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Website. Official website. Zahara de la Sierra is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the hills of Andalusia, southern Spain. It is perched on a mountain, overlooking a valley and a man-made lake formed by the dam that must be driven over to access the town. It is considered to be one of the pueblos blancos or "white towns" because the ...
- Map of Things to Do in Zahara de La Sierra Cadiz
- 15 Things to Do in Zahara de La Sierra
- Hiking in Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema
- Where to Stay: The Best Zahara de La Sierra Hotels
- History of Zahara de La Sierra
- Festivals and Events in Zahara de La Sierra
- Where to Eat in Zahara de La Sierra
- How to Get to Zahara de La Sierra
- Parking in Zahara de La Sierra
- When to Go: Zahara de La Sierra Weather
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Wander the Town Centre
As with most of the pueblos blancos, the first thing you should do in Zahara de la Sierra is take off on an informal walking tour of the old town, which was named a National Historic and Artistic Sitein 1983. The Plaza Mayor represents the town centre and there are excellent views of the square from the 16th century clocktower (Torre del Reloj), as well as the lake and surrounding countryside from the nearby mirador. The Puerta de la Villa is an important and photogenic spot, there are some f...
Climb to the Zahara de la Sierra Castle
The first thing you’ll notice when approaching Zahara de la Sierra is the spectacular 13th century Nasrid castle perched at the very top of the rock. The entire complex includes the ruins of a former town (“Villa Arabe” or “Villa Medieval”), abandoned in the 17thcentury, and covers an impressive 6 hectares at the highest part of the town. Highlights of the Zahara de la Sierra castle are the Torre del Homenaje, a former defensive fortification that now provides the best angle for views down ov...
See the Views from the Alameda de Lepanto Viewpoint
Located at the bottom of town just off the road from Olvera, the lovely Alameda de Lepantoviewpoint offers up the best look at the majesty of Zahara de la Sierra itself. It is very informal, with no entrance fee and no specific viewing platforms but the image of Zahara spilling down the side of the mountain is well worth a stop. And there are great views of the Zahara de la Sierra lake on the other side.
Because of its close proximity to the famous Spanish protected area of Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema, also referred to as Grazalema Natural Park, we felt that hiking near Zahara de la Sierra deserved an entire section on its own. This huge, pristine protected area covers 52,000 hectares and is known for its spectacular limestone mountains, dra...
Accommodation in the pueblos blancos is very affordable by European standards. There are many excellent value hotels and apartments for rent in Zahara de la Sierra. TUGASA Hotel Arco de la Villais conveniently located at the bottom of the trail to the castle, just up from all the bars and restaurants around the church. Both the rooms and restaurant...
Dating all the way back to the 13thcentury, Zahara de la Sierra was built as a defensive frontier town by the Nasrids to protect their empire from the Christians. It worked, but only for so long, as it eventually capitulated to the Christians in 1407. Of course, that only lasted about 75 years before it changed hands back again before, eventually, ...
Every June, local zahareños enthusiastically celebrate the Fiesta of Corpus Christi, extensively decorating their homes and businesses with various branches, rushes, palm leaves and other random shrubberies. The idea is to make the town look like the country. Not sure if cow dung is shipped in for the event or not. Either way, this big festival has...
Zahara de la Sierra is known for a variety of local dishes featuring tomatoes and asparagus, topped off by a dessert of local cream puffs known as “cuernos” (horns). As for where to try these local specialties: Just out of town on the Paseo del Fuente,Los Tadeoshas great terrace views of the Rio Bocaleones. The restaurant at Marques de Zahara in th...
Zahara de la Sierra is easily accessible by car from several main centres in Andalusia. Comesbuses run several times per day between Cadiz and Ronda and stop off in Zahara. Most other places can be reached by bus, too, as long as you’re willing to switch at least once. By Car Most people visit Zahara de la Sierra by car, either their own or a renta...
Parking, not to mention driving, is difficult in Zahara de la Sierra. It is easiest to park at the bottom and walk up (easiest from a parking standpoint, not the walking part). However, if you don’t mind driving through narrow, cobblestoned streets you can try your luck at finding a spot up near the main square or continue on to Hotel Arco de la Vi...
Andalusia gets very hot in summer, which is good for beaches and water sports but may be a bit warm for hiking or sightseeing. At least it almost never rains. July and August are the hottest (35C+) but June and September also regularly see 30C+ temperatures. Winters are relatively mild with daily high and low averages ranging from about 4C to 15C b...
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Mar 11, 2023 · March 11, 2023 Ronda Today 1 Comment. Nestled under the mountain that gives the village its name, Zahara de la Sierra is one of the pueblos blancos of Cadiz province, and is only 30 minutes drive from Ronda, or an hour from Jerez de la Frontera. Completely within the Grazalema Natural Park, and with the district’s largest lake at its base, as ...
by Chris Chaplow. Zahara was once described by the romantic British traveller Richard Ford, as a "Moorish eagle's nest - the castle (and town) date back to Moorish times. It was an ideal place to build a fortification located between Sevilla and Ronda and the earliest documented reference dates to 1282.
Jun 3, 2021 · You can still contemplate it in the remains of the Muslim fortress that crowns the town. The history of this small white spot, immersed in the Sierra de Grazalema, is closely connected with the nature that surrounds it. Its border location made Zahara, in the past, a desired and disputed place.
A few words about Zahara de la Sierra. The picturesque white village of Zahara de la Sierra is in the province of Cadiz. It forms part of the famous Route of the White Villages. It is a village nestling on a beautiful rocky promontory, dominated by a 15th-century tower. This tower was built on the remains of a Moorish fortress.
Zahara de la Sierra has all the key points to be considered one of the most beautiful white villages of Cádiz. Its houses climb up a hill but do not reach the mighty 12 th century Nasrid fortress which even in ruins impresses and overlooks the landscape of the Sierra de Grazalema.
