Priego Castle

What it is

A fortress of Islamic origin remodelled in the 13th and 14th centuries, military and austere in character, beside the Barrio de la Villa. It is formed by a perimeter of walls with square towers and one cylindrical one. At the main entrance there is a corridor with two pointed horseshoe arches, framed by an alfiz, with a gate to the outside and the slot down which a portcullis used to drop.

In the parade ground, off-centre, stands the keep or Torre Gorda, 30 metres tall, part of it now semi-underground. It has been a National Historic-Artistic Monument since 1943. It can be dated to the second half of the 13th century, when Priego was a commandery of the Order of Calatrava, although the Nasrid capitals of its windows point to an addition in the first half of the 14th, when Priego returned to Islamic rule.

What is new since July 2026

The castle was privately owned until 1996, when the Town Council received a partial transfer; today it is entirely municipal. On 2 July 2026 it opened new spaces after works costing close to 1.4 million euros of European funds. The main novelty is the north-west sector, with an archaeological crypt that preserves structures from the 9th to the 15th centuries: founding walls, Almohad, Calatravan and late medieval phases, an old access of caliphal origin and an artillery courtyard from the end of the 15th century with a recreation of a bombard.

The visit also gains digital audio guides in five languages (Spanish, English, French, German and Dutch) at twelve points, Braille panels and tactile reliefs beside the tower, and at the top of the keep a panel identifying 29 points in the landscape, such as La Tiñosa or the Calvario Viejo. The Town Council also announced online ticket sales and capacity control.

Opening hours and tickets

We have not found the current opening hours or price published in an official source since the reopening. Before you go, ask at the municipal tourist office, at Plaza de la Constitución, 3 (957 700 625), or look for the castle's online ticket sales.

How to fit it in

The castle is at the edge of the Barrio de la Villa, so it is visited on the same walk as the quarter and the Adarve and the parish church of the Asunción, which is next door. In an hour and a half you have time for all three. Climb the tower on a clear day: the views over the sierra and the olive groves are the best part of the visit.