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 old town, 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 almost any street in the old centre 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.

Bodegas Gonzalez Byass- Calle Manuel Maria Gonzalez 12 Tel. 956 357 000/956 357 016.
Bodegas Domecq- Calle San Idelfonso 3 Tel. 956 15 15 00.
Bodegas Sandeman- Calle Pizarro 10 Tel. 956 15 17 00/ 956 32 39 95 
Bodegas Harveys- Calle Pintor Cebrian Tel. 956 15 15 00 /956 34 60
Bodegas Alvaro Domecq- Calle Madre de Dios s/n Tel. 956 33 96 34.

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 theArcheological 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. 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, number 6 of calle Salvador, (Tel. 34 956 349066), you can enjoy a relaxing soak and massage in a traditional style hammam (bath). 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, a lovely square with a large fountain and a good place to go catch some sun in one of the many bars. 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. 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. 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.