Castillo de Castellar
Castillo de Castellar is a 13th-century Nasrid fortress-village on a crag in Los Alcornocales Natural Park, its walls still enclosing lived-in white lanes and views to Gibraltar and Africa.
About Castillo de Castellar
Castillo de Castellar was built in the 13th century by the Nasrid kingdom of Granada to watch the routes to the Strait of Gibraltar, and later became a Castilian frontier post. It crowns a steep hill above the Guadarranque reservoir in Los Alcornocales Natural Park. Unusually, the walled enclosure is still a lived-in village, Castellar Viejo. Protected since 1949, it was declared a historic-artistic monument in 1963.
Entrance towers with arrow slits guard a bent gateway under a horseshoe arch. Beyond the small parade ground, whitewashed lanes full of flowerpots lead past the alcázar of the Counts of Castellar with its keep, the town hall, the Baroque church of the Divino Salvador and the old cistern. Lookouts on the walls take in the reservoir, the cork forests, the Rock of Gibraltar and Africa.
There is no admission charge and the lanes can be explored at any time; some buildings are homes or holiday lets, so respect residents' privacy. Allow an hour. Cars stay outside the walls, and the cobbled lanes are steep in places, hard going for wheelchairs and pushchairs. A natural park information point stands by the castle entrance.
Spring and autumn are best, when the woods are green and the walking cool. Arrive in the morning for clear views to Gibraltar. The access road has tight bends, so drive with care.
Castillo de Castellar in pictures
What you’ll find
- Free entryFree visitFree
- Monument visitSelf-guided visitTicket
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
- Visitor centreVisitor informationFree
Nearby places to visit
The golf courses of Sotogrande and San Roque are within a short drive: The Alto Club Golf Academy (10 km), San Roque Golf Club (12 km) and Club de Golf La Cañada (13 km). The nearest beaches are on the Mediterranean side, with Playa de la Alcaidesa (16 km) and Playa del Guadalquitón (16 km) facing Gibraltar. Further afield, Castillo de Guzmán el Bueno (37 km) in Tarifa looks across the Strait to Morocco. The surrounding Los Alcornocales park has marked footpaths through some of Europe's largest cork-oak forests.
Castillo de Castellar at a glance
Location
Campo de Gibraltar, Cádiz
Town
Castellar de la Frontera
Address
Castellar Viejo (walled village), 11350 Castellar de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain
Opening hours
Inhabited walled village; lanes accessible at all times. Individual buildings have their own hours.
Prices
Free, open access
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Castillo de Castellar, nearest first.
