Guadix

Why visit Guadix

Guadix is a high plateau east of Granada city, a broad basin ringed by the north face of Sierra Nevada, the Sierra de Baza and the Sierra Arana. Over millions of years rain has carved its soft clay into badlands of ravines, ochre gullies and pinnacles, and here people have long dug their homes into the hillsides, so that thousands of cave houses are still lived in today. The comarca also takes in the Marquesado del Zenete, with its Renaissance castle and mining villages beneath the mountains. With dramatic scenery, clear skies and the chance to sleep in a cave, it suits travellers looking for somewhere genuinely different.

Main attractions in Guadix

In Guadix town, the Barrio de las Cuevas with its whitewashed chimneys sits below the Moorish alcazaba, the cathedral and the Roman theatre, and a cave interpretation centre explains how the dwellings work. Purullena is lined with cave homes and pottery stalls, while La Calahorra is crowned by its Renaissance castle-palace, with a famous carved courtyard. Nearby Gorafe has one of the largest concentrations of dolmens in Spain, set in the Gorafe desert badlands, ideal for walking and photography. From Jerez del Marquesado and Lanteira, trails climb into Sierra Nevada, and the Puerto de la Ragua is a winter base for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Cortes y Graena has thermal baths, the dark skies suit stargazing, and local tables offer migas, hearty stews and the cured meats of the high plateau.