Setenil de las Bodegas
Setenil de las Bodegas is a white village in the Sierra de Cádiz built into the gorge of the Río Trejo, its houses tucked under rock overhangs below the keep of an Almohad fortress.
About Setenil de las Bodegas
Setenil lies at about 640 metres in the narrow gorge of the Río Trejo, where people dug homes into the cliffs, so many houses have rock for a roof; a 5,000-year-old figurine, the Damita de Setenil, shows how early the shelters were used. Its Almohad fortress resisted several sieges until 21 September 1484. A Conjunto Histórico since 1985, it has about 2,600 inhabitants.
Calle Cuevas del Sol and Calle Cuevas de la Sombra, where the rock closes overhead, are the famous streets. On Calle Villa, the early 16th-century old town hall, now the tourist office, has a Mudéjar ceiling. Above it the Almohad Torreón del Homenaje (€2) has a roof terrace facing Olvera, and the late Gothic Encarnación church, finished in 1614, stands on the mosque.
Setenil is 19 km (30 minutes) from Ronda, 91 km (1 hour 50 minutes) from Málaga airport and 115 km (2 hours) from Seville; buses run from Ronda. Leave the car in the signed car parks on the edge, eight minutes' walk away. The cave streets are fairly level, but the keep and church involve steep slopes and steps. Allow two to three hours. It suits photographers, families and tapas fans.
Come in spring, autumn or on a winter weekday. In Holy Week two old brotherhoods, Los Blancos and Los Negros, carry their images through the lanes. Eat in the cave bars, where tapas of local chacinas, olive oil and payoyo cheese are standard. Tip: at weekends arrive before 11:00 to find parking.
Setenil de las Bodegas in pictures
What you’ll find
- Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
- Car parkParkingFree
- CastleCastle entry (€2)Ticket
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
- Tourist officeVisitor informationFree
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
Setenil sits on the edge of the Serranía de Ronda. El Tajo de Ronda (14 km), the gorge that splits Ronda in two, and the Arab Baths of Ronda (14 km) make an easy pairing. The hill town of Olvera (11 km) is crowned by the Castillo de Olvera (11 km), and its old railway is now the Vía Verde de la Sierra. El Gastor (13 km) looks out over the Zahara reservoir, and Cueva de la Pileta (21 km) near Benaoján holds Palaeolithic paintings of horses and fish, visited on small guided groups.
Setenil de las Bodegas at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Location
Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz
Town
Setenil de las Bodegas
Address
Plaza de Andalucía, 11692 Setenil de las Bodegas, Cádiz, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. Torreón del Homenaje and tourist office (old town hall, Calle Villa): daytime hours, which vary by season; check with the tourist office.
Prices
Free to walk around; Torreón del Homenaje €2.
Website
turismodesetenil.com
Phone
+34 956 13 40 04
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Setenil de las Bodegas, nearest first.
