Devil's Caves and King Garadén's Caves

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, [email protected].

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.