Benalauría

About Benalauría

Benalauría sits at about 667 metres on the western side of the Genal valley above chestnut and cork-oak woods. Berber settlers founded it in the early 8th century. After 1485 its Muslims lived on as Mudéjares under the Counts of Feria, until the Morisco revolt of 1570, when villagers attacked neighbouring Benadalid; expulsion followed. About 460 people live here.

The narrow lanes keep their Moorish plan, opening onto the small square by the 18th-century town hall. The parish church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, begun after the conquest and remodelled in the late 18th century, has three naves. The Museo Etnográfico occupies the 18th-century Molino de Calleja, an oil mill with its huge chestnut beam press intact. The old Pósito granary, with eight interior arches, explains the Moors and Christians festival.

Benalauría is 30 km from Ronda (40 minutes) on the A-369 and about 140 km from Málaga airport (2 hours). Park at the entrance by the main road; the streets are steep, stepped and cobbled, not suitable for wheelchairs. Allow two hours, more if walking. It suits walkers.

Spring and autumn are ideal. The Moors and Christians pageant fills the streets on the first Sunday of August, chestnuts are roasted on 1 November and a Genal valley craft fair is held in early December. Try chacinas, game stews and dishes with wild asparagus. Tip: phone the museum before visiting.

Benalauría in pictures

What you’ll find

• Car parkParkingFree
• ChurchChurch visitFree
• FestivalAnnual festivalFree
• Hiking trailHikingFree
• Historic centreOld town walkFree
• Local craftsCraft shoppingBuy
• Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
• Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
• MuseumMuseum entryTicket
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Just 2 km away, Benadalid has a castle whose walls now enclose the village cemetery. Across the valley, Genalguacil (6 km) is filled with outdoor artworks, and Gaucín (10 km) looks to Gibraltar from its Castillo del Águila. The Cueva de la Pileta (11 km) holds some of Europe's finest Palaeolithic cave paintings, seen on guided tours by lamplight, and the Cañón de las Buitreras (13 km) is a deep gorge of the river Guadiaro. Ronda's El Tajo de Ronda (18 km) is under 40 minutes away by car.