Castillo de Belalcázar

About Castillo de Belalcázar

The castle stands on a high hill north of the town, on a site fortified since at least the 9th century. The present building was raised in the second half of the 15th century by the Sotomayor family, and a residential wing added in the 16th century gave it a more palatial air. The Junta de Andalucía bought it in 2008 and declared it a Bien de Interés Cultural in 2009.

Its trapezoidal plan has eight towers around a central courtyard with a cistern. The keep, 47 metres high, carries carved windows, corner turrets and machicolations, and the tour includes the climb to its viewpoint over the plains of Los Pedroches. Lower down, an outer wall with 21 towers in varying condition rings the hill, crossed by an old cobbled path.

Entry is free but only by guided tour of about 1 hour 30 minutes, on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, for up to 30 people. Booking through the Junta's Eventbrite page opens each Monday at 09:00 for that week. Tours meet at the Albergue Camino de Santiago on Calle del Pilar; park in nearby streets. The Junta rates access as medium to high difficulty, unsuitable for wheelchairs.

In November tours run on Saturdays at 12:30 and 17:30 and on Sundays at 10:30 and 12:30; in summer the Saturday tour moves to the evening. Wear sturdy shoes, bring water and arrive 10 minutes early.

Castillo de Belalcázar in pictures

What you’ll find

• Free entryFree visitFree
• Guided tourGuided tour (from 10:30)Book
• Tower climbTower climbTicket
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Belalcázar lies in the far north-west of Córdoba province, close to the border with Extremadura, and the castle overlooks the town's Fuente del Pilar and its old water wheel. The nearest place on this site is the Ethnological Museum of Hinojosa del Duque (9 km), in a neighbouring town known for its granite church of San Juan Bautista, called the Cathedral of the Sierra. Golfers can play at Club de Golf Pozoblanco (39 km), in the main town of Los Pedroches, and the holm-oak pastures in between are known for Iberian pigs and cured ham.