Sightseeing in Alcala del Jucar - what to see. Complete travel guide

When planning a vacation to Spain, consider visiting the small town of Alcala del Jucar. This is an incredibly attractive settlement that has quite an unusual planning and street layout. If you look at the town from a bird’s eye view, the town has a crescent shape. All streets end in the same place at the hill, exactly where the old castle is located. Tourists might wonder how these houses keep standing on the hill that is quite steep. The answer is quite simple. These houses are built in a special way so that even a steep slope is not a problem for them. Moreover, many of these houses are comfortable caves, and this fact makes the area truly unique.

XII century – this is the time when Arabs built the first fortress at the Jucar coast. The main purpose of that fortress was to protect the land from the invasions of Catholic kings’ troops. However, Arabs couldn’t resist invaders for a long time, and King Alfonso VIII could enter the fortress and set up his authority over this territory in 1213. For many years, feudalists ruled the territory of modern Alcala del Jucar until Catholic kings made them less important by limiting their power and rights.

There are many legends about the appearance of the name of this wonderful place. One of these legends perfectly unleashes the meaning of the town’s name. If we translate “Alcala del Jucar” from Arabian, the meaning will be the following: ‘alcala’ means a ‘castle’, and the second part of the name might be mentioning the name of the river, near which the town is located, - Jucar. So, the complete translation of Alcala del Jucar is “a castle of the Jucar River”. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The castle of Alcalá del Júcar is an interesting attraction that is a must for all tourists who visit this Spanish town. This is a gorgeous construction of the Almohad origin that is built at the top of a rock. Moreover, a whole ensemble of houses in the rock surrounds the castle complex. These buildings are carved right in stones, turning lifeless and cold stones into a charming and cozy place. Tourists can step inside and explore tunnels that connect the houses. Don’t be surprised if you end up crossing the gorge and going out at its other side. Alcala del Jucar is a big labyrinth that consists of numerous small streets and ladders.

Take a stroll on Algarrada Street, which leads directly to the castle, and you will reach the fortress. This building has three floors and an interesting shape – a hexagon with two oval side turrets. The inner décor of the castle was remade several times, so it is hard to recreate its original look. This is the reason why the current interior design of the castle is quite modest – all original elements of décor disappeared after numerous changes.

Besides the major attractions, tourists will find it interesting to visit the Church of San Andres that was built in the 15th century. In the past, this was a chapel of the ruling royal family. The outer look of the church was constantly changing until 1767. This was the year when the Church of San Andres got its current look that keeps exciting and impressing tourists from all over the world. The inner décor of the church tells the long history of the shrine.

Spain is famous for bullfighting or corrida, and Alcala del Jucar is no exception. In the town, this traditional event takes place during the holiday dedicated to a local patron saint – Saint Lorenzo. The celebration takes place every year in the first half of August. Besides an opportunity to see the real corrida, tourists can indulge themselves in the atmosphere of an authentic local celebration. They can join a festive procession that goes on local streets to the Church of Saint Lorenzo, participate in different contests, and see gorgeous fireworks.

In winter, namely, on February 3rd, Alcala del Jucar hosts another interesting celebration – San Blas. This is the time when local people organize a trade fair dedicated to selling livestock. Visitors can also look at fabulous stallions that are also available for sale. Local farmers bring their fruit and vegetables closer to noon. During the trade fair, visitors can sample and buy delicious honey from Spanish apiaries, white wine, and fragrant apple cider.

It takes roughly three hours to reach Alcala del Jucar from the country’s capital, Madrid. For this purpose, simply rent a car in the capital’s airport. This ride is also an amazing chance to see how beautiful and unique Spanish nature is. Of course, travelers can take a train to the nearest town and then get a taxi or a bus Alcala del Jucar. Unfortunately, Alcala del Jucar is a small town, so it doesn’t have an airport or a train station. Tourists need to get to a nearby big city first and then reach Alcala del Jucar by car or bus.