Castle sights in Spain
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Alhambra
The Alhambra walls tease you and reveal little, but inside the marvellously decorated emirs' palace, Palacio Nazaríes (Nasrid Palace), Generalife (the Alhambra's gardens), and dozens of courtyards, the nooks and crannies are filled with beautiful decorations and fascinating stories from the days of Alhambra's glory.
The spell can be shattered by the average 6000 visitors who traipse through this Unesco World Heritage site each day, so try to visit first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon.
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Alcázar
Residence of many generations of kings and caliphs, the Alcázar is Seville’s answer to Granada’s Alhambra. It stands south of the cathedral across Plaza del Triunfo and is wheelchair accessible. This intriguing complex is intimately associated with the life and loves of the extraordinary Pedro I of Castilla (1350–69).
Originally founded as a fort for the Cordoban governors of Seville in 913, the Alcázar has been expanded and rebuilt many times in its 11 centuries of existence. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, set up court here in the 1480s as they prepared for the conquest of Granada. Later rulers created the Alcázar’s lovely gardens.
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Toledo
Toledo is known as La Ciudad Imperial (the Imperial City) for a reason; this is Iberia's Rome with a cultural slug of mosques, synagogues, churches and museums. Toledo's labyrinthine narrow streets, plazas and inner patios are reminiscent of the medinas of Damascus and Cairo. Stay until dusk, if you can, when the streets take on a moody, other-worldly air.
The dominant Alcázar has been the scene of military battles from the Middle Ages right through to the 20th century. Other attractions include the city's two synagogues, the Iglesia de Santo Tomé (which contains El Greco's greatest masterpiece, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz) and the Museo de Santa Cruz. Archaeologis…
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Alhambra
From outside, Alhambra's red fortress towers and imposing walls rise from woods of cypress and elm, with the Sierra Nevada forming a magnificent backdrop. Inside the marvellously decorated emirs' palace, the Nasrid Palace and the Generalife gardens, you're in for a treat. Water is an art form here and its sounds take you into another world. Book in advance.
The spell can be shattered by the average 6000 visitors who traipse through the site each day, so try to visit first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, or treat yourself to a magical night visit to the Palacio Nazaríes.
The Alhambra has two outstanding sets of buildings, the Palacio Nazaríes and the Alcaza…
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Alcázar
Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches’ hats and a deep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototype fairy-tale castle, so much so that its design inspired Walt Disney’s vision of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Fortified since Roman days, the site takes its name from the Arabic al-qasr (fortress). It was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the whole lot burned down in 1862. What you see today is an evocative, over-the-top reconstruction of the original.
Highlights include the Sala de las Piñas, with its ceiling of 392 pineapple-shaped ‘stalactites’, and the Sala de Reyes, featuring a three-dimensional frieze of 52 sculptures of kings wh…
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Alcazaba
At the lower, western end of the Gibralfaro hill, the wheelchair-accessible Alcazaba was the palace-fortress of Málaga’s Muslim governors, dating from 1057. The brick path winds uphill, interspersed with arches and stone walls and is refreshingly cool in summer. Roman artefacts and fleeting views of the harbour and city enliven the walk, while honeysuckle, roses and jasmine perfume the air. Go before noon during the hot months, to avoid the crowds as well as the worst of the heat, and watch out for low, unprotected parapets, especially if you are taking kids. A lift (elevator) from Calle Guillén Sotelo brings you out in the heart of the Alcazaba.
Below the Alcazaba is…
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Castillo de Gibralfaro
Above the Alcazaba rises the older Castillo de Gibralfaro, built by Abd ar-Rahman I, the 8th-century Cordoban emir, and rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. Nothing much remains of the interior of the castle, but the walkway around the ramparts affords exhilarating views and there’s a tiny museum with a military focus.
To walk up to the Castillo, take the road immediately right of the Alcazaba entrance, and where it bends left into a tunnel, take the steps on the right; or take bus 35 from Avenida de Cervantes (roughly every 45 minutes). The walk is long and steeply uphill. There is a small cafe with outdoor seating and toilets at the Castillo.
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Castillo de Burgos
Crowning the leafy hilltop Parque de Castillo are the massive fortifications of the rebuilt Castillo de Burgos. Dating from the 9th century, the castle has witnessed a turbulent history, suffering a fire in 1736 before finally being blown up by Napoleon’s retreating troops in 1813. There’s a small museum here covering the history of the town and, thanks to recent excavations, some of the original foundations of the castle are on view. Just south of the car park is a mirador (lookout), which offers fine views over the town.
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Alcázar
The obvious place to start a tour of old Jerez is the 11th- or 12th-century Almohad fortress, the Alcázar. Inside there's a beautiful mezquita (mosque), converted to a chapel by Alfonso X in 1264, an impressive set of BañosÁrabes (Arab Baths) and the 18th-century Palacio Villavicencio. In the palace's tower a camera obscura provides a live panorama of Jerez, with multilingual commentary. Sessions begin every half-hour until 30 minutes before closing time.
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Castillo de Guzmán
Originally built in 960 on the orders of Cordoban caliph Abd ar-Rahman III, this fortress is named after the Reconquista hero Guzmán El Bueno. In 1294, when threatened with the death of his captured son unless he surrendered the castle to attacking Islamic forces, El Bueno threw down his own dagger for the deed to be done. Guzmán’s descendants later became the Duques de Medina Sidonia, one of Spain’s most powerful families. You’ll need to buy tickets for the fortress at the tourist office.
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Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos
Just southwest of the Mezquita, the Alcázar, or Castle of the Christian Monarchs, began as a palace and fort for Alfonso X in the 13th century. From 1490 to 1821 the Inquisition operated from here. Today the castle’s gardens are among the most beautiful in Andalucía. The building houses an old royal bathhouse, the Baños Califales. Take time to gaze at the 3rd-century Roman sarcophagus, with its reflections on life and death.
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Castell de Bellver
Further south of the city, the circular Castell de Bellver is an unusual 14th-century castle (with a unique round tower) set atop a pleasant park. Parts of the castle are shut on Sunday. It is the stage for a summer classical music festival in July.
Constructed by King Jaume II of Mallorca between 1309 and 1311, the castle has been used more for defence and imprisonment purposes than as a royal residence.
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Trujillo's castle
At the top of the hill, Trujillo's castle, of 10th-century Muslim origin (evident by the horseshoe-arch gateway just inside the main entrance) and later strengthened by the Christians, is impressive, although bare, but for a lone fig tree. Patrol the battlements for magnificent 360-degree sweeping views. One of the towers contains the hermitage of Our Lady of the Victory, the patron saint of Trujillo.
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Castle
At the top of the hill, Trujillo’s castle of 10th-century Muslim origin (evident by the horseshoe-arch gateway just inside the main entrance) and later strengthened by the Christians, is impressive, although bare but for a lone fig tree. Patrol the battlements for magnificent 360-degree sweeping views. One of the towers contains the hermitage of Our Lady of the Victory, the patron saint of Trujillo.
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Castillo de Santa Bárbara
From this 16th-century castle there are sweeping views over the city. Inside is the Collección Capa, a permanent display of contemporary Spanish sculpture. A lift, reached by a footbridge opposite Playa del Postiguet, rises through the bowels of the mountain. It's a pleasant walk down through Parque de la Ereta via Calle San Rafael to Plaza del Carmen.
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Casa de Botines
Antoni Gaudí's contribution to León's skyline is the castle-like neo-Gothic Casa de Botines (1893); the zany architect of Barcelona fame seems to have been subdued by more sober León.
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Castillo de Santa Bárbara
There are sweeping views over the city from this 16th-century castle, which will soon house Museo de la Ciudad de Alicante (MUSA), a new museum recounting the history of the city. A lift/elevator, reached by a footbridge opposite Playa del Postiguet, rises through the bowels of the mountain. To return, it's a pleasant walk through Parque de la Ereta via Calle San Rafael to Plaza del Carmen.
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Alcazaba
The founding of the Alcazaba by the Córdoba caliph Abd ar-Rahman III in 955 was what turned Almería into the major port of Al-Andalus. It still rises triumphantly from impregnable cliffs and commands exhilarating views, though earthquakes and time have spared little of its internal splendour.
The lowest of the Alcazaba’s three compounds, the Primer Recinto, originally served as a military camp in times of siege. The Segundo Recinto was the heart of the Alcazaba. At its eastern end is the Ermita de San Juan chapel, which was converted from a mosque by the Catholic Monarchs, who took Almería in 1489. On its northern side are the remains of the Muslim rulers’ palace, the P…
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Castle
At the top of the hill, Trujillo's castle of 10th-century Muslim origin (evident by the horseshoe-arch gateway just inside the main entrance) and later strengthened by the Christians, is impressive, although bare but for a lone fig tree. Patrol the battlements for magnificent 360-degree sweeping views. One of the towers contains the hermitage of Our Lady of the Victory, the patron saint of Trujillo.
reviewed
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Alcázar
Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches' hats and a deep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototype fairy-tale castle, so much so that its design inspired Walt Disney's vision of Sleeping Beauty's castle. Fortified since Roman days, the site takes its name from the Arabic al-qasr (fortress). It was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the whole lot burned down in 1862. What you see today is an evocative, over-the-top reconstruction of the original.
Highlights include the Sala de las Piñas, with its ceiling of 392 pineapple-shaped 'stalactites', and the Sala de Reyes, featuring a three-dimensional frieze of 52 sculptures of kings who foug…
reviewed
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Castell de Bellver
Set atop a pleasant park, the Castell de Bellver is a 14th-century circular castle (with a unique round tower), the only one of its kind in Spain. Jaume II ordered the castle built atop a hill known as Puig de Sa Mesquida in 1300 and it was largely complete 10 years later. The views from here of Palma and the Badia de Palma are spectacular.
The castle was conceived above all as a royal residence but seems to have been a white elephant, as only King Sanç (in 1314) and Aragón’s Joan I (in 1395) moved in for any amount of time. In 1717 it became a prison. The best part of a visit is to mosey around the castle and enjoy the views over the surrounding woods to Palma and out to…
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