Jerez de la Frontera, or simply Jerez, is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain.
Jerez has a reputation as the world capital of sherry wine (together with Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María). Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes grown near the town of Jerez. Jerez has been a centre of viniculture since the Phoenicians introduced winemaking to Spain in 1100 BC.
Jerez, the city where flamenco singing began, is also proud of its Andalusian Centre of Flamenco. It was founded in 1993 to safeguard and promote the values and standards of flamenco.
The city of Jerez is the first motorcycling world capital. It is the site of Circuito de Jerez, formerly called the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, where the annual MotoGP Motorcycle Grand Prix is contested.
Main attractions
Jerez de la Frontera Cathedral is a Catholic church – it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Asidonia-Jerez. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931. Built in the 17th century, it is a mix of Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical style. It was elevated to the rank of cathedral in 1980.
The cathedral is on a central plan with a nave and four aisles of uneven height. The building is supported externally by normal and flying buttresses and crossing the transept is a dome.
The interior houses a Virgin Mary by Francisco Zurbarán, and a late 15th-century Gothic Crucifix (named Cristo de la Viga).
The Church of Saint Michael was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931.
The Church of Saint Michael started its life in the end of the 15th century. A plaque at the door of its Gothic facade is dated 1484. It is believed that the church was commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs when they visited the city in 1484. Previously, the area was served by an old hermitage. Its construction, however, would last several centuries resulting in an excellent cathedral-like set where latest gothic elements and other ones typical from beginning and full renaissance and baroque.
The Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera or Charterhouse of Santa María de la Defensión is a monastery . Its architecture is of a Late Gothic style, corresponding to the start of construction in the 15th century, with Baroque aspects dating from the 17th century. The building, completed in the 17th century, has been protected by the Spanish government since the mid-19th century under a heritage listing.
San Marcos is a Gothic church was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931.
The church originates from one of the six parishes founded by King Alfonso X of Castile after his conquest of the city in 1264. The current edifice was likely started in the mid-14th century, due to the style of its polygonal apse and the Mudéjar portal, perhaps above a pre-existing mosque. The construction is anyway not documented until the middle of the 15th century, including a substantial renovation in late Gothic style.
The Domecq Palace, old Palace of Marqués de Montana was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 2002.
Palacio de Campo Real was built from 1545. It has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural site.
The Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Jerez de la Frontera occupies an 18th-century building which was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1962. It was established in 1873 as the Municipal Archaeological Collection, merging collections donated by wealthy individuals, and based at the Old City Hall of Jerez de la Frontera. The museum opened to the public in 1935. The collection includes a Corinthian helmet, extremely rare in Spain, found near the city’s Charterhouse by the river Guadalete. The collection also includes Roman ceramics and other items.
The Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera is a former Moorish alcázar, it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931. The first fortress was probably built in the 11th-century, when Jerez was part of the small kingdom of the Taifa of Arcos de la Frontera, on a site settled since prehistoric times in the south-eastern corner of the city. In the 12th-century, a new structure was erected to be used as both residence and fortress by the Almohad Caliphate. Later, after the Reconquista, it was the seat of the first Christian mayors and its development continued with a palace and other structures. The alcázar is one of a few structures that best exemplify Almohad architecture in the Iberian Peninsula.
Cuisine and restaurants
Its gastronomy is characterized by the tapas culture. Typical dishes of the gastronomy of Jerez de La Frontera are chicharrones, bull’s tail, hot garlic, kidneys with sherry, Andalusian gazpacho, Jerez cabbage, tagarninas and artichokes with sherry. Jerez is the place of excellence for fine wines, amontillados, odorous wines and musts (the latter only in season). As for desserts, it is the cradle of the sky bacon, which has been produced since the 14th century.
There are six Michelin list restaurants in the city:
- Mantúa, Plaza Aladro 7, 85 – 105 EUR • Modern cuisine (One star)
- LÚ Cocina y Alma, Zaragoza 2, 95 – 155 EUR • Modern cuisine (One star)
- La Carboná, San Francisco de Paula 2, 40 – 85 EUR • Contemporary cuisine
- Albores, Consistorio 12, 30 – 40 EUR • Traditional cuisine
- A Mar, Latorre 8, Jerez de la Frontera, 35 – 50 EUR • Traditional cuisine
- Albalá, Divina Pastora, 20 – 45 EUR • Modern Cuisine
Shopping
Jerez has always been an important trading city in which the most traditional products and ancient crafts can be found (barrel-making, wicker work, items related to wine or flamenco, saddling), with the many boutiques and companies where you can find the most exclusive of these products.
Street markets: Lancería. On Sundays between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm. a bustling street market takes place. Calle Lancería.
Transport and how to get to?
El Aeropuerto de Jerez, also known as Aeropuerto de La Parra, is the main airport in the province of Cádiz. It is located 8 km north of the city centre and is connected to the city by train and bus.
Next to the Aeropuerto de Jerez, there is a new train station which connects the airport through the Cercanías Cádiz line C-1 to nearby Jerez, and also to Cádiz, Seville, Lebrija, Utrera, El Puerto de Santa María, and San Fernando.
Distance by car:
- From Seville 1 hr 4 min (90.7 km) via AP-4
- From Cádiz 31 min (36.2 km) via AP-4
- From Madrid 5 hr 59 min (618 km) via A-66 and A-5
Main information
Area: 1178 sq. km (municipality)
Coordinates: 36°42′00″N 6°07′00″W
Population: 213 105
Languages: Spanish
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
See also Pyrenees travel guide
See also France travel guide
See also Andorra travel guide
