Zahara de la Sierra

Member of Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España

Tango7174Andalucía Zahara de la Sierra1 tango7174 CC BY-SA 4.0
El PanteraZaharaSierra67 CC BY-SA 3.0
Lesamourai (Wikipedia user)Alcazaba and Town (1)Public domain
Tango7174Andalucía Zahara de la Sierra2 tango7174 CC BY-SA 4.0
El PanteraAyunt-Zahara-dsc02113 CC BY-SA 3.0
AlexwingPanorama of Zahara de la Sierra, Cádiz CC BY 2.5 es
El_PanteraPlaya Arroyomolinos - Zahara CC BY-SA 3.0
BocaleonesRetablo Mayor de S.María de la MesaPublic domain
BocaleonesRetablo MayorPublic domain
El PanteraZahara Sierra Desde Castillo CC BY-SA 4.0
BocaleonesZahara desde enfrentePublic domain
MaesejoseZahara día CC BY 2.0
El PanteraZaharaSierra069 CC BY-SA 3.0

A Moorish castle keep still crowns the rocky peak above Zahara de la Sierra, a frontier fortress whose seizure by Granada in 1481 gave Castile its pretext for war. Below it, white houses spill down towards the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir, inside the Sierra de Grazalema natural park. Kayaking, canyoning and walks into the Garganta Verde gorge make the village a base for the outdoors.

Highlights

The 12th-century castle keep, with wide views over the valley
Garganta Verde canyon, where griffon vultures nest (ES)
Santa María de la Mesa, a Baroque church completed in 1755
Corpus Christi, when the streets are decked with green branches and flowers
Local sweets: suspiros meringues and gañotes

Text adapted from Wikipedia (Zahara de la Sierra (ES), Zahara de la Sierra (EN), Zahara), Wikivoyage (Zahara de la Sierra (ES), Zahara de la Sierra (EN)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Population: 1,344

Things to see

Events through the year

Carnival Seasonal · Carnival, February or March
Holy Week Religious · Week before Easter
Corpus Christi Religious · Corpus Christi (May or June)Streets decked with green branches and flowers; procession and Sevillanas dancing
Romería de Bocaleones Religious · Second or third weekend of MayPilgrimage for the Virgen de Comares, dressed as a shepherdess
Feast of San Juan Religious · Around 24 June or the nearest SundayStatue of John the Baptist taken in procession to Arroyomolinos for mass
Town fair Fairs and markets · Around 20 AugustYoung bulls let loose, live music, ribbon races and water contests
Feast of the Virgen de los Dolores Religious · Around 15 SeptemberServices ending with the patroness carried in procession through the streets
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude Religious · 28 OctoberFeast of the town's patron saints, on the anniversary of the 1483 conquest
Recreación Histórica Toma de la Villa de Zahara Historical · Around the third weekend of OctoberRe-enacts the Castilian capture of the town in 1483
Sierrasur Ecofestival Music and arts · Around the 12 October holiday weekendLive music at the La Playita recreation area

Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.

Adapted from Wikipedia (Zahara de la Sierra), Wikivoyage (Zahara de la Sierra). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Local food & wine

Suspiros de ZaharaSweetLocal meringue sweets
GañotesSweetFried almond and cinnamon dough tubes
QuemonesDishAlmost dry bread soup with olive oil, garlic, onion, parsley
Organic manzanilla olive oilOlive oilPressed at the local Oleum Viride mill

Adapted from Wikipedia (Zahara de la Sierra). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to sleep

4 places to stay within 3 km

Hotels 2
B&Bs and guest houses 2

Nearby member villages

Grazalema · 8.4 km
Setenil de las Bodegas · 18 km
Parauta · 30 km
Genalguacil · 35 km
Castellar de la Frontera · 59 km