Located at the entrance to the Bay of Cádiz, Rota has provided a transit point for different cultures and civilizations throughout the centuries and has been used as a commercial port since Phoenician times. Tartessos, Romans and Moors have all settled there, and finally the conquering Christians. All have left their mark on this ancient city, which has therefore accumulated a vast historical architectural heritage.

The thirteenth century walls, entered through the ancient gates of the city, the Arco de Regla, Puerta de la Villa and Puerta del Mar, conserve veritable architectural gems in their interior. The most outstanding construction in the city is the Luna Castle (declared a Site of Cultural Interest) commissioned in the thirteenth century by Guzman El Bueno, also worthy of mention is the sixteenth century church of Nuestra Señora de la O, the Capilla de la Caridad, the Torre de la Merced, the church of San Roque (all seventeenth century) and the eighteenth century church of El Carmen.

The uniqueness of its urban layout, with its ancient arches, picturesque corners and narrow streets lined with white houses, has merited the denomination of a Historic Site. A labyrinth of interconnecting streets where you can savour a cuisine closely linked both to sea and land and based on local produce, with such well-known local dishes as “urta a la roteña”. Amongst its wines perhaps the most outstanding due to its singularity is Tintilla, a sweet wine obtained from red grapes and considered a veritable oenological relic.

Rota also has a number of extensive pine forests and its historical fish pens, where an ancient fishing method has been maintained to the present day.