# Aracena Castle and fortified enclosure What to do en Sierra de Aracena · Sierra de Aracena Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/things-to-do/aracena-castle · Revisado: 2026-11-12 - Duración: 1 h - Para quién: Everyone Visit · 1 h · Fortress on the hill above the village, with QR audio guide · Guided tours at weekends at 12:00 and 17:00 What it is The fortified enclosure on the cerro del Castillo, above the old town of Aracena and the Gruta. The village was born there: in the Middle Ages it was a walled town, and remains of dwellings from the 10th to the 13th centuries have been found, from an Andalusi population that the Town Council links to the settlement of Qatrasana mentioned in Islamic texts. From the top you can see the whole sierra. What you will see The castle was built by the Order of the Hospital in the mid-13th century, after the conquest. It is a military construction, not residential. It is divided into a parade ground and an alcázar, separated by a wall with the Torre Mayor or keep at the highest point, intended as a last refuge. The alcázar, in the eastern part, has its cistern and functioned as a small fortress within the castle. Inside you can also see the Andalusi dwellings. Walk the adarve, the wall-walk of the ramparts: that is where the views over the historic complex are. Next to it is the Prioral church, the oldest Christian temple in Aracena, Gothic-Mudéjar, begun in the 13th century and finished in the 15th. It houses the image of the patron saint, Nuestra Señora del Mayor Dolor, and its rib vaults, the neoclassical camarín, the Mudéjar tower with sebka panels and the atrium, with views of the sierra, stand out. The visit is made with an audio guide, downloaded with a QR code. Hours From 16 September to 31 May it opens from 10:45 to 18:15. From 1 June to 15 September, from 10:15 to 13:30 and from 18:00 to 20:15. It closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 and 6 January. It is an open-air visit and goes ahead whenever the weather allows. There are guided visits until the capacity of 30 people is filled, but the Town Council pages do not give the same times: some say that on weekdays they are at 13:00 and 16:00 and at weekends and public holidays at 12:00 and 17:00; the castle's page mentions 11:30 and 19:30. Confirm at the tourist office (663 93 78 77). Admission is separate or with the Tarjeta Aracena Turística. How to get up By calle Virgen del Mayor Dolor or by the pedestrian paths that climb the slope from the Gruta de las Maravillas. From the centre it is a short walk, though uphill. ## Cómo llegar y contacto - Coordenadas: 37.8905, -6.5605 ## Cerca de aquí - [Gruta de las Maravillas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/things-to-do/gruta-de-las-maravillas), a 212 m - [Jesús Carrión Restaurante](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/where-to-eat/jesus-carrion), a 239 m - [Hotel Convento Aracena & Spa](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/where-to-stay/convento-aracena-hotel), a 308 m - [Walk from Aracena to Linares de la Sierra](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/things-to-do/aracena-to-linares-de-la-sierra), a 429 m - [Aracena Ham Museum](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/things-to-do/aracena-ham-museum), a 453 m - [Finca Valbono](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/where-to-stay/finca-valbono), a 1.6 km - [Finca Valbono Restaurant](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/where-to-eat/finca-valbono-restaurant), a 1.6 km - [From Linares de la Sierra to Alájar by the Caracol](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/things-to-do/linares-to-alajar-by-the-caracol), a 7.1 km ## Consejos ### Walk up from the square The climb is short but steep; the view at the top is worth it. Destino: [Sierra de Aracena](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena.md)