Segura de la Sierra

About Segura de la Sierra

Segura de la Sierra climbs a cone-shaped hill at 1,145 metres in the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park, facing El Yelmo (1,809 m). As Saqura it flourished under Moorish rule; the Order of Santiago took it in the 1240s. It became a Conjunto Histórico in 1972 and joined Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España in 2018. Under 300 people live in the village.

The castle crowns the hill, with an 11th-century bent entrance, a Mudéjar chapel, a keep and wall walks (€4.50). Below it lies a square bullring. In the village, see the 11th–12th-century Baños Árabes (free), the Moorish Puerta de Catena, the 1517 Fuente Imperial with the arms of Charles V, the Renaissance church of Nuestra Señora del Collado and the Gontar washhouse.

Segura is about 100 km north-east of Úbeda, 1 hour 30 minutes by car, and 175 km from Jaén, the last stretch on mountain roads; there is no practical bus. Park by the tourist office at the entrance and walk: the lanes are steep, stepped and cobbled, with no step-free route to the castle. Allow half a day. It suits walkers and photographers.

May, June, September and October are best; winters are cold and can bring snow. The Virgen del Rosario fiestas in early October bring bulls to the old square. Eat Segureño lamb, andrajos, ajo pringue and Sierra de Segura olive oil. Phone ahead: castle hours change with the season.

Segura de la Sierra in pictures

What you’ll find

• Car parkParkingFree
• CastleCastle entry (€4–€5, 10:00–20:30)Ticket
• ChurchChurch visitFree
• FestivalAnnual festivalFree
• Historic centreOld town walkFree
• Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
• Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
• Tourist officeVisitor information (10:00–14:00)Free
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

The Castillo de Segura de la Sierra (under 1 km) tops the village, with an 18.4-metre keep and a Mudéjar chapel. Hornos de Segura (11 km), a walled village on a rock above the Tranco reservoir, makes an easy pairing. The forest road south leads to the Río Borosa and Cerrada de Elías (36 km), a river walk on timber walkways, and on to the waterfall gorge of the Cerrada del Utrero (48 km). Iznatoraf (37 km), a walled hilltop village in Las Villas, lies on the way back towards Úbeda. A paved track climbs to the summit of El Yelmo for views over the whole sierra.