# Alcalá del Júcar

Whitewashed houses climbing a crag in a bend of the Júcar, caves running through it, a castle and canoes on the river. An hour from Albacete.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castilla-la-mancha/alcala-del-jucar · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Alcalá del Júcar is in La Manchuela, in the north-east of the province of Albacete, where the Júcar cuts into a gorge before passing into Valencian lands. The village rises on a crag in a bend of the river: whitewashed houses climb the slope, many dug into the rock, up to a castle of Almohad origin at the top. It has been a historic-artistic site since 1982 and is part of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain network.

What makes it different are its caves: galleries that run through the crag from side to side and look out onto the gorge on the other face. Some, such as those of El Diablo or Masagó, can be visited and have a bar inside.

## How do you get there from Albacete and from Valencia?

By car. From Albacete it is about 65 km along the N-322, less than an hour. From Valencia, about 128 km: along the A-3 to Requena and the N-322, around an hour and three quarters. From Alicante, about 155 km along the A-31 towards Almansa and Albacete, about two hours. From Madrid it is almost 290 km, about three hours along the A-3. From Cuenca, a little over two hours.

The last stretch goes down to the valley along a road with bends. There is no practical public transport for a day visit.

## Where to park?

The old town has narrow streets, steps and slopes: do not drive in. Park below, beside the river and the bridge, and walk up. If you sleep at the Finca Los Olivos or in the rural houses by the river, leave the car there and walk to the old town, which is a few minutes away. On spring weekends and public holidays the valley floor fills up early.

## What to see and do?

Start at the bottom: the so-called Roman bridge, actually medieval and restored, which carried the Camino Real from Castile to the Levante. On the other side are the church of San Andrés and a bullring of irregular plan. Then, climb through the old town towards the castle, whose tower can be visited, with views of the whole meander.

On the slope, go into the Cuevas del Diablo, which for €4 with a drink also include those of Rey Garadén, and into those of Masagó, hand-cut, with a medieval cellar and small museums. Both stay cool in summer.

On the river, Multiaventura Los Olivos hires double canoes with an instructor along a calm stretch of the Júcar, suitable from age 2 and with a dog, and takes groups rafting on the Cabriel gorges. For walking, the town council suggests three trails that start from the village: the Batán, along the top of the valley, the Morrón, to the hamlet of Tolosa, and the Corciolico, towards Casas del Cerro.

## How much time?

The village is seen in a morning: bridge, castle and one or two caves. With a full day you add the canoes or a trail, and if you stay the night you will see the village lit up and the valley without the day's groups.

## When to go?

Spring and autumn are the best seasons. In summer, the river and the caves are a relief, but the slopes in the sun are tiring: leave the castle for first thing or for the afternoon. In winter the village is quiet and some businesses reduce their hours.

## Where to eat and sleep?

For a special meal, the Eliá restaurant, open to the public in the hotel of the same name. For La Mancha cooking with a set menu and views of the river, the Avenjúcar restaurant, in Tolosa. For sleeping, the four-star Hotel & Spa Eliá, with a spa; the Olmeda rural houses, duplexes beside the river that admit pets; or the Avenjúcar rural hotel in Tolosa, with family rooms.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Unusual places to stay in Spain
- Cerca: Chulilla (a 69.6 km), Xàtiva (a 81.8 km), Bocairent (a 85.1 km), Sierra de Javalambre (a 96.0 km)

## Qué hacer
- **The old town hanging over the gorge, from the bridge to the bullring** (1 h 30 · Everyone · Self-guided · free): Alcalá del Júcar clings to the slope of a rock in a bend of the Júcar, with whitewashed houses climbing up to the castle. The Albacete Provincial Council suggests starting the visit at the so-called Roman bridge, a restored medieval structure that was a crossing on the Royal Road from Castile to the Levante, and crossing it towards the church of San Andrés, dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries, and the bullring, irregular in plan and rebuilt in 1902.
From there, climb the steep streets and stairs towards the castle, looking at the façades of the cave houses dug into the rock. The village has been a historic-artistic site since 1982. Wear comfortable shoes: almost everything is uphill.
The bridge and the lower part
The bridge was an obligatory crossing of the Royal Road between Castile and the Levante, and in the 14th and 15th centuries it functioned as a dry port, that is, a customs post where a charge was made for goods passing through. Floods on the Júcar forced it to be repaired several times; the last restoration, in 1990, replaced the coping and paved it with natural Alcalá stone, the work of the Workshop School's stonemasonry workshops. From the bridge you get the classic photo of the village, with the rock, the houses and the castle above.
The bullring is on the other side of the river, on the slope. It is not known when it was built; it was rebuilt in 1902 for bullfights and theatre performances, and its irregular plan makes it unique. The parish church of San Andrés combines works from the 15th to the 18th centuries and has a single nave in the shape of a Latin cross.
The climb to the castle
From the church the slope begins. The streets are narrow, with flights of steps, and do not admit cars. On the way you come across the façades of the cave houses, which go into the rock and in some cases cross it entirely; several can be visited, such as the Devil's Caves and the caves of King Garadén, above the church, or the Masagó Caves, on Calle Libertad. At the very top is the castle, with the view over the whole bend.
With stops, the walk takes about an hour and a half; if you go into the caves and the castle, allow half a day. In summer, it is best early in the morning or at dusk.
At night
Alcalá is proud of its lighting: in 1986 it received third prize for the best artistic illumination, behind the Eiffel Tower and the Great Mosque of Istanbul. It is worth going back to the bridge at nightfall to see the village lit up above the river.
Parking and combining
The association Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España, which Alcalá has belonged to since 2014, points to a regulated car park beside the river, on Avenida de los Robles, cash payment; confirm the rate on the sign. The Tourist Office is at Paseo de los Robles 1. If you have time to spare, the river offers another view of the village: the canoe trips on the Júcar leave from Alcalá itself.
- **Alcalá del Júcar Castle** (45 min · Families and teenagers): The castle crowns the rock on which the village is built. It began as a Muslim fortification of the Almohad period, from the strengthening of the frontier in the late 12th century, and was rebuilt later; what you see today is mainly the keep, which can be visited. From the top you look over the bend of the Júcar and the gorge.
A frontier castle
According to the association Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España (The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain), the fortress was probably built by the Muslims in the late 12th century, when the Almohads reinforced the frontier against the Christian advance of Alfonso VIII. It passed into Christian hands around 1213, when the Castilian king took the Júcar area. What can be seen today, restored and rebuilt in recent times, mostly reflects the work carried out in the mid-15th century by Don Juan Pacheco, Marquis of Villena.
The main structure is a pentagonal tower with two small round towers at the corners, and it has three floors inside. Around it are remains of the wall that enclosed the town. In 1994 the Alcalá del Júcar Workshop School restored the natural surroundings and the entrance to the castle.
Its role as a lookout makes sense as you climb: it controlled the river crossing and the bridge carrying the Royal Road from Castile to the Levante. The Devil's Caves and the caves of King Garadén, a few streets lower down, tell that the Garadén cave served in Arab times as a sentry post over that same bridge.
What you see from the top
The tower is the highest point in the village. From it you see the whole bend of the Júcar, the whitewashed houses tumbling down the slope, the bullring and the bridge, and on the other side the gorge with its cliffs and pine woods. It is the view that explains why Alcalá was declared a historic-artistic site in 1982.
How to get up and when
You cannot go up by car: the old town is closed to traffic and the streets leading to the castle are narrow, steep and stepped. The sensible thing is to park in the lower part of the village and walk up; wear comfortable shoes and, in summer, take water, because the climb is in the sun. Go first thing or in the late afternoon to avoid the heat.
The opening hours and the price of admission change with the season and are not published on an official website: ask at the Tourist Office, on 967 473 090, before you climb.
The usual thing is to combine it with the walk round the old town and the bridge, which ends up here, and with one of the caves that run through the rock, such as the Masagó Caves. For a meal nearby, the Eliá Restaurant is a few minutes from the old town.
- **Devil's Caves and King Garadén's Caves** (1 h · Everyone · Desde 4 € per person): The Devil's Caves are dug into the hillside and cross the rock from one side to the other, until they look out over the Júcar gorge on the opposite side. They stay at around 18 °C all year round, with no air conditioning, so in summer they are a relief. The visit is self-guided: allow 45 minutes to an hour, and you can stay as long as you like within opening hours.
Admission is €4 and includes a drink, the visit to the Devil's Caves and the visit to the Arab Caves of King Garadén. Children under 6 enter free. They are run by Juan José Martínez, known as "El Diablo" (the Devil).
Two caves in one
They are two distinct caves, connected inside the mountain by a metal staircase and visited with the same ticket. The King Garadén cave is the oldest in Alcalá: it is believed to be of Arab origin and has a large viewpoint. According to its owners, it served as a sentry post: from there the river was watched so that nobody could cross it by boat and avoid the tax paid at the bridge, the crossing of the Royal Road from Castile to the Levante. After the Christian conquest it became a dovecote, and wild pigeons were raised in the valley until the 1950s, because their broth was believed to cure ailments.
The Devil's Cave is about three streets further down. The website dates it to 1905: a well-off family dug it out to keep livestock and use it as a wine cellar. It is the larger one and has the café where you take your drink.
Who is "El Diablo"
Juan José Martínez García was born in Almansa and arrived in Alcalá del Júcar in 1980, having been a novice bullfighter among many other trades. With his wife and children he gradually fitted out the caves for tourism; they opened them as a bar, restaurant and nightclub, and have not closed since. Today they open only by day and work as a café, with no meals. He is also a poet, with more than 2,500 poems written, several of them prize-winning.
Hours, price and drink
They always open at 10:15 and close at dusk, never at night; hours vary during the year. You do not need to book. The €4 ticket is paid at the entrance; from age 6, children pay the same. The drink can be a beer, soft drink, coffee, house wine, water, vermouth or a shot of orujo; mixed drinks and cocktails are not included. Dogs may enter, always on a lead. For questions, contacto.cuevasdeldiablo@gmail.com.
How to get there
They are at Calle San Lorenzo 7, in the old town, a couple of streets above the church. The owners ask you to ignore the GPS: cars cannot drive through the old town, so park below and walk up. They fit into the walk round the old town and the bridge, on the way to the castle, and compare well with the Masagó Caves, which cross the same rock.
- **Calm-water canoeing on the Júcar, from Alcalá** (2 h · Families, dogs welcome too · Desde 15 € per person): Two hours in a double canoe on the Júcar without leaving Alcalá del Júcar, on a calm stretch, with the village and the castle rock seen from below. Multiaventura Los Olivos sets off from the river in the village itself, with an instructor.
What the activity is like
It is an outing designed for families: always on calm water, in the Júcar canyon, in double canoes. No experience is needed; the instructor accompanies the whole route and, according to the company, suggests games and tells stories and legends of the area. From the water the village looks different: the rock with its hanging houses, the caves in the stone and the castle above. It lasts about two hours and at the end there is a small picnic of fruit, sweets and juices.
Who it is for and how much it costs
The recommended minimum age is 2, so small children can go in a double canoe. The price is the same for everyone: €15 per person, child or adult. There is no minimum group. What sets it apart from other activities is that you can bring a pet: the company advertises it as a family plan, "pets included".
There are two sessions: in the morning at 11:00 and in the afternoon at 17:30. In high summer, the afternoon one avoids the hottest hours.
What is included and what to bring
The company provides the double canoes, helmet and life jacket, a specialist instructor, photos during the activity, the picnic and civil liability and accident insurance. Transport is not included, though it is not needed, as everything is done without leaving Alcalá. You bring swimwear, a towel and water shoes; flip-flops will not do. A dry change of clothes for afterwards is a good idea.
Booking and season
Book on the Multiaventura Los Olivos website, choosing the date and the number of adults and children, or by phone on 967 11 01 90 or 687 44 48 02. Right now, in November, the website marks the activity as unavailable: it is a water-season activity, so if you go outside summer, call beforehand to find out whether it runs. The company's base is next to the town centre of Alcalá, an hour from Albacete via the N-322 and an hour and a half from Valencia.
What to combine it with
If the children are 11 or older and you want something more strenuous, the same company organises rafting in the Cabriel gorges. After the river, go up to the castle or into the Devil's Caves, which also admit dogs. For a meal or a bed nearby, the Hotel & Spa Eliá, at Finca Los Olivos, has a landing stage on the Júcar.
- **Masagó and El Duende Caves** (45 min · Everyone): Another cave that runs through the rock, this one on Calle Libertad 45. Its owners present it as the only one preserved as hand-hewn, with halls of semicircular arches carved into the rock. Inside there is a medieval wine cellar, a fossil museum, a numismatic museum, a typical house, a farming museum and a bar, with an exit onto the Júcar gorge.
What the cave is like
The Masagó and El Duende Caves present themselves as a prototype of underground architecture: they show what the cave houses of Alcalá were like and how people lived in them, which their owners attribute to an Arab origin. It is a tunnel that enters the rock on which the village sits and crosses it to the other side of the mountain, where it opens onto the Júcar gorge. What sets it apart, according to the house, is that it has been preserved hand-hewn, with the semicircular arches of its halls carved directly into the rock.
The tour mixes several small things. There is a wine cellar from the Middle Ages. The fossil museum brings together antiques and fossils; the numismatic one, coins and banknotes. The typical house is furnished as a cave dwelling, and a small farming museum completes the visit. At the end is the cave bar, where you can have a drink looking out at the gorge. The website does not give an entrance price or duration; at a relaxed pace, allow about three quarters of an hour.
Opening hours and contact
The website publishes two timetables:

Winter: Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 18:00; weekends, 10:30 to 21:00.
Summer: Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 20:00; weekends, 10:00 to 22:00.

It does not set the dates when it changes from one to the other, so if you are going in spring or autumn, call beforehand on 662 072 704 or write to cuevasdemasago@hotmail.es. It stays open late at weekends, which makes it useful for the end of the day, when you have already seen the castle.
Sleeping in a cave house
The same owners rent a restored cave house of Arab origin: two bedrooms with 1.50 by 1.90 m beds, a full kitchen, a living-dining room with a fireplace, a bathroom with a double hot tub, wifi and television. There is public parking about 50 metres away. It is an option for sleeping inside the old town; book through their website.
What to combine it with
The cave is right in the old town, which is pedestrianised, so you arrive on foot. It fits within the walk round the old town and the bridge and the climb to the castle. If you want to compare, the Devil's Caves and the caves of King Garadén cross the same rock, with a different story and a drink included in the ticket.
- **Rafting in the Cabriel gorges, departing from Alcalá** (4 h · Teenagers and adults · Desde 40 € per adult): A half day of white-water rafting in the Hoces del Cabriel Natural Park, the neighbouring river, with a van there and back from Alcalá del Júcar. It is the adrenaline activity of the area.
What the day is like
You meet at the Multiaventura Los Olivos base, next to the old town of Alcalá del Júcar, where you leave your car; they have changing rooms. There the instructors give you your equipment, wetsuit, helmet and life jacket, and take you in their vehicles to the Cabriel gorges, a river the company describes as one of the cleanest in Europe. The descent is made in rafts of 8 or 9 seats with a guide instructor, and the company itself sells it as a day of boarding manoeuvres, capsizes and laughter: expect to get wet. During the route they take photos with waterproof cameras, which they later post on their social media. At the end, before returning to Alcalá, there is a picnic of fruit, sweets and juices.
Who it is for and how much it costs
The recommended minimum age is 11. It costs €40 per adult, from age 11, and €30 per child. There is no minimum group. There are two sessions: at 9:00 and at 16:00; as it is a half day, the morning one leaves the afternoon free for the village.
It includes transport from Alcalá to the Cabriel and back, the wetsuit, life jacket and helmet, the raft and paddles, the guide instructor, the safety equipment, the photos, the picnic and civil liability, assistance and accident insurance.
What to bring
Swimwear and a towel, dry underwear for afterwards, water shoes (flip-flops will not do) and a rucksack. Leave your phone and anything that must not get wet in the car or at the base.
Booking and season
Book on the website, choosing the date and the number of adults and children, or by phone on 967 11 01 90 or 687 44 48 02. In November the website marks the activity as unavailable; it is a seasonal activity, so outside summer call beforehand. The base is an hour from Albacete via the N-322, an hour and a half from Valencia and about three hours from Madrid.
What to combine it with
If there are children under 11 in the group, the same company has calm-water canoeing on the Júcar from age 2, without leaving the village. With the afternoon free, go up to the castle or do the walk round the old town and the bridge. To sleep nearby, the Hotel & Spa Eliá and the Casas Rurales Olmeda are a few minutes from the old town.
- **Gorge trails: El Batán, El Morrón and El Corciolico** (3 h · Walkers · Self-guided · free): The Town Hall suggests three trails that start from the village. The Batán heads towards La Gila along the top of the valley and returns up the river bed, with the best views of the gorge. The Morrón is a circuit: it follows the valley edge to the hamlet of Tolosa and returns beside the Júcar. The Corciolico climbs the slope to Casas del Cerro and descends through steep ravines.
The route sheets for each trail published by the Town Hall, with point-by-point descriptions, give the distances and times below. They date from 2013: the terrain or the waymarks may have changed, so ask for the map at the Tourist Office before setting out.
El Batán, 13 km
It leaves the CM-3201 road going up Calle Batán. The first stretch is the hardest: a zigzag path, with a steep gradient and loose stone, through an Aleppo pine wood, until the castle is below you. At the top, in the El Almendro area, the route levels out among almond trees, olives and vines along the edge of the great Noguera ravine, with stone huts and pens that serve as shelter if it rains. At 5.6 km you reach the hamlet of La Gila, with a fountain below the water tank.
From La Gila comes the prettiest part: a long descent down the slope, among kermes oak, juniper, box and rosemary, with the river winding below and the Tolosa dam in the distance. You cross the Júcar by the reservoir bridge, enter Tolosa and return to Alcalá by the Vereda de Tolosa path, beside the river and under rocky ledges; the route sheet warns of possible rockfalls. It ends at the Cultural Centre after about 13.1 km and a little over three hours without stops.
El Morrón, 14.7 km
It leaves from the castle along a very steep cobbled path towards the water tank and the hamlet of Las Eras. It skirts the valley along the edge of the plain, passes the El Morrón survey point, 693 metres high, which gives the route its name, and descends to Tolosa by the old carriage road, cobbled and zigzagging. The last stretch to the hamlet is heavily worn away by erosion. The return shares the riverside path with the Batán. It is about 14.7 km and a little over three hours.
El Corciolico, 4.5 km
The shortest. It leaves from the river beach, next to the municipal swimming pool, and climbs a path with steps in the rock and a zigzag stone-wall track up to Casas del Cerro, with a fountain beside the tank. It returns past threshing floors and almond trees and descends in zigzags along the edge of the Noguera ravine, with views of Alcalá, to a viewpoint on the road. It is about 4.5 km and a little over an hour.
Before you set out
All three cross the CM-3201 road at some point: do so with care. Take water even though there are fountains in the hamlets, and avoid the hot hours in summer, because the climbs are in the sun. For mountain biking, the municipal website suggests the Tranco del Lobo route towards Villa de Ves, of medium difficulty, and a long, demanding 63 km route to Fuentealbilla. To rest afterwards, the Casas Rurales Olmeda are beside the river, and in Tolosa, halfway along the Batán and the Morrón, is the Avenjúcar Restaurant.

## Dónde comer
- **Avenjúcar Restaurant, in Tolosa** (Restaurant, Tolosa (Alcalá del Júcar), €€). Qué pedir: The menu of the week, €28 with dessert and drink; for children, their own at €15.
- **Eliá Restaurant** (Restaurant, Alcalá del Júcar, €€€). Qué pedir: A rice dish for the table or a dish of Alcalá from the seasonal menu, with a Manchuela wine from Señorío del Júcar
- **Masagó Caves Bar** (Bar, Alcalá del Júcar, €). Qué pedir: A drink at the cave exit, looking out at the gorge.

## By car: By car through La Manchuela
Alcalá del Júcar is at the bottom of a valley, far from motorways: you get there by car, park below and walk round the village.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–140 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Las Colmenas Rurales** (Country house): Five houses, four of them inside the rock
Las Colmenas is on Calle Algarrada, in the historic centre of Alcalá del Júcar, the village that hangs over the river gorge. There are four cave houses and an apartment named after beehives: Voirnot, Lusitana, Smith and Dadant are caves dug into the mountain, with ceilings and walls of whitewashed rock; Layens is an apartment with windows and views of the village, for those who prefer natural light.
All have a 150 × 200 cm bed, a fitted kitchen, wifi, air conditioning, towels and a hairdryer, and something for a bath for two:

Voirnot: two floors. Downstairs, the bedroom with a round 180 cm jacuzzi beside the bed and a bathroom with a shower; upstairs, a living room, kitchen, toilet and a private terrace with views. Up to four people.
Lusitana: the mountain forms part of the bedroom, with the round jacuzzi next to the bed. Up to three.
Smith: about 50 m² on a single floor, with a jacuzzi in the bedroom, and separate living room and kitchen. Up to four.
Dadant: about 46 m², with a hydromassage bath instead of a jacuzzi. Up to three.
Layens: an apartment of about 53 m² with a long hydromassage bath and shower. Up to four.

What it's like sleeping in a cave
The caves have air conditioning and, being dug into the mountain, hardly any windows: if you find it hard to wake up without sun, Voirnot has the terrace upstairs and Layens has windows. The bathroom is inside each house. The jacuzzi is in the bedroom itself, in plain view, so these caves are designed for couples; with children, Voirnot, Smith or Layens work, which have a sofa bed in a separate living room.
All five share a patio with a brick barbecue, with unlimited firewood and charcoal. For the details, the house offers kits you order by WhatsApp: petals and chocolates from €30, flowers for €38 or candles and salts for the jacuzzi for €15.
Arriving by car
The streets of the old town are narrow. The website has two videos with the easiest route: one if you arrive from Casas Ibáñez via Las Eras and another if you come from Alpera, Alatoz or El Cerro. Watch them before entering the village, and if you get lost, call on arrival on 621 241 226. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times or prices: you see them in the booking search when you enter dates. It also doesn't say whether dogs are admitted, so ask before booking.
From the door you walk down to the old town and bridge walk or up to the castle. In summer, the river is paddled by canoe on calm water.
- **Avenjúcar Rural Hotel, in Tolosa** (Small hotel, desde 58 € / night): In Tolosa, downriver from the noise
The Avenjúcar rural hotel is not in the old town of Alcalá del Júcar but in Tolosa, a hamlet of the same municipality a few kilometres away, on Calle San Roque, on the bank of the Júcar. That has two sides. The good one: on spring weekends, when the hanging village fills with cars and visitors, here you sleep far from the bustle, with the river in front of you. The other: to see the old town, the caves or the castle you have to take the car, and in the evening you cannot stroll out for a drink along the streets of Alcalá.
It is run by Avenjúcar, a rural and active tourism company that has worked in the gorge since 1993, with its office on Calle Batán in Alcalá.
Thirteen rooms of stone and wood
The house is rustic in style, with wooden balconies on the façade, and has thirteen rooms: 2 suites, 5 doubles and 6 family rooms for three or four people. All have a private bathroom and river views. The family rooms are what make this place practical for travelling with children, because you do not need to book two rooms.
The common areas are the restaurant, an outdoor chill-out terrace used in summer and a lounge-café with a fireplace for winter. The house suggests a glass of Manchuela wine at dusk, with the sun setting over the river.
Prices per person, with breakfast or board
The website gives indicative prices per person per night: €58 with breakfast, €78 with half board and €98 with full board. They are indicative and confirmed when you book; it also has special prices for accommodation plus activities. Meals are taken at the Avenjúcar restaurant, in the same house, with its weekly La Mancha menu.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00; you can ask to leave later. Cancellation is flexible according to its website, with conditions in its policy. Book through its online booking engine or by phone and WhatsApp on 639 30 57 31, during office hours.
The website says nothing about pets, parking, wifi or heating or air conditioning: if any of them matter to you, ask beforehand.
What you have to hand
The day is sorted by the Sunday of canoeing, caves and castle, which has lunch right here. From Tolosa you drive back to Alcalá for the castle and the gorge trails, which start from the village itself.
- **Casas Rurales Olmeda** (Country house): The houses
Olmeda is seven duplex-style rural houses in Alcalá del Júcar, facing the river and about a five-minute walk from the old town. They belong to the Grupo Los Olivos, the same company behind the Hotel & Spa Eliá and Multiaventura Los Olivos, which says on its website that it has been in rural tourism in the area for almost thirty years.
All follow the same layout: on the ground floor, a living room with built-in kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace; upstairs, the bedrooms; and a small terrace for summer evenings. The website recommends them above all for couples with children, because each family has its own house, kitchen and fireplace without sharing space with anyone.
The website does not publish how many bedrooms or beds each house has, the maximum capacity, the prices per night, or the check-in and check-out times. To find out you have to ask about availability by phone, WhatsApp or email.
Facilities and services
Next to the houses there is parking, a barbecue area and a gazebo. The company offers 24-hour assistance, with an emergency phone answered day and night, and its offices, on the Tolosa road, are open from 9:00 to 22:00.
There is no pool at the houses themselves: guests can use the one at the Casas Los Olivos complex, about four minutes away by car, with parking. Among the group's services the website mentions a saltwater pool, an outdoor terrace and a children's play area.
With a dog and with children
The houses accept pets, and the website expressly invites you to come with the family and the dog. The same company organises a kayak route through the Júcar gorge that can be done with the dog and which it considers suitable for children: it is the same idea as the canoe trips on the Júcar, on calm water.
What is nearby
Being five minutes from the old town, the whole village can be done on foot. Crossing the river you climb the steep streets to the castle, with its viewpoints over the gorge, and on the way you pass the caves that cross the rock, such as the Masagó Caves or the Devil's Caves. The walk round the old town and the Roman bridge is the plan for the first afternoon, and for a longer walk there is the Batán trail.
If you do not feel like cooking, the Eliá restaurant, from the same group, is open to the public for lunch and dinner.
Booking
Phone 967 11 01 90, WhatsApp 670 341 393 and email contacto@casas-losolivos.com. When booking, ask about the house's capacity, the pet charge, if there is one, and the opening hours of the complex's pool, which the website does not detail.
- **Hotel & Spa Eliá** (Spa hotel, desde 75 € / night): Inside Finca Los Olivos, beside the river
The Eliá is a four-star hotel inside Finca Los Olivos, a Grupo Los Olivos complex on the bank of the Júcar with gardens, rural houses and an adventure company, Multiaventura Los Olivos. It is a few minutes' walk from the old town: you leave the car in the hotel car park, free and reserved for guests, and walk down to the bridge, the caves and the streets that climb the rock. It is the most comfortable way to sleep in Alcalá, a village where parking inside the old town is almost impossible at weekends.
Nineteen rooms and two suites
It has 19 rooms, all with breakfast, and its website groups them into five types. The Standard has an outdoor terrace and a double bed; the 1+1, two beds and panoramic views; the Attic, a terrace with views; the Views room, a double bed and a window onto the gorge. The four start from €75. The Relax, from €80, adds a hot tub in the room. All have a Smart TV.
The two suites, from €150, are something else: the Suite has its own living room, a jacuzzi inside and a terrace with views of the old town; the Premium Suite, a king-size bed and a terrace. Both include access to the spa. The suites' weekend package adds the spa circuit, breakfast, padel and the pool.
The spa and the rest of the estate
The spa has a 12 by 5 metre marble-lined pool, with water features and natural light, a jacuzzi, a Finnish sauna at around 80 degrees, a hammam, hydromassage beds, waterfalls, an ice fountain, a bithermal shower and a relaxation area. The circuit is open for almost two hours; at reception they give you a bathrobe, cap and slippers. It is best to reserve your time slot when you book the room, or on arrival at reception or on 967 11 01 90, because it fills up. In the standard rooms, check whether the spa is included or paid separately.
Outside there is a saltwater pool for summer, an outdoor jacuzzi of about 3 by 5 metres with a view of the mountains, a terrace with café and bar, a free padel court for guests (rackets and balls at reception) and a private landing stage on the Júcar where canoes can be rented. The group's staff are on hand 24 hours.
The website does not publish check-in and check-out times and says nothing about pets or extra beds: ask before booking.
For eating and going out
The Eliá restaurant, in the same building, is open to non-guests too. From the landing stage the canoe trips on the Júcar set off, and the castle is up through the old town.

## As a family: Caves, castle and canoe

Alcalá del Júcar has what keeps a child entertained: tunnels in the rock, a castle and a river to paddle on.

### What works best
The Devil's Caves, which cross the mountain; free up to age 6

Calm-water canoeing, from age 2, with picnic

The castle, to see the village from above

The Masagó Caves, with fossils and old coins

### Where to sleep
Avenjúcar rural hotel, with rooms for four

Casas Rurales Olmeda, with kitchen and barbecue

### Where to eat
Avenjúcar has a children's menu

### Bear in mind
The old town is not for pushchairs: slopes and steps

In summer, climb to the castle in the morning

### Qué hacer as a family
- The old town hanging over the gorge, from the bridge to the bullring
- Alcalá del Júcar Castle
- Devil's Caves and King Garadén's Caves
- Calm-water canoeing on the Júcar, from Alcalá
- Masagó and El Duende Caves

## With teenagers: White water and tunnels

For teenagers, the main plan is rafting on the Cabriel; the rest of the day, caves and the castle.

### What works best
Rafting in the Cabriel gorges, from age 11

Canoeing on the Júcar, on your own in a double canoe

The Devil's Caves, from one side of the rock to the other

The Batán trail, with views of the whole gorge

### Where to sleep
Hotel & Spa Eliá, with a pool and padel

### Where to eat
A drink at the bar of the Masagó Caves

### Bear in mind
Rafting is a half day: book it before the trip

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Alcalá del Júcar Castle
- Calm-water canoeing on the Júcar, from Alcalá
- Rafting in the Cabriel gorges, departing from Alcalá
- Gorge trails: El Batán, El Morrón and El Corciolico

## Consejos

### Go up to the castle early
The climb is hard in the heat and the morning light enters the gorge.

### Wear shoes with grip
The streets are steep and the floor of the caves may be damp.

### Call the tourist office
The castle's hours change with the season: 967 473 090.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### What is there to see in Alcalá del Júcar in a day?
The bridge, the castle, the Cuevas del Diablo or those of Masagó, and a walk along the river or a canoe trip.

### How long does it take from Valencia?
About an hour and three quarters by car, along the A-3 and the N-322.

### How much does it cost to enter the caves?
Those of El Diablo, €4 with a drink and those of Rey Garadén included; free for under-6s.

### Can you canoe on the Júcar?
Yes: Multiaventura Los Olivos has canoes on calm water for €15, from age 2.

### Can you go with a dog?
Yes: the streets, the trails and the Los Olivos canoes admit them, and so do the Olmeda rural houses.

### Where do you park in Alcalá del Júcar?
Below, beside the river and the bridge; the old town is covered on foot.