Castles of Castile and Al-Andalus: A Drive from Córdoba to Granada

The mountains between Córdoba and Granada have long formed a natural boundary between peoples and cultures. For 250 years in the late Middle Ages, this is where the Christian Kingdom of Castile rubbed up against the Muslim Kingdom of Granada. You’ll drive through rolling olive groves and past rocky outcrops dotted with medieval castles and watchtowers, while you discover how the landscape has shaped the history of the area.

The tour starts at the Repsol service station on the outskirts of Córdoba, heading south-east along the N-432. Gradually leaving behind the fertile Guadalquivir valley, you’ll pass the towns of Espejo, Castro del Río and Baena, famed for its olive oil. Then we’ll take a scenic detour, skirting around the dramatic limestone cliffs and gorges of the Sierras Subbéticas UNESCO Global Geopark and the Montilla-Moriles wine region to explore the charming villages of Luque, Zuheros and Doña Mencía. After passing the castles at Alcaudete and Alcalá la Real, our tour will end in Moclín, another pretty whitewashed mountain village once considered the “gateway to Granada”. It was the last castle between Córdoba and Granada to fall to the Christians before the Muslims finally surrendered the city itself in 1492.

The tour should take about 3 hours with very limited stops, but allow much longer if you want to enjoy the towns, villages, scenery and sights along the way at a leisurely pace.

On this 3-hour driving tour you’ll have the chance to:

• Visit a well-preserved medieval fortress at Fortaleza de la Mota in Alcalá la Real or Alcaudete Castle, where you will discover what it was like to live on this dangerous frontier during the Middle Ages
• Explore the beautiful whitewashed villages of Zuheros and Moclín, set amidst breathtaking mountain scenery
• Hear about María de Molina, who wielded power and influence under three different kings, and discover the extraordinary story of Juan Latino
• Follow the route trodden since time immemorial by knights, merchants, pilgrims and Romantic travellers
• Visit the setting of Robert Capa’s iconic photograph of the Spanish Civil War
• Find out how Julius Caesar defeated his rivals and paved the way for the Roman Empire
• Sample locally-produced olive oils, cheeses and Montilla-Moriles wines at Los Balanchares near Zuheros or Bodegas Mencianas in Doña Mencía

You’ll immerse yourself in a beautiful region that most visitors never get to see, while hearing about some of the fascinating characters and events in the history of Andalucía. This tour rewards curiosity – the more you stop, the more you'll find.