Canillas de Albaida
Canillas de Albaida is a small white village at 576 metres in the Turvilla valley of the Axarquía, a Moorish farmstead named Albaida, 'the white one', set wholly inside a natural park.
About Canillas de Albaida
Canillas de Albaida sits at 576 metres where the Cájula stream meets the Turvilla, below the Sierras de Tejeda and Almijara; its whole municipality lies inside the natural park. First recorded in the 13th century as Albaida, 'the white one', it submitted in 1487, and in 1569 its Moriscos joined the revolt and were defeated at Frigiliana. About 800 people live here.
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Expectación, of the 16th and 17th centuries, has a two-stage brick tower and a carved wooden ceiling. The 16th-century Ermita de Santa Ana has an open porch of round arches and an octagonal lantern; the 17th-century Ermita de San Antón has a rococo altarpiece. A small medieval bridge crosses the Turvilla on the old Camino de las Cuestas.
The village is 54 km east of Málaga, about an hour by car via the A-7, and 2 km beyond Cómpeta; the Loymer bus from Málaga ends here Monday to Saturday. Park at the edge, as the centre is narrow and stepped. Allow an hour, or half a day with a valley walk. It is not suitable for wheelchairs; it suits walkers.
Come in spring or autumn. San Antón is in mid-January, the Virgen del Rosario feria in early August, and the Candelarias bonfires on 7 and 8 September. Try potaje de hinojos, maize-flour migas, choto frito and home-made moscatel. A track up the Turvilla leads to La Fábrica de la Luz, an old power station that is now a shaded picnic area.
Canillas de Albaida in pictures
What you’ll find
- Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
- Car parkParkingFree
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Hiking trailHikingFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Tourist officeVisitor information (08:00–15:00)Free
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
Árchez (1 km) lies just downstream and is reached by an easy riverside walk; its Almohad minaret is the finest in the Axarquía. Cómpeta (2 km), the largest village on this side of the sierra, has bodegas, restaurants and the Noche del Vino in August. Westward, Salares (3 km) has a second Almohad minaret and a single-arched medieval bridge. Down at the coast, the MVVEL Museum of Vélez-Málaga (12 km) covers the history of the Axarquía's capital, and Playa de Lagos (12 km) is the nearest beach.
Canillas de Albaida at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Town
Canillas de Albaida
Address
Plaza Nuestra Señora del Rosario, 29755 Canillas de Albaida, Málaga, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. Tourist information at the town hall, Plaza Nuestra Señora del Rosario: Mon–Fri 08:00–15:00.
Prices
Free to walk around.
Website
canillasdealbaida.es
Phone
+34 952 553 006
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Canillas de Albaida, nearest first.
