Fuente del Rey

What you will see

The image of Priego and its most photographed corner: three stepped pools, elongated with curved outlines, and 139 spouts that never stop pouring water, many with stone masks with ghostly faces. The fountain was transformed from the 16th century and finished in 1803, to a Baroque design by Remigio del Mármol. It is a National Monument, and the Junta guide places it among the great pieces of Priego, which presents itself as the capital of the Córdoba Baroque.

Walk it from top to bottom. In the first pool, a lion fights a serpent, a sculpture attributed to the Neoclassical artist José Álvarez Cubero. In the second, the work of Remigio del Mármol himself, is the central figure: Neptune and Amphitrite in a chariot drawn by horses rising out of the water. From there the water cascades into the last pool and flows out of the mask of the Clergy. Stop at the spouts: each mask has its own expression, and looking for the ugliest keeps children entertained for quite a while.

When to go and how much it costs

It is on a public promenade, at Paseo Fuente del Rey, 1: always open and with no admission charge. With twenty minutes you see it calmly. If you want photos without people, go first thing. The light changes a lot over the stone and water through the day, so if you are sleeping in Priego it is worth passing by in the morning and again at dusk. Dogs may go along the promenade on a lead.

Getting there and parking

The fountain is in the lower part of the old town, at the opposite end from the Barrio de la Villa and the castle, less than a kilometre from them. On the way you pass through the centre, where the Junta guide highlights the manor houses of Calle Río and Carrera de Álvarez.

If you come by car, the Town Council has a municipal car park on Plaza Palenque, with turnover spaces at €0.075 every five minutes and €10.80 for a 24-hour stay, according to the ordinance published in the Provincial Official Gazette in 2024.

Making a day of it

The easy way is to start here, at the bottom, and climb towards the parish church of the Asunción, the castle and the Barrio de la Villa and the Adarve, which is best enjoyed at sunset. The municipal tourist office is at Plaza de la Constitución, 3, telephone 957 700 625: there they give you the day's hours for museums and monuments, which the fountain does not need.