White villages · Sierra de Cádiz

Bornos

Bornos is a white town of the Sierra de Cádiz on the shore of the Bornos reservoir, whose Castillo-Palacio de los Ribera joins a Moorish keep to a Renaissance palace and garden.

About Bornos

Bornos stands at about 180 metres above the Guadalete, now dammed as the Bornos reservoir, 9 km upstream from Arcos. Romans lived at nearby Carissa Aurelia, and the Moors built the castle of Fontanar, named after its springs. After the Christian conquest the town passed to the Ribera family, who made it one of their seats. Bornos is a Conjunto Histórico with about 7,500 inhabitants.

The Castillo-Palacio de los Ribera keeps the Moorish keep and a 16th-century patio with two tiers of arches round an Italian marble fountain; the tourist office is inside. Behind it the terraced Renaissance garden has pools, grottoes and a loggia whose statues are now in Seville's Casa de Pilatos. The Corpus Christi convent and the Jerónimos monastery are 16th-century.

Bornos is 43 km (40 minutes) from Jerez, 73 km (1 hour) from Cádiz and 90 km (1 hour 20 minutes) from Seville. Park in the streets around the castle. The centre is gentler than the mountain villages and the castle patio is level, though the garden terraces have steps. Allow two hours. It suits garden lovers, birdwatchers and families.

Spring is the best time for the garden; summer afternoons are hot. The reservoir is used for fishing, canoeing and birdwatching, and a 3.5 km path follows its shore. Look for olive oil and vegetables from the Guadalete valley. Tip: the castle interior closes from 14:00 to 16:00 (18:00 in summer), so arrive in the morning.

Bornos in pictures

Olive trees in front of the white houses of Bornos, with the reservoir on the horizon, Cádiz

What you’ll find

Car parkParkingFree
CastleCastle visit (10:00–18:00)Free
ChurchChurch visitFree
Hiking trailHikingFree
Historic centreOld town walkFree
Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
Tourist officeVisitor information (10:00–14:00)Free
ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Downstream, Arcos de la Frontera (9 km) lines a cliff above the Guadalete, with the basilica of Santa María on its ridge. Upstream, the Municipal Historical Museum of Villamartín (10 km) covers the history of the neighbouring town. Jerez is within easy reach: the Almohad Alcázar of Jerez (38 km) keeps a 12th-century mosque and baths, and the Circuito de Jerez Museum (29 km) tells the story of the racing circuit. The mountain villages of the Sierra de Grazalema begin about 30 km to the east.

Bornos at a glance

Category
Culture White villages

Location
Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz

Town
Bornos

Address
Plaza del Alcalde José González, 11640 Bornos, Cádiz, Spain

Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. Castillo-Palacio de los Ribera gardens: weekdays 08:00–21:00, weekends 10:00–21:00. Castle interior and tourist office: 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00 (winter) or 18:00–20:00 (summer, 18 June to 19 September).

Prices
Free to walk around; the castle-palace patio and gardens are open to the public with no listed charge.

Website
turismodebornos.com

Phone
+34 956 72 82 64

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