Rodeno Rock Paintings, from the Navazo Area

Four km from the old town, along a paved forest track, the rodeno pine grows among blocks of red sandstone, and in the shelters of those rocks there are Levantine rock-art paintings, a World Heritage Site since 1998. The signposted walk that links them leaves from the paintings car park, beside the Navazo recreation area: a 2.3 km circuit that Turismo de Aragón gives as about 35 minutes on foot and which, with stops at each shelter, takes an hour and a half.

From Albarracín to the paintings car park

From the tourist office, drive through the Arrabal district. At the roundabout at the end, turn right, onto the paved forest track, and continue about 4 km. The paintings car park is the only one on the right; do not stop at the earlier one, which is on the left. It is paid: InspirAlbarracín asks its customers to arrive ten minutes early to buy the ticket.

The SL-TE 20 circuit

The signposted path is the SL-TE 20, Pinturas Rupestres, one of the eleven maintained by the Government of Aragon in the Protected Landscape of the Pinares de Rodeno, 6,829 hectares between Albarracín, Bezas and Gea de Albarracín. It passes shelters such as the Cocinilla del Obispo and the Callejones Cerrados, and the guided route ends at the Arrastradero viewpoint, from where on clear days you can see Teruel airport. It is sand and rock, with no big climbs, and small children manage it; a pushchair will struggle on the stony stretches.

The figures are small and behind protective railings. With no one to tell you where to look, it is easy to walk past.

With InspirAlbarracín or on your own

On your own there is no entry fee: you only pay for parking. With a guide, InspirAlbarracín, official Aragon guides with an office on Calle San Antonio, does the route in an hour and a half for €10 per person, free for under-10s; groups and private visits are priced separately. The guide waits at the paintings car park, beside the red information panel, with a pink umbrella. Its website does not publish a fixed calendar: if no time appears for your day when you book, call 722 834 058 or 722 830 423.

Water, sun and the Peña Botadera

There are no fountains on the route: bring water. Comfortable shoes, and in summer a cap, because between shelters there are stretches in the sun. The Government of Aragon advises against climbing to the summit of the Peña Botadera (Alto de la Cruz) because of the risk of lightning and the poor state of its concrete structure.

The walk fits in the afternoon, after lunch in the town: the Sunday plan with cathedral, castle and Rodeno paintings leaves it for the end of the day, and the two-night getaway from Valencia includes it along with the castle and the legends visit. If you are sleeping with children or in a motorhome, the Camping Ciudad de Albarracín is on the Camino de Gea, right at the edge of the town.