Museum and Archaeological Complex of Medina Sidonia

About Museum and Archaeological Complex of Medina Sidonia

The Museo y Conjunto Arqueológico Romano lies under the streets of Medina Sidonia, the hilltop town in the La Janda district of Cádiz province, with its entrance on Calle Ortega. It preserves part of Asido Caesarina, the Roman town laid out here in the 1st century AD, and a small museum explains the town's development.

The heart of the visit is underground. About 20 metres of 1st-century galleries survive, part of the town's drainage system: sandstone walls under barrel vaults, over a floor sealed with lime and crushed pottery. The large collector sewers ran along the edge of the town, fed by smaller drains from the houses. There are also Roman rooms, a cryptoporticus and a stretch of paved Roman street, found in 1997 about four metres below Calle Álamo.

The structures were found in 1969 and emptied without proper archaeological method, then left abandoned until the town and the regional culture ministry began research and restoration in 1991. Visits are guided and take about an hour; check current times and tickets with the town's tourist office before going.

The galleries stay cool all year, but the town's steep lanes are best walked in spring or autumn. Book a morning visit and explore the hilltop town before the midday heat.

Museum and Archaeological Complex of Medina Sidonia in pictures

What you’ll find

• Museum exhibitionExhibition visitTicket
• Museum galleriesMuseum visitTicket
• Museum guideGuided tourBook

Nearby places to visit

Medina Sidonia sits between La Janda and the Bay of Cádiz. To the south-east, Benalup Golf & Country Club (17 km), now part of the Fairplay resort, looks across the La Janda valley towards Los Alcornocales. Heading west, Villanueva Golf & Croquet (19 km) in Puerto Real is a par-71 course shaped around water. Chiclana de la Frontera has three stops: Club de Golf Campano (20 km), an 18-hole layout among stone pines and olive trees; the Chiclana Museum (20 km), the town museum on the Plaza Mayor; and Golf La Estancia (22 km), another golf option. Chiclana makes an easy afternoon after the Roman galleries.