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Things
to see and do in Jerez.
Jerez has that delightful quality of places to visit that makes it so
that the city is enjoyable even if you don’t get around to seeing
everything in the tourist itinerary. The visitor can just as easily
wander the tangled streets of the casco historico taking in
the atmosphere of the timeless buildings, the crumbling houses of stone
and whitewash, and the occasional forgotten corner where the essence
of Andalusia is captured by a special lighting, or the glimpse of potted
flowers in a shadowy patio behind an iron grating, a pillar of marble
where once stood a forgotten palace.
The legacies that have made famous places such as Seville, Granada and
Cordoba all have left their imprint on Jerez. Yet Jerez lacks a mosque
such as the one in Cordoba, there is no Alhambra here or a Giralda (the
minaret converted to bell tower in Seville, left behind by the Almohads).
For Roman ruins one would do better going to Seville or nearby Cadiz,
which claims itself the oldest continually inhabited city in continental
Europe.
But where Jerez stands out it is second to none. Walk around streets
such as San Blas or San Idelfonso
in the San Mateo district, calle Lealas
or calle Manuel Maria Gonzalez near the Cathedral,
and you will catch a whiff of that earthy sweet musty smell of Jerez’s
sublime contribution to viticulture, sherry wine. Pay a visit to any
number of sherry bodegas listed below, where you receive a
brief explanation about the wine making process, are invited to a sampling
of a few different sherries, and where you can also pick up some souvenirs.
If you are
short on time or don't feel like walking around, or just to get an introduction
to the history of Jerez, there is an open roofed double decker bus that
departs from Alameda Cristina regularly, making rounds
in the centre with a guided commentary and monuments of interest.
Bodegas Gonzalez Byass- By far the most famous and
most internationally recognised wine cellar for its fino, Tio Pepe.
The most thorough visit with a train tour of the vineyard, a short film,
and other curiosities such as the drinking mice (it must be seen to
be believed!) Calle Manuel Maria Gonzalez 12 Tel. 956 357 000/956
357 016. Visits about every half hour in various languages,
English tours on the half hour from 11 to 1, 2 o clock, then on the
half hour from 4 to 6. Open 7 days a week.
Bodegas Domecq- Similar to Gonzalez Byass though they
are more generous with the wine tasting! Beautiful gardens and Domecq
boasts the most beautiful wine cellar in town,
Bodega la Mezquita. Calle San Idelfonso 3 Tel. 956 15 15 00.
Visits from Monday to Friday, at 10, 11, 12, 13. Afternoons by pre-booking.
Bodegas Sandeman- Black-caped tour guides lead you
through this interesting bodega. Sandeman is also famous for its Port
wine. Handy as well if you plan on catching the horse show next door
at the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Equestre. Calle Pizarro 10 Tel.
956 15 17 00/ 956 32 39 95 for visiting times.
Bodegas Harveys- Owned by Allied Domecq and popular
for its Bristol Cream, this bodega boasts beautiful botanical gardens
complete with peacocks and alligators! Calle Pintor Cebrian Tel.
956 15 15 00 /956 34 60 00 Visits at 10 and at 12, Monday through
Friday.
Bodegas
Alvaro Domecq-This traditional bodega, one of the last in Jerez
not owned by a multi-national (controlled by the Aranda family), is
near the Riad and has excellent wines, particularly its Cream sherry.
The two o'clock tour includes an appetizer. Calle Madre de Dios s/n
Tel. 956 33 96 34. Visits from Monday to Friday 10
to 2 p.m., afternoons, weekends and holidays with previous booking.
For a more
complete listing of sherry bodegas, consult the tourist office’s
map of Jerez.
In addition to the bodega visits, there are numerous establishments
which sell vino a granel, you just bring a rinsed out container
and they will fill it up with fino, oloroso, or cream sherry, at a reasonable
price, plus you get to sample a product you certainly won’t find
outside Jerez. A few good places to buy vino a granel are on calle
San Blas, calle Muro, and Plaza Silos,
as well as Bodegas Gran Mariscal on calle
Cazon, which has good deals not only on their locally produced
sherry but on Iberian products, olive oil, cheese, etc. These last two
places are in the vicinity of the Riad.
A recommended route for someone wanting to take in the sights in the
city centre could include a visit to the Archeological museum
which among other artefacts boasts a Greek helmet from the 7th century
B.C. found in the Guadalete River (Tuesdays through Fridays, 10-2 and
4-7, Weekends 10-2:30, closed Mondays). The museum is on the palm tree
lined plaza Mercado and the nearby Iglesia
de San Mateo, a beautiful gothic church, one of the oldest
in Jerez and recently restored.This area is also where the Sunday mercadillo
or flea market is held, wander around and pick up some wonderful old
photographs of the city, antique furniture and various odds and ends.
The mercadillo is roughly from 9 to 2. Walking down calle
Liebre past the Iglesia de San Juan de los Caballeros(14th
century) you come to the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco,
housed in the pleasant Palacio Pemartin and featuring
aside from the occasional flamenco concert, a fine catalogue of writings
on Flamenco subjects, Flamenco lyrics and sheet music for guitar, and
an audio/video library with a number of performances from important
figures in Flamenco. The collection is a bit worn after so many years
but still indispensable if you are in Jerez studying guitar or dance.
There are also daily projections in its small auditorium of old documentaries
showing Flamenco artists from days past and some interesting historical
footage of the region. Open Monday through Friday, 9 to 2.
From there you could walk down calle Francos to Plaza
Plateros, a pleasant tree-lined square with numerous outdoor
cafés and bars. Near plaza Plateros is the Iglesia de
San Dionisio, built over the remains of a mosque, which can
still be discerned from its bell tower. This church gives onto one of
the more pleasant plazas in Jerez, the renaissance plaza la
Asuncion, which forms part of the town hall. Walking down the
street in the distance you’ll see the bell tower of the Cathedral,
also built upon the ruins of a mosque. From here you could either go
up calle Salvador to plazas Belen
and San Lucas, the former which will be the site for
the new Ciudad de Flamenco, a sort of interactive museum
dedicated to Jerez’s famous art. At the Hammam
Andalousi-Baños Arabes (website under construction,
but with a nice photo of the interior) at number 6 of calle
Salvador, (Tel. 34 956 349066), you can enjoy
a relaxing soak and massage in a traditional style hammam (bath),
prices start at 15 euros for a basic, one hour and a half session soak
in their three pools. Or up the slope to the gardens of the Alcazar,
an old Muslim citadel, which contains actual restored Arab baths, botanical
gardens, and the Villavicencio palace with its camara
oscura on the top floor. Through refracting mirrors an image
is projected onto a screen which is rotated to show the city center
of Jerez from its rooftops, with an interesting commentary on Jerez’s
history.
On the other side of the Alcazar you will arrive to Plaza Arenal,
where major work is being undertaken to build a subterranean parking
lot. Expect the plaza to be under construction for several years. Recently
work stopped when 12th century Muslim graves were uncovered, archaeologists
were called onto the site and are currently undertaking (no pun intended)
their research. The town hall expects to put their findings on display
in the archaeological museum sometime in the near future. Past Plaza
Arenal, going up calle San Miguel you come to the most
beautiful church in Jerez, the Iglesia de San Miguel
(15th century), with its beautiful baroque façade.
This neighbourhood may be lacking in historical monuments but is one
of the focal points, along with Barrio Santiago, for
the flamenco which has made Jerez famous. Tradition relates that two
separate bands of gypsies travelling from different points further east
arrived in Jerez and set up their camps outside the city walls, sometime
around the early 16th century. Flamenco enthusiasts will even claim
that the flamenco styles of Santiago and San Miguel are different “schools”.
One of the most famous residents to come from San Miguel, more specifically
calle Sol, was Lola Flores, the world
renowned dancer/actress/singer, whose statue by Victor Ochoa
stands in plaza Cruz Vieja. Also in San Miguel is the
small square dubbed la Plazuela, praised in many flamenco
lyrics and the home of many flamenco singers.
At the other end of calle Larga is Alameda Cristina, with several important
monuments, probably the most beautiful being Los Claustros de
Santo Domingo, currently being renovated. Nearby is the Palacio
Domecq, a fine example of a barroque aristocratic estate from
the late 18th century. A similar house built around the same time is
the Casa de Perez-Luna, which you can admire if you
are taking in tapas in the Plaza Rafael Ribero. Further
out, going east from the city centre, near the Bodegas Sandeman is the
Real Escuela de Arte Ecuestre, boasting the famous
dancing Andalusian horses. The Jerez school is matched only by the Royal
Equestrian Academy in Vienna, and Jerez was chosen in 2002 to host the
Equestrian Olympics. The show is every Thursday at 12 and on Tuesdays
you can visit the school and watch the horses practice. The beautiful
building on the school grounds is the Palacio Duque de Abrantes,
built in the 19th century by the French architect Garnier, of the Paris
Opera House fame.
Among other sites to visit there is the Palacio del Tiempo,
a museum dedicated to clocks (calle Cervantes s/n Tel. 956 18
21 00 closed Mondays) as well El Misterio de Jerez,
dedicated to the history of the city. There are pleasant gardens in
this area which also has many bodegas producing Jerez brandy. For aficionados
of the bulls, the Museo Taurino, on calle Pozo
del Olivar 6, near Sandeman, has bullfighting memorabilia and
serves meals in very traditionally decorated surroundings. Near Santiago,
on calle Taxdirt, is the Jerez Zoo,
with a small collection of animals, the most famous of which is a rare
white tiger.
Nightlife
Teatro Villamarta (Tel. 956 32 95 07) puts on seasons
with musical concerts, plays, opera, and the ubiquitous Flamenco performances.
Bereber,
the palatial bar cum discotheque near Plaza del Mercado, has regular
live music on Thursdays. Performances usually begin around 10 p.m.
Jerez has an alternative film series, called Campus Cinema,
the only opportunity you’ll have in Jerez of seeing a film in
its original language. See the upcoming events section for a full program,
and the Eat and Drink section for listings of bars. |
