Tourist Information from San Roque, Cádiz, Spain

General Information:

The Borough of San Roque (province of Cadiz) is situated in the Straits of Gibraltar, next to the mythical Pillars of Hercules, at the southernmost point on the Iberian Peninsula. This cultural crossroads between continents is where different civilizations have intermingled, due to the proximity of Morocco and the British colony of Gibraltar.

The municipality of San Roque, which covers a total surface area of 145 square kilometres, is a world-famous environmentally-sustainable tourist destination. This city offers visitors an enormous amount of tourist facilities, which include 9 golf courses, 11 polo fields, 2 polo clubs, a marina, tennis & paddle tennis centres, a collection of listed historical buildings, festivities such as Holy Week (declared an Event of National Tourist Interest) or the Royal Fair, large nature areas and unspoilt beaches (three featuring the Blue Flag).

San Roque has a total population of 28,120 inhabitants. One of the main features that stand out is the fact that it has the largest number of urban areas in the province of Cadiz, which make up eleven villages, apart from the monumental and historic City Centre.

Due to these singular features, the borough offers the most extensive festivities calendar in Cadiz with nine fairs and a fête, which are held between June and September each year.

Nowadays, San Roque boasts excellent communications, being only an hour away from Malaga International Airport along the Costa del Sol toll motorway or dual carriageway. Jerez Airport is also close, being only an hour away along the A-381 dual carriageway. Gibraltar Airport is just a quarter of an hour away along the CA-34 dual carriageway with direct Iberia and British Airways flights to Madrid and to the UK.

There is also a passenger ferry port at Algeciras, which is a only a ten-minute drive away along the A-7 dual carriageway, featuring regular ferries to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and the Moroccan city of Tangiers in North Africa. The RENFE railway connection links Algeciras to Ronda and Bobadilla, and from there to Madrid with Altaria express trains. In addition, San Roque has its own railway station, for both passengers and freight.

History:

At first, San Roque might seem to be just another white-washed village in the province of Cadiz, where there are numerous similarly picturesque towns with this sort of architecture. Nevertheless, San Roque features a brief, intensive and unique history, due to a series of historical events which occurred in this corner of Spain at the beginning of the 18th century.

The Noblest and Most Loyal City of San Roque, Gibraltar in Exile is the official title of this town. The Spanish City of Gibraltar in Exile was founded in 1706 by a Royal Decree by Phillip V. Despite this fact, this typically white-washed town was established by the Spanish inhabitants of Gibraltar as a refugee camp on 4th August 1704.

The foundation of the city was a historical milestone of enormous significance. A powerful Anglo-Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Rooke, took the Fortress of Gibraltar and hoisted the Union Jack during the Spanish War of Succession.

Five thousand proud Spanish Gibraltarians rejected the British offer to remain in the city, leaving in mass. They settled on this hill where the old Saint Roque Shrine, dating back to 1508, was situated, very near to the usurped city.

The inhabitants of the Rock brought all their priceless belongings with them, as well as the precious relics. Examples of the legacy of Spanish Gibraltar are proven by the Standard of Gibraltar (1502), which is said to have been embroidered by Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad), or the Royal Warrant (1502) granted by the Catholic Monarchs in which the city was given its titles, authorities and coat of arms. In addition, Saint Mary the Crowned Church houses numerous religious images from the 15th until 17th Century which were also brought from Gibraltar. The Rock’s church records from 1556 until 1704 are preserved at the temple as well. The Historical Archives contain the municipal records from Gibraltar City Council from 1502 until 1704.

The old quarter of town was declared a collection of listed historical buildings in 1975. The most notable monuments in the city are Saint Mary the Crowned Parish Church (1735), the Governor’s Palace (18th century) and the Bull Ring (1853), the oldest one in the province of Cadiz and one of the oldest ones in Andalusia. The most picturesque streets are San Felipe (ancestral homes with typical patios), San Nicolás and Historiador Montero. The most emblematic square is Plaza de Armas in which the Red Cape and Sword Technique (modern bullfighting) was invented in 1720.

Tourist Routes:

The San Roque Borough Tourist Office has designed several tourist routes to make people’s stay in the municipality more interesting as far as history, culture and gastronomy are concerned.

The first itinerary is called “The City of Gibraltar in Exile” Tourist Route and is made up of twenty of the most relevant monuments and places of interest in the City Centre and the surroundings.

The Tourist Office also organizes Guided Sightseeing Tours (please in book in advance) around the old quarter of San Roque, its three museums and the Carteya Archaeological Site. Tailor-made tours can last from two to six hours, depending on the time available.

The second walk is called the “Villages of San Roque” Historical Route, which features the other twelve borough villages.

Culinary Routes:

Four culinary routes have been created, one in each borough district.

The first one is called “Monumental Gastronomy” Culinary Route, which is focused on San Roque City Centre, where 40 establishments are available. Tapa bars, old world inns and cafés predominate in a very picturesque area and there are a wide variety of tapas to choose from.

The second one is known as the “Gastronomic Line” Culinary Route and is located in the Estación-Taraguilla-Miraflores area. This theme route is linked to the history of the railway line and the road up to Ronda. The route features 26 establishments, where traditional Andalusian cuisine stands out in restaurants and roadside inns.

The third route is called “Gastronomic Valley” Culinary Route, set in the Guadiaro-Sotogrande area, on the boundary with the province of Malaga. The gastronomic itinerary includes 90 establishments in five different villages in the area. This part of San Roque is where the largest amount of establishments are located, from premises with state-of-the-art cuisine to the most traditional recipes.

The last route is known as the “Gastronomic Bay” Culinary Route, which is located in the Campamento-Puente Mayorga area, very near to La Linea-Gibraltar. This route is made up of 25 establishments, where traditional Andalusian cuisine is on offer, as well as several premises with International cuisine.

SOTOGRANDE-SAN ROQUE

Without a doubt, the Sotogrande Residential Area is the highlight tourist product in San Roque, especially with regards to sport and residential tourism. It is no wonder then that San Roque is known as the European Golf Capital & Polo Borough Par Excellence.

This luxurious residential area features 9 golf courses, three of these are among the European Top 50 golf courses: Valderrama (number one), Real Club de Golf Sotogrande (number seven) and San Roque Club (number thirty-five, venue for the 2005 and 2006 Spanish Open).

The residential area offers 11 polo fields at Santa María Polo Club and Ayala Polo Club. The polo club is also the only one in the world to organize two International Circuit, the Silver and Gold Cups during the Summer Tournament.

Lastly, Sotogrande has an impressive and tranquil leisure port and an exclusive marina with shoreline and artificial island luxury apartments.