Climb to the Walls and the Andador Tower

The wall of Albarracín climbs the slope behind the town up to the Andador tower, at the very top. It is the classic photograph: the reddish rooftops tucked into the curve of the Guadalaviar, with the cathedral and the castle below. You climb on foot, on your own and without paying.

What it is

Albarracín was the capital of a taifa kingdom, and its old town is declared a Bien de Interés Cultural. The first thing that surprises on arrival, according to Turespaña, is the fortified enclosure, whose perimeter far exceeds the area of the old town. What you see today dates from three different periods. The bastion and the Andador tower belong to the 10th century. In the 11th century, the taifa kings built the walls that surround the Engarrada suburb. And after the Christian conquest, the lords of Albarracín and the kings of Aragon raised new stretches and most of the forts and towers that survive.

The Fundación Santa María de Albarracín explains that defensive system on its guided visit: the alcazaba, which is the castle, the Andador tower and the walls, tested later, in the time of the Azagra, when Albarracín was an independent Christian lordship.

What the climb is like

You climb on foot from the upper part of the old town, beside the wall. It is short but steep and without shade, and the ground is slippery when it has rained or frozen. Allow between 45 minutes and an hour for going up, looking and coming down. It is not for pushchairs; with small children, hold their hands.

When to climb

In the late afternoon the stone turns red and the light comes into the town from the side. In summer avoid midday. In strong wind or ice, stay in the old town: from the Plaza Mayor, next to the Town Hall, there is another viewpoint over the Guadalaviar without climbing slopes.

Where to leave the car

The old town is not for cars. Park in one of the regulated car parks and walk up.

To combine with

To understand what you see from above, first do the guided visit to Albarracín and its cathedral or the castle, the former alcazaba of the Banu Razín. As evening falls, the legends visit leaves from the Plaza Mayor.