Olvera
Olvera is a white hill town in the north-east of the Sierra de Cádiz, crowned by a medieval frontier castle and a neoclassical church on a ridge about 640 metres up.
About Olvera
Olvera spreads down a ridge at about 640 metres above a sea of olive groves. Its castle, built at the end of the 12th century, later guarded the Nasrid frontier of Granada until Alfonso XI took the town in 1327. The walled Barrio de la Villa round the castle is the oldest quarter. Olvera has about 7,800 inhabitants and is known for its Sierra de Cádiz olive oil.
The castle and the museum La Frontera y los Castillos in La Cilla, the old tithe barn on Plaza de la Iglesia, share a €2 ticket. The Encarnación church beside them was finished in 1843 over a Gothic-Mudéjar church (€2). Calle Llana has manor houses, and the Peñón del Sagrado Corazón is a free viewpoint.
Olvera is 51 km (50 minutes) from Ronda, 101 km (1 hour 40 minutes) from Seville and 103 km from Málaga airport; buses stop at the bus station. The upper town is very steep: park in Calle Lepanto or on the church road and walk. The castle has steep stairs and the old quarter is cobbled, so wheelchair access is limited. Allow two to three hours. It suits cyclists, walkers and history lovers.
Spring and autumn are best; in summer visit the castle early. The Romería del Lunes de Quasimodo, the second Monday after Easter Sunday, heads out to the Santuario de los Remedios. Buy extra-virgin olive oil from the cooperatives. The Vía Verde de la Sierra greenway runs from the old station to Puerto Serrano. Tip: buy the castle ticket at the tourist office in La Cilla.
Olvera in pictures
What you’ll find
- Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
- Car parkParkingFree
- CastleCastle entry (€2, 10:00–19:00)Ticket
- ChurchChurch entry (€2, 10:00–13:00)Ticket
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Hiking trailHikingFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
- MuseumMuseum entry (€2, 10:00–19:00)Ticket
- Tourist officeVisitor information (10:00–19:00)Free
- ViewpointSightseeing (10:00–18:00)Free
Nearby places to visit
The town's own Castillo de Olvera has its own page, with details of the combined ticket for the castle and La Cilla. Along the Vía Verde de la Sierra, the griffon vultures of Peñón de Zaframagón (11 km) can be watched from an observatory with a live camera. El Gastor (10 km) and Setenil de las Bodegas (11 km), with its houses built under the rock, are the nearest white villages, while Zahara de la Sierra (15 km) and the gorge of Garganta Verde (18 km) lie a little further south-west.
Olvera at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Location
Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz
Town
Olvera
Address
Plaza de la Iglesia, 11690 Olvera, Cádiz, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. Castle and La Cilla museum: daily 10:00–19:00 (summer 10:00–20:00). Iglesia de la Encarnación: Tue–Sun 10:00–13:00. Santuario de los Remedios: Tue–Sun 09:00–14:00 and 16:00–19:00 in winter. Peñón del Sagrado Corazón: daily 10:00–18:00 (summer to 20:00).
Prices
Free to walk around; castle and La Cilla museum €2 combined; Iglesia de la Encarnación €2; Santuario de los Remedios free.
Website
turismoolvera.es
Phone
+34 956 12 08 16
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Olvera, nearest first.
