Montefrío

About Montefrío

Montefrío lies at 834 metres in the hills of the Poniente Granadino. In 1352 the Nasrid sultan Yusuf I fortified its crag to guard the frontier with Castile. The Catholic Monarchs took the town on 26 June 1486 and raised a church inside the castle walls. It was declared a Conjunto Histórico in 1982, and in 2015 National Geographic listed it among the towns with the best views. About 5,300 people live here.

The Iglesia de la Villa by Diego de Siloé crowns the rock and houses El Centinela, a centre on the last frontier of al-Andalus. Below it the Barrio del Arrabal keeps a Moorish plan of steep lanes, with family tombs cut into the rock. In the centre stands the Iglesia de la Encarnación, a round neoclassical church of the late 18th century modelled on Rome's Pantheon.

Granada is about 55 km away, an hour by car via the A-92 and Huétor Tájar; Málaga is 1 hour 30 minutes. Buses run from Granada three times a day. Park in the municipal car park on the south side; the centre is steep. The Iglesia de la Villa costs €2 (closed Monday) and has ramps for visitors who drive up. Allow half a day. It suits photographers and history lovers.

Spring and autumn are best; summer middays are hot. On 29 May the Fiesta del Rayo recalls lightning that struck the Iglesia de la Villa in 1766. Try choto al ajillo, papas en columpio and lomo de orza. For the classic photo, go to the Mirador National Geographic on the Tocón road in late afternoon.

Montefrío in pictures

What you’ll find

• Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
• Car parkParkingFree
• CastleCastle entry (€2, 10:30–14:00)Ticket
• 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

On the crag above the town, the Iglesia de la Villa, Montefrío (0 km) is the Renaissance church built inside the Nasrid castle. Montefrío was one link in a chain of frontier fortresses: the Fortaleza de la Mota (17 km) at Alcalá la Real was the Castilian stronghold opposite, and the Alcazaba of Loja (21 km) guarded the road to the south. Across the border in Córdoba province, the Fuente del Rey, Priego de Córdoba (21 km) is a Baroque fountain with 139 spouts. About 4 km outside town, the Peñas de los Gitanos has dolmens and a prehistoric village, visited by booking. South-east, Alhama de Granada (35 km) sits on its own gorge.