Fuente del Rey, Priego de Córdoba

About Fuente del Rey, Priego de Córdoba

Spring water here supplied the town for centuries, and the name recalls Alfonso XI, who camped on the spot in 1341 before taking Priego. In 1802 the town council commissioned Remigio del Mármol, from Alcalá la Real, who finished it a year later. It has been a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1985 and was restored between 2017 and 2019.

Water runs through three pools at different levels, and many of the 139 spouts emerge from carved stone masks. In the first pool a lion fights a serpent, a group attributed to José Álvarez Cubero; the second holds Neptune and Amphitrite riding a chariot drawn by horses rising from the water; a cascade then drops into the third. Above stands the Fuente de la Salud, framing a figure of the Virgin.

The fountain stands in a public square at the top of Calle Río and can be visited free at any time, with no tickets or booking. The paving around the pools is level, with benches along the edge, so it suits wheelchair users and families; keep small children back from the water. Parking near Calle Río is limited. Allow 20–30 minutes.

Early morning is quietest and best for photographs. Combine it with a walk down Calle Río to the Baroque churches, the castle and the whitewashed lanes of the Barrio de la Villa, which ends at the Adarve balcony over the valley.

Fuente del Rey, Priego de Córdoba in pictures

What you’ll find

• Free entryFree visitFree
• Step-free accessAccessible visitFree

Nearby places to visit

The fountain sits at the top of Calle Río, Priego's street of noble houses, and the Adolfo Lozano Sidro House Museum (340 m) is a few minutes' walk away, as are the castle and the Barrio de la Villa. In the Subbética hills to the north-west, the Cueva de los Murciélagos de Zuheros (15 km) and the Cañón del Río Bailón (16 km) make a good day out from the village of Zuheros. The Anís Museum (19 km) in Rute and the Museum of the Passion (22 km) in Cabra are both within half an hour's drive.