Medina Sidonia

About Medina Sidonia

Medina Sidonia crowns an isolated hill above the farmland of La Janda, with views to the Atlantic. Phoenicians and Romans settled here; Roman Asido Caesarina minted its own coins, and Moorish Madinat Shidhuna gave the town its name. Castile took it in the 13th century, and from 1445 it gave its title to the Dukes of Medina Sidonia. It has about 11,800 inhabitants.

At the top, the Iglesia Mayor de Santa María la Coronada, a Gothic church on the site of the main mosque, has a carved choir of 1732 and a Last Supper by Roque Balduque. Beside it the castle hill shows Roman, Moorish and medieval walls (€2). Below, the 10th-century Arco de la Pastora and the Puerta de Belén survive from the Moorish walls, and Roman sewers run under the town.

Medina is 43 km (45 minutes) from Cádiz, 36 km (40 minutes) from Jerez and 121 km (1 hour 30 minutes) from Seville, with buses from Cádiz. Park in the lower town and walk up: the streets to the church and castle are steep and cobbled. Allow half a day. A €5 combined ticket covers the castle, the Roman galleries and the ethnographic museum. It suits history lovers and families.

Spring and autumn are best; in summer climb early or at dusk. The main fiestas are held in July. Buy alfajores, amarguillos and tortas pardas from the confectioners on Plaza de España, and try retinto beef or oxtail in the town's restaurants. Tip: buy the combined ticket at the tourist office before heading uphill.

Medina Sidonia in pictures

What you’ll find

• Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
• CastleCastle entry (€2, 10:00–14:00)Ticket
• ChurchChurch visit (11:00–19:00)Free
• Guided tourGuided tourBook
• Historic centreOld town walkFree
• Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
• Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
• MuseumMuseum entry (10:00–14:00)Ticket
• Tourist officeVisitor information (10:00–14:00)Free
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

The town's Roman sewers and galleries are shown at the Museum and Archaeological Complex of Medina Sidonia, a short walk from Plaza de España. Alcalá de los Gazules (18 km), a white town on the edge of the Los Alcornocales cork-oak park, and Vejer de la Frontera (23 km), with its four town gates, are the natural next stops. Towards the coast, the Chiclana Museum (20 km) covers the history of Chiclana, and Playa de la Barrosa (25 km) is a long beach of fine sand with shallow water.