Castillo De Castellar – a gem in the andalusian hinterland
between tarifa, cadiz, algeciras and málaga, castillo de castellar is a gem in the hinterland you should not miss on your trip to andalusia
A pitoresque Castlevillage with a view
Castellar de la Frontera is a village surrounded by the walls of a well preserved Moorish-Christian fortress – Castillo de Castellar. It is located within the Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales next to a reservoir formed by the Guadarranque River.
The fortress has been refurbished and is now a wonderful hotel as you will rarely experience it anywhere else. From the top of the Castillo you have a breathtaking 360° views over the large Guadarranque reservoir at the heart of the Arcornocales national Park in Cadiz, as well as towards the Gibraltar rock.
We spent one night in the old castle while we were on our way from Málaga to Tarífa and can highly recommend it. These photos are from late summer 2023. Let’s find out more about this wonderful place. You can click on the photos to enlarge them.
The Village itself
The history of the village goes back to prehistoric times and the Bronze Age, after which the place became a medieval fortress. The prehistoric presence is still evident in the many caves around the area, where enthusiasts can see the wonderful cave drawings as proof of its heritage. It played an important role in the wars between the Spanish and the Muslims. In such a high up advantageous strategic position, peoples of many cultures wanted to control this strong vantage point.
The village was conquered and won back between Fernando III, the Moors and then Juan II, who described it as ‘such a wonderful, strong town’.
As you can see the town does not only seem to be strong, but also stunningly beautiful and peaceful to walk through. We really enjoyed walking through the small alleys of this wonderful pueblo.
In the 1970s the village was abandoned and its inhabitants moved to the aptly named Nuevo Castellar. The derelict state of the village attracted a number of Germans who took over the empty houses and built temporary dwellings outside the walls. The village was later repopulated.
The Hotel - Tugasa Castillo de Castellar
Wonderfully furnished the hotel keeps a medieval vibe to it. Between 50-65 Euros per Night you can have a more than comfortable stay in rooms which are bigger than the most “normal” Hotel-Rooms. It is bookable directly via its webpage or alternatively via booking.com.
For breakfast you find yourself in a cozy room with openable windows providing a nice view on the village and nature. The breakfast itself is a basic breakfast-buffet.
Preferably you travel there by car, since buses seem not to make it up there. Streets are kind of narrow and highly elevated. So going there by bike is only recommended if you have an e-bike available. Other than that you might find yourself walking up. Once you reach the Castillo there is plenty of parking space right on the street around the corner.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed every minute there and would certanly do it again in the near future. Wether you like hiking, you enjoy a calm and peaceful place or are just in love with castles and historic places – this is the right place for you to visit. Be aware though that flying a drone/camera drone is prohibited due to the national park and its inhabitants such as eagles among others.
A highlight is defenitely the environment such as the whole setting. The sunset or sunrise above the natural park, a view at night towards the rock of gibraltar and city of algeciras and a cristal clear sky are just a few of the great things to experience there.
We did enjoy the breakfast and went out for dinner in a very small restaurant within the village itself, even though it was not a culinary super-highlight it was really enjoyable.
Image Credits: Travel Spain /// J.C. García Arrocha & Lilli Butzbach
