Ferreira: Arab Baths, Historic Routes and Sierra Nevada

At the entrance to Ferreira lie the remains of the Arab Baths of Ferreira. The Baños Árabes de Ferreira are designated as a cultural monument in the Monumento category as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The municipality of Ferreira belongs to Sierra Nevada National Park and lies on its northern side. If you mentally organise the area for your trip, you can consider cultural history and mountain landscape as two separate focal points. The time span of the places mentioned ranges from the 12th- and 13th-century baths to the El Cardal archaeological site from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC.

Culture

The origins of the Baños Árabes de Ferreira date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. Casa Grande is a manor house built in the Moorish style during the first half of the 16th century. As agricultural outbuildings, Casa Grande included a large tower of an alquería and a cistern that supplied the population. El Cardal is a fortified archaeological site from the 3rd. El Cardal is connected with mining in the Marquesado del Cenete. Thus, in Ferreira, a Moorish manor house, a historic cistern and a fortified site connected with mining stand side by side in different historical contexts.

Routes and Activities

The GR-7 leads uphill from Ferreira into the Alpujarra and onwards to the villages of Bayárcal and Laroles. The Ruta de Münzer is a tourist route along old paths from Huércal-Overa to Granada. Easy routes of just under 1 km lead into the pine forest and to viewpoints such as the Mirador de Ferreira or the Mirador del Hornillo. The area offers various snow-related activities and several cross-country ski trails. The short routes into the pine forest and to the viewpoints form a different type of route from the longer historic and interregional routes. When choosing between the routes, the key distinction is therefore between the short routes near Ferreira and the onward routes through the Alpujarra or from Huércal-Overa to Granada.

Getting There

From Granada, road connections lead via the A-308 in the direction of Iznalloz and then via the GR-NE-3 to Ferreira. Alternatively, the approach runs via the A-308 in the direction of Darro and then continues via the GR-NE-3. Both routes begin in Granada and lead to Ferreira via the GR-NE-3, but differ in the direction initially taken on the A-308.

Events

The Mercado Medieval includes craft stalls, street performances and figures in historic clothing. The event format complements the location-specific architectural and archaeological references with an offering in which crafts, performances and historic clothing appear together.

A holiday apartment in Ferreira can be assessed on the accommodation pages according to the desired travel period, room category and cancellation conditions. This information stands alongside the choice of location, while culture, historic routes, mountain landscape or winter activities can determine the desired thematic focus of the stay.

Other Places

Los Llanos, Soportújar, Cacin, Puerto Lope, Orce, Lanjarón, Benamaurel, Huéscar

For the higher-level travel overview: Granada.