The Alcázar and the cathedral steps

The Alcázar is the oldest thing in Jerez: an Almohad fortress from the twelfth century that kept its mosque, its bath house and its walled gardens of clipped hedge, orange trees and water channels. Inside, the octagonal mosque and the vaulted baths give cool, quiet interiors with light dropping through star-shaped openings.

Step out of the gate and the ground rises to the Cathedral of San Salvador, which sits on its own wide flight of steps — the single best piece of staging in the city. A subject halfway up reads against stone and sky with nothing else in the frame, and the steps solve the height problem that flat squares always create.

The two face each other, which is useful: the cathedral front takes afternoon and evening light, the Alcázar gardens are best in the morning before the sun clears the walls. Between them, the Alameda Vieja is a shaded gravel walk with old ficus trees for a softer, greener set.

The Alcázar is a paid, ticketed monument with opening hours and its own rules for photo sessions; the steps, the square and the Alameda outside are public and free. Check the monument's terms if you want the gardens rather than just the exterior.