Almonaster la Real

About Almonaster la Real

Almonaster spreads over a hillside in the west of the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche Natural Park, among chestnut woods. In the 9th century al-Munastir headed its district, with a walled medina, and its mosque reused stones from a Visigothic church. Christian from the 13th century, it is a Conjunto Histórico (1982) with about 600 people in the village and 1,760 in the municipality.

A steep cobbled path climbs to the castle and its mosque: a prayer hall of brick horseshoe arches on Roman and Visigothic columns, a simple mihrab, an ablution courtyard and the minaret, now a bell tower; entry is free. A small bullring sits beside it. Below, the Gothic-Mudéjar church of San Martín, begun in the 14th century, has a Manueline doorway, a Portuguese style rare in Spain.

Almonaster is about 115 km (1 hour 40 minutes) north-west of Seville and 20 km west of Aracena. Park in the lower streets and walk up: the lanes and the mosque path are steep and cobbled, not suitable for wheelchairs. Allow two to three hours. It suits history lovers, photographers and walkers, with marked paths to the hamlets and to Cortegana.

Spring and autumn are best. The Cruces de Mayo on the first weekend of May fill the streets with fandangos, and the Jornadas de Cultura Islámica, around 12 October, bring markets and music. Try DOP Jabugo ham and chacinas and autumn mushrooms. Tip: arrive at 10:00, when the mosque opens, for the quiet.

Almonaster la Real in pictures

What you’ll find

• CastleCastle visit (09:30–18:00)Free
• ChurchChurch visitFree
• FestivalAnnual festivalFree
• Hiking trailHikingFree
• Historic centreOld town walkFree
• Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
• Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
• Tourist officeVisitor informationFree
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

The Mosque of Almonaster la Real (under 1 km) stands inside the castle directly above the village and has its own page. Just to the north-west, Cortegana (5 km) is a larger white town crowned by the Castillo de Cortegana (5 km), a Banda Gallega fortress with a keep of about 1480. East through the chestnut woods, Castaño del Robledo (8 km) has its vast unfinished church, and the Peña de Arias Montano (11 km) above Alájar is a crag with a hermitage and long views. Aroche (17 km) lies further west towards Portugal.