Carcabuey
Carcabuey is a white village of 2,300 people at 642 metres in the heart of Córdoba's Sierras Subbéticas, below a castle hill whose walls enclose the hermitage of the Virgen del Castillo.
About Carcabuey
Carcabuey lies at 642 metres in a valley between the Cabra-Luque and Rute-Horconera ranges. The Roman town of Ipolcobulcula stood here, and the Arabic name was Karkabul. The castle was a frontier fortress between Castile and Granada. About 2,300 people live in the village.
Calle Castillo climbs from the Iglesia de la Asunción, first built in the 14th century, to the castle. Inside its walls, the Ermita de la Virgen del Castillo, open all day, holds a Rococo altarpiece of about 1770 by Francisco Javier Pedrajas. Below, see the Ermita de San Marcos, the Fuente del Pilar and the Calvario viewpoint.
Carcabuey is 7 km west of Priego de Córdoba and about 95 km south-east of Córdoba, 1 hour 20 minutes by car. The short, steep castle climb is unsuitable for wheelchairs. An hour or two is enough, and the village makes a good base for natural park walks, including the path past the caliphal bridge over the Palancar.
Spring is best, when the quince trees blossom, and autumn brings the quince harvest. On Easter Sunday the Pascua de los Moraos, a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Andalucía, fills the streets, and a Toro de Cuerda honours the Virgen de la Aurora. Try carne de membrillo (quince paste), onion morcilla, potaje de habichuelas and naranja en aceite.
Carcabuey in pictures
What you’ll find
- CastleCastle visitFree
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Hiking trailHikingFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
Priego de Córdoba (7 km) is the obvious pairing, with its Barrio de la Villa, the Fuente del Rey, Priego de Córdoba (7 km) and the Adolfo Lozano Sidro House Museum (7 km). Northwards across the sierra, Zuheros (12 km) and Luque (13 km) both have castles on crags, and the Cueva de los Murciélagos de Zuheros (11 km) has guided visits into a Neolithic cave. Rute's Anís Museum (15 km) lies to the south-west, and Iznájar (21 km) looks over its reservoir from a ridge.
Carcabuey at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Town
Carcabuey
Address
Calle Castillo 14810
Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. Castle precinct and Ermita de la Virgen del Castillo: open all day. Parish churches: around service times.
Prices
Free to walk around and to visit the castle hermitage
Website
carcabuey.es
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Carcabuey, nearest first.
