNUMXth century, numerous and prestigious sherry bodegas have arisen here. In addition, the presence of a large community of gypsies, who reside in the Barrio de Santiago, has brought passions for horses and flamenco to Jerez.
Il Flamenco Festival of Jerez is held between February and March and is one of the most important in the world while the Horse Fair, which dates back to 1284, is held in the González de Hontoria park and features a livestock market, competitions and equestrian competitions.
Jerez de la Frontera is also an excellent starting point for discovering the wide beaches of the Costa de la Luz, and the so-called white villages, a good example of integrated architecture in the rugged mountain landscape. There traditional gastronomy of the city uses the wide range of local liqueur wines for the elaboration of the most typical recipes.
Thing vedere to Jerez de la Frontera
To admire the beauty of Jerez de la Frontera, we recommend a stroll in the old quarter of Old where wonderful monuments are found alongside numerous and typical bodegas, the ideal places to taste sherry.
In the old quarter of Jerez is the historic Alcazar, an 1264th century Almohad fortress, inside which there is a mezquita, that is a mosque, converted into a chapel by Alfonso X in XNUMX, the Arab baths and the XNUMXth century Palacio Villavicencio. From the walk around the Alcazar you can reach the nineteenth-century Jerez Cathedral built where the ancient Scheris mosque once stood. In the Plaza de la Asuncion you will find the wonderful Old Town Hall, the town hall, and the beautiful Iglesia de San Dionisio, built in the XNUMXth century in Mudejar style.
In gypsy neighborhood de Santiago there is the Museo Arqueologico, which houses a precious Greek helmet from the XNUMXth century BC, and the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco, a kind of museum of the famous Andalusian dance with a library, musical archives and a school. Finally, do not miss what for many is considered the most beautiful church in Jerez, the sixteenth century Church of San Miguel, in Plaza San Miguel.
A few kilometers west of the city center is the zoo, which is home to around 1300 animals.
Circuit of Jerez de la Frontera
Il Circuit of Jerez de la Frontera is one of the racetracks in Spain and is located in the province of Cadiz, in Andalusia. From 1986 to 1990 the Spanish Grand Prix races were held here, valid for the Formula 1 world championship and, in the 1994 and 1997 seasons, the European Grand Prix. The circuit is regularly used for Formula One and MotoGP tests.
Inaugurated on 8 December 1985, the circuit hosted the first Formula 1 race on 13 April 1986 and since 1989 it has hosted the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix.
The Jerez Circuit has a 4 kilometer long 428 meter track that winds its way into 13 curve, 5 on the left and 8 on the right, and is one of the most fun and exciting tracks.
On the circuit there is also a permanent exhibition with pieces belonging to sportsmen of the caliber of Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Ayrton Senna and Jarno Trulli.
The Circuit is located is easily reachable from Jerez de la Frontera airport. There are also good rail and motorway connections with the rest of Andalusia, Madrid and other Spanish cities.
Andalusian horse shows
Marvel at the abilities of the Andalusian horses at the Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza Del Arte Ecuestre (Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art Foundation) in Jerez de la Frontera.
Jerez de la Frontera events
Jerez has a party soul and its numerous festivals are proof of this. Among the most important events the Flamenco Festival of Jerez, two weeks between February and March, where not only this artistic genre is celebrated, but also includes innovative creations that explore new aesthetic and expressive ways of flamenco in the XNUMXst century.
In the first half of May the Horse Fair of Jerez, one of the most important and popular in Andalusia, declared a festival of international interest by the Spanish Secretariat for Tourism and Commerce. A week after the Feria de Abril in Seville and before the pilgrimage of El Rocío to Parque González Hontoria in Jerez, equestrian competitions are held accompanied by music, dancing, bullfights and picturesque parades.
Numerous are held in September Autumn festivals during which flamenco concerts and equestrian shows are organized and, in the Plaza de la Asuncion, one takes part in the traditional pressing of freshly picked grapes.
How to get to Jerez
You can fly to Jerez de la Frontera airport from the main Spanish and European cities, thanks above all to low cost airlines. Jerez Airport, located approximately 7 kilometers from the city center, can be reached from the N-IV.
Jerez de la Frontera is well connected by bus with the following cities: from Seville in 1h15 from Cadiz in 40 minutes. More or less the same time it takes to reach it on the train: from Cadiz in 45 minutes and from Seville in one hour and 15 minutes.
