Zahara de la Sierra

About Zahara de la Sierra

Zahara clings to the Sierra del Jaral above the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir, its houses stepped below a crag whose castle keep stands about 605 metres up. Taken by Castile in 1407, the Nasrid fortress was seized back by Granada in December 1481, sparking the Granada War, and fell again in 1483. A Conjunto Histórico since 1983, it has about 1,350 inhabitants.

Plaza del Rey holds the town hall and Santa María de la Mesa, a baroque church finished in 1755 with a pink marble doorway and a blue-tiled tower. Nearby stand the 16th-century Torre del Reloj and San Juan de Letrán. A path climbs past the ruined Iglesia Mayor, built on a mosque in 1407, to the free Torre del Homenaje; bring a torch for its dark stairs.

Zahara is 34 km (40 minutes) from Ronda, 98 km (1 hour 40 minutes) from Seville and 132 km from Málaga airport. Park at the entrance or on the roof of the Hotel Arco de la Villa, where the castle path starts. The path is wide but steep and unsuitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Allow two to three hours. It suits walkers, photographers and older children.

Spring and autumn are best. From mid-June to mid-September the Arroyomolinos river beach on the reservoir offers lifeguarded swimming for a small fee. Corpus Christi, in late May or June, fills the streets with greenery and flowers. Try local olive oil, payoyo cheese and chacinas from the shops on Calle Fuerte. Tip: climb to the keep in the late afternoon.

Zahara de la Sierra in pictures

What you’ll find

• Car parkParkingFree
• CastleCastle visitFree
• ChurchChurch visitFree
• FestivalAnnual festivalFree
• Hiking trailHikingFree
• Historic centreOld town walkFree
• Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
• Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
• Natural poolWild swimmingFree
• Tourist officeVisitor information (09:30–14:00)Free
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Garganta Verde (4 km), a gorge up to 200 metres deep with a griffon vulture colony, starts on the road to Grazalema and needs a free permit. Across the reservoir, El Gastor (6 km) looks over the lake from its hill, and the road over the Puerto de las Palomas climbs to Grazalema (9 km). To the north, the Castillo de Olvera (15 km) crowns the white town of Olvera, and the griffon vultures of Peñón de Zaframagón (16 km) nest on a crag beside the Vía Verde de la Sierra greenway.