With more than 200,000 people, Jerez (hay-RETH, with a guttural h) is your typical big-city mix of industry and dusty concrete suburbs, but it has a lively old center and two claims to touristic fame: horses and sherry. Jerez is ideal for a noontime visit on a weekday. See the famous horses, sip some sherry, wander through the old quarter, and swagger out.
Thanks to its complicated, medieval street plan, there is no easy way to feel oriented in Jerez—so ask for directions liberally.
The helpful TI, on Plaza Alameda Cristina, gives out free maps and info on the sights (June-Sept Mon-Fri 9:00-15:00 & 17:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 9:30-14:30; Oct-May Mon-Fri 9:00-15:00 & 16:30-18:30, Sat-Sun 9:30-14:30; tel. 956-338-874, www.turismojerez.com).
By Bus or Train: The bus and train stations are located side by side, near the Plaza del Minotauro (with enormous headless statue). Unfortunately, you can’t store luggage at either one. You can stow bags for free in the Royal Andalusian School’s guardaropa (coat room) if you attend their Horse Symphony show, but only for the duration of the performance.
The center of town and the TI are a 20-minute walk from both stations. When exiting either station, keep the large parking lot on your left. You’ll soon be greeted by the gigantic statue of a headless minotaur at a traffic circle. Take the crosswalk straight over to Calle Medina and follow it faithfully. At the confusing five-way intersection, angle right on Honda, continue past a small roundabout decorated with empty sherry barrels, and go straight until you reach Plaza Alameda Cristina—the TI is tucked away on your right.
By Car from Arcos: Driving in Jerez can be frustrating. The outskirts are filled with an almost endless series of roundabouts. Continuing straight through each one will eventually bring a rail bridge into sight. Continue to follow traffic and signs to centro ciudad. The route may seem circuitous (it is), but it will eventually take you past the main TI on Plaza Alameda Cristina.
If you’re going straight to see the horses, follow the directions in the listing below; otherwise it’s best to park in one of the many underground garages and catch a cab or walk. Plaza Arenal (€1.30/hour) is the most centrally located lot, or there’s the handy underground parking lot at Plaza Alameda Cristina. For street parking, blue-line zones require prepaid parking tickets on your dashboard (Mon-Fri 9:00-13:30 & 17:00-20:00, Sat 9:00-14:00, Sun and July-Aug afternoons free).
If you’re into horses, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art (Fundación Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre) is a must. Even if you’re not, this is art like you’ve never seen.
Getting There: After passing the TI on Plaza Alameda Cristina, follow pink signs with arrows pointing to the Real Escuela de Arte Ecuestre. Parking is located behind the horse school, and one-way streets mean there is only one way to arrive. Expect to make at least one wrong turn, so allow a little extra time.
From the bus or train stations to the horses, it’s about a €5 taxi ride or a 40-minute walk.
Horse Symphony Show—This is an equestrian ballet with choreography, purely Spanish music, and costumes from the 19th century. The stern riders and their talented, obedient steeds prance, jump, hop on their hind legs, and do-si-do in time to the music, all to the delight of an arena filled with mostly tourists and local horse aficionados.
The riders, trained in dressage (dreh-SAZH), cue the horses with the slightest of commands, whether verbal or with body movements. You’ll see both purebred Spanish horses (of various colors, with long tails, calm personalities, and good jumping ability) and the larger mixed breeds (with short tails and a walking—not prancing—gait). The horses must be three years old before their three-year training begins, and most performing horses are male (stallions or geldings), since mixing the sexes brings problems.
The equestrian school is a university, open to all students in the EU, and with all coursework in Spanish. Although still a male-dominated activity, there have recently been a few female graduates. Tight-fitted mushroom hats are decorated with different stripes to show each rider’s level. Professors often team with students and evaluate their performance during the show.
Cost and Hours: The school does its Horse Symphony show Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 most of the year (also on Fri in Aug, Nov-Feb Thu only; €19 general seating, €25 “preference” seating, 1.5 hours with 15-minute intermission; no photos in show, stables, or museum; tel. 956-318-008, fax 956-318-015, tickets available online at www.realescuela.org). General seating is fine; some “preference” seats are too close for good overall views. The show explanations are in Spanish.
Training Sessions—The public can get a sneak preview at training sessions on non-performance days. Sessions can be exciting or dull, depending on what the trainers are working on. After the training session, you can take a 1.5-hour guided tour of the stables, horses, multimedia and carriage museums, tack room, gardens, and horse health center. Sip sherry in the arena’s bar to complete this Jerez experience.
Cost and Hours: €10; Mon, Wed, and Fri—except no Fri in Aug, also on Tue in Nov-Feb; arrive anytime between 11:00 and 13:00. Big tour groups crowd in at 11:00 and schedules may vary, so it’s wise to call ahead.
Spain produces more than 10 million gallons per year of this fortified wine. The name “sherry” comes from English attempts to pronounce Jerez. Although traditionally the drink of England’s aristocracy, today it’s more popular with Germans. Your tourist map of Jerez is speckled with venencia symbols, each representing a sherry bodega that offers tours and tasting. Venencias are specially designed ladles for dipping inside the sherry barrel, breaking through the yeast layer, and getting to the good stuff.
Sandeman—Just around the corner from the horse school is the venerable Sandeman winery, founded in 1790 and the longtime choice of English royalty. This tour is the aficionado’s choice for its knowledgeable guides and their quality explanations of the process. Each stage is explained in detail, with visual examples of flor (the yeast crust) in backlit barrels, graphs of how different blends are made, and a quick walk-through of the bottling plant. The finale is a chance to taste three varieties. For efficiency, first see the Horse Symphony, which ends at 13:30, then walk to Sandeman’s for the next English tour. Or do the 10:30 Sandeman’s tour before the Horse Symphony.
Cost and Hours: €7 for regular sherries, up to €21 for rare sherries, €7.50 adds tapas to the tasting, tour/tasting lasts 1-1.5 hours; English tours Mon, Wed, and Fri at 11:30, 12:30, and 13:30 plus April-Oct also at 14:30; Tue and Thu at 10:30, 12:00, 13:00, and 14:00 plus April-Oct also at 15:00; Sat by appointment only, closed Sun; tour times adjust with the horse show, call to confirm, reservations not required, tel. 956-151-710, mobile 675-647-177, www.sandeman.eu.
González Byass—The makers of the famous Tío Pepe offer a tourist-friendly tour, with more pretense and less actual sherry-making on display (that’s done in a new, enormous plant outside of town). The tourist train through fake vineyards and a video presentation are forgettable, but the grand circle of sherry casks signed by a Who’s Who of sherry-drinkers is worthwhile. Taste two sherries at the end of the 1.5-hour tour.
Cost and Hours: €12, light tapas lunch with tour-€16; tours run Mon-Sat at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 17:00, and 18:30; Sun at 12:00, 13:00, and 14:00; Manuel María González 12, tel. 902-440-077, www.bodegastiopepe.com.
Other Sherry Bodegas—You’ll come across many other sherry bodegas in town, including Fundador Pedro Domecq, located near the cathedral. This bodega is the oldest in Jerez, and the birthplace of the city’s brandy. Tastings here are generous (€8, tours run Oct-March Mon-Sat at 10:30, Sun at 12:00, additional tour July-Sept Mon-Fri at 20:00, Calle San Ildefonso 3, tel. 956-857-700, www.bodegasfundadorpedrodomecq.com).
This gutted castle looks tempting, but don’t bother. The €3 entry fee doesn’t even include the Camera Obscura (€5.40 combo-ticket covers both, Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00—or until 20:00 in mid-July-mid-Sept, Sat-Sun 10:00-15:00). Its underground parking is convenient for those touring González Byass (€1.30/hour).
Jerez’s bus station is shared by six bus companies, each with its own schedule. Some specialize in certain destinations, while others share popular destinations such as Sevilla and Algeciras. The big ones serving most southern Spain destinations are Los Amarillos (tel. 902-210-317, www.losamarillos.es), Comes (tel. 902-199-208, www.tgcomes.es), and Linesur (tel. 956-341-063, www.linesur.com). Shop around for the best departure time and most direct route. While here, clarify routes for any further bus travel you may be doing in Andalucía—especially if you’re going through Arcos de la Frontera, where the ticket office is often closed. Also try the privately run www.movelia.es for bus schedules and routes.
From Jerez by Bus to: Tarifa (1/day on Algeciras route with Comes, 2 hours, more frequent with transfer in Cádiz), Algeciras (2/day with Comes, 2.5 hours; 6/day with Linesur, fewer on weekends, 1.5 hours), Arcos (hourly, 30 minutes), Ronda (2/day, 2.5-3 hours), La Línea/Gibraltar (1/day, 2.5 hours), Sevilla (7-10/day, 1-1.5 hours), Málaga (1/day, 4.25 hours, may transfer in Sevilla), Granada (1/day, 4.75 hours).
By Train to: Sevilla (nearly hourly, 1.25 hours), Madrid (hourly, 4 hours), Barcelona (1/day, 7 hours). Train info: tel. 902-320-320, www.renfe.com.
By Car: It’s a zippy 30 minutes from Jerez to Arcos.