Nigüelas

About Nigüelas

Nigüelas stands at about 930 metres at the foot of Sierra Nevada, the highest village of the Valle de Lecrín. In Moorish times it was a farming hamlet, and its irrigation channels and mills are its Andalusí legacy. Much of its land lies in the Sierra Nevada National Park, and the Nigüelas fault (Falla de Nigüelas) has been a Natural Monument since 2001. About 1,200 people live here.

The Almazara La Erilla is an olive mill of the 13th to 15th centuries with animal- and water-driven mills, now an interpretation centre with tastings. The church of San Juan Bautista, begun in the 1550s, has a Mudéjar coffered ceiling. The Palacio de los Zayas, a 16th-century summer house now the town hall, has an arcaded patio, and a marble slab on the road above shows the fault.

Granada is 30 minutes away on the A-44. Buses from Granada stop by a free car park at the entrance. Streets slope but the centre is compact, and the palace patio is step-free. The mill opens Monday to Friday 9:00–14:00 and weekends 9:30–13:30; the palace is free. Allow 2–3 hours, more with the level Acequia de la Pavilla walk. It suits food lovers and families.

Spring, when the valley's orange groves blossom, and autumn are best. On 25 April villagers climb to La Razuela to eat hornazo, and the September fiestas end with the Entierro de la Zorra. Taste the local olive oil at La Erilla. The fault and the La Razuela viewpoint are a ten-minute climb from the church.

Nigüelas in pictures

What you’ll find

• Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
• Car parkParkingFree
• ChurchChurch visitFree
• FestivalAnnual festivalFree
• Hiking trailHikingFree
• Historic centreOld town walkFree
• Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
• MuseumFree museum (09:00–14:00)FreeMuseum entry (09:00–14:00)Ticket
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Nigüelas is the gateway to the Alpujarra: over the mountain, the white villages of the Poqueira gorge, Pampaneira (16 km), Bubión (16 km) and Capileira (16 km), are about an hour away by road via Lanjarón. Towards Granada, Los Cahorros de Monachil (17 km) is a gorge walk with hanging bridges, and the Alhambra and Generalife (22 km) is half an hour by car. South towards the coast, the Olive Oil Museum (18 km) at Vélez de Benaudalla continues the olive theme. Closer at hand, the Padul wetland, where mammoth remains were found, lies on the sunken side of the fault.