Jerez de Frontera  

 Pescara | Poitiers | Carcassonne | Aarhus

FLAMENCO, dancing horses and heat - an average summer day hits 30C - are all good reasons to come to Jerez de la Frontera. The big attraction, though, is alcoholic: sherry.

Sherry so dominates Jerez - you can smell it in the streets - that to leave without visiting a bodega (wine cellar) would be perverse. All five bodegas in the centre run tours: at González Byass, the Tio Pepe estate, a cheesy film reincarnates long-dead Uncle Pepe, complete with an Irish brogue for English-speakers. The vault-like stores, by contrast, exude authenticity, age and impressive vapours.

To experience the importance of horsemanship in Jerez, visit the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, where dressage reaches Olympic levels. A twice-weekly show (Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon; £11.50) sees straight-backed riders make the high-stepping beasts dance to music, heads bowed like sea horses. On other days, you can watch them train (11am-1pm).

Those with gypsy leanings should seek out flamenco, for which the Jerez tourist board publishes listings. I joined half the town outdoors at Cine Astoria to watch dark-haired men playing guitars belting out heart-rending melodies and doing the paso doble. The audience loves it and claps, flaps fans and olés in encouragement.

Jerez also has some architectural extravaganzas - there's the sandcastle-like Alcázar (Moorish fort), with camera- obscura views of the chalky vineyards around town, and the huge, 18th-century stone cathedral, a clumsy mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles (on

September 8, a grape-crushing festival takes place out front). Overall, though, the town is pleasant but unspectacular: the living culture is the draw.

Hang with locals in the tapas bars and, after 8pm, on the pedestrianised Calle Larga or on the palm- and lime-tree-lined cobbled squares, which host regular musical events (try Plaza General Primo de Rivera). Or sit on a wrought-iron bench, watching the world float by in a sherry haze, and wonder why Brits only drink the stuff at Christmas.

Two days is a good length of stay. If you have more time, head for Cádiz, a 40-minute air-conditioned train ride away, for the coastal breeze, the beach, seafood and whitewashed architecture.

Getting there: Buzz (0870 240 7070; www.buzzaway.com) flies every day to Jerez from Stansted; from £65 return. The flight takes about three hours. A taxi into town takes 15 minutes (about £6.50). There's no airport-bus service.

Getting around: car hire is available (Europcar, Hertz), but it's hardly necessary: the centre is all walkable, trains are cheap (£1 for a return trip from Jerez to El Puerto de Santa María) and taxis are reasonable.

Where to stay: several good, small, air-conditioned hotels are clustered between Calle Arcos and Calle Medina, within walking distance of the attractions. Hotel Avila (00 34 956- 334808) has ensuite doubles from £28. The more characterful Hotel Nova (332138) has rooms from £26. Further south, on Calle Caballeros, is the friendly Nuevo Hotel (331600; £24), in an old mansion.

The smart hotels are in the suburbs, which is a pain. Hotel Royal Sherry Park (Alvaro Domecq; 317614; from £67) is the nearest, but despite a nice pool, it's unexciting and still a taxi ride from the centre.

Where to eat and drink: Spaniards bar-hop into the night, nibbling tapas as they go. Try pork of almost any description, gazpacho or seafood in any of scores of central tapas bars. One lovely bar, which is also a budget restaurant, is Las Almenas; it's opposite Bar Juanito, which has the best tapas in town. They're both off the road on Calle Pescadería Vieja, off Plaza del Arenal.

La Carboná restaurant (Calle San Francisco de Paula; 347475) serves serious seafood in a former bodega with occasional flamenco. Take a taxi to one of the best restaurants, La Mesa Redonda (Calle Manuel de la Quintana; 340069).

Further information: from the Jerez tourist office, Calle Paul (331150).

Back to Low Cost Travel Links