Sanlúcar de Barrameda day trip from Cádiz: manzanilla and the river mouth

Manzanilla and the bodegas

Sanlúcar is the only place where manzanilla sherry is made, and the reason is the air. The town's humid microclimate, caught between the estuary and the Atlantic, gives the wine its saline character. The tourism office describes it as a dry golden wine suited to the aperitif, so order it cold, before the food arrives.

The bodegas here make the rest of the sherry range too, from amontillado and oloroso to palo cortado and moscatel, plus brandy and punch. The tourism office calls the old cellars worth a visit in themselves. Opening hours, tour times and prices differ for each house, so choose one and book directly rather than turning up.

Plan one bodega visit and one lunch, not a crawl. If you want a rehearsal before the bus, Taberna La Manzanilla in Cádiz pours the wine from the barrel, and you can compare it with what you drink at source. For the sherry map beyond Sanlúcar, the Jerez page above covers the inland side of the triangle.

Bajo de Guía and the prawns

The municipal tourism office sums the town up as famous for its langostinos, its manzanilla and its beach horse races. The prawns belong to Bajo de Guía, the low riverside quarter where people were almost exclusively fishing families, and where those families now combine fishing with restaurants built on fresh fish and shellfish. The quarter is where the prawn boats and the river meet.

Order by the plate, ask what came in that day, and pair it with manzanilla. Prices depend on the season and the catch, so none is quoted here. For a smaller bite, shrimp fritters are the classic partner, and the tortillitas de camarones page explains what a good one should look like. Bajo de Guía is also the departure point for the Doñana boat, so lunch and the river trip fit into one stretch of the day.

The old town

The town is split into the Barrio Bajo, near the river, and the Barrio Alto, on the hill. Three sights are worth the time.

• The Castle of Santiago, from the 15th century, built to defend the river mouth from pirate attacks.
• The Church of Our Lady of O, from the 14th century, with a Mudejar coffered ceiling.
• The Ducal Palace of the Medina Sidonia family, also 15th century, home of the former lords of the town.

The harbour is the other half of the story. Columbus left from Sanlúcar on 30 May 1498 for his third voyage, and in the 19th century the Dukes of Montpensier and their Sevillian court made it a summer resort.

Visiting hours for the monuments change and are listed by the tourism office, which sits on Calzada Duquesa Isabel. Check with the office which of these open on the day you travel before you plan a ticketed visit.

Doñana across the water

Across the river sits Doñana National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a refuge for the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle. Sanlúcar is one of its traditional gateways. The tourism office lists the Real Fernando, a boat modelled on the first steamboat to cross the river mouth, which starts its trip in Bajo de Guía and tours the river and its surroundings.

Departure times, trip length and price are not published on that page, so treat the boat as something to book on arrival or ahead, not as a fixed part of the plan. If you would rather stay on land, the Algaida natural park inside the municipality has free access and a pine forest much like Doñana's.

Building the day

Work back from the bus you will catch home. With the 10:00 out, you land at 11:20 and have until the 17:15 return, so lunch is the anchor.

1. Walk to the old town and the castle or the Church of Our Lady of O before the midday heat.
2. Book one bodega for late morning, and confirm its hours directly.
3. Lunch at Bajo de Guía: prawns and a cold manzanilla.
4. If the Doñana boat sails at a time that suits, take it; otherwise walk the river front.
5. Be at the stop well before the return bus, and keep a later one in mind.

Back in Cádiz, the Cádiz food guide covers where to eat when the return bus drops you at the Plaza de Sevilla. In August the town fills for the beach horse races, held in the evening at low tide, so book ahead and expect a later return.