Huelva is situated in Andalusia along the Gulf of Cadiz. It is only about 25 miles from the Portuguese border. There has been a city here since the times of the Phoenicians and it was an important port during the Roman occupation of Spain.
Football fans might be interested to know that the city is home to Spain’s oldest football club, Recreativo de Huelva. The club was founded in 1889 by workers from the British mining company Rio Tinto Zinc, which operated copper mines in the area at the time.
There is a long tradition of flamenco music in the area and Huelva has many clubs and bars where you can see and hear authentic flamenco.
The main shopping streets in Huelva are pedestrianised. As can be expected there are many shops selling flamenco clothing. The El Carmen fish market has a huge "pescadería" section and most of its shellfish and fish are caught locally. A street market is held every Friday, not far from the city centre, where there is a variety of new and second hand goods for sale.
An interesting tale from the World War II days is that of the fictitious major William Martin of the Royal Marines. The Allies devised a plot to plant false information on a body which would be allowed to wash ashore at a place where it would be discovered by the Germans. The body was washed ashore at Huelva and was buried in the Catholic cemetery there. A 1956 film “The Man Who Never Was” tells the story.
The long hot summers in Huelva mean that the beaches in the area attract many tourists. The beaches along this stretch of the coast are sandy and generally backed by dunes and pine woods.
