Montejícar – Cultural Heritage, Trails and Festive Traditions

Montejícar is a place where you can discover history through buildings, trails and traditional festivals. The Castillo de Montejícar has been protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1985. The Castillo can be visited via an access route on the eastern slope. Another historical trace is the Camino de los Arrieros: the ancient Roman road connected the cities of Cástulo near Linares and Cartago Nova near Cartagena; some sections of this transport infrastructure have survived to this day.

Culture

The Iglesia de San Andrés is a 16th-century church built over the former mosque and has a 35-metre-high bell tower. The Puente Romano stands on the Guadahortuna River; the remains of a defensive tower and a section of wall have been preserved next to the bridge. The Ermita de la Virgen de la Cabeza comprises a chapel area dating from the early 17th century with painted doors, as well as a 70-centimetre-high polychrome wooden statue. El Cañuelo is a washhouse built in 1930 that was reopened in 2008 following a restoration project and illustrates an earlier communal washing tradition.

Trails and Landscape

The Ruta Camino Histórico is an approximately 12-kilometre circular route that can be walked. It is intended for both ecotourism and cultural tourism. Another trail option is the Ruta Patrimonial: this walkable visitor route passes through natural areas, archaeological sites, and monumental and ethnological cultural sites.

The Ruta Alta Coloma begins in the municipal area of Montejícar and leads to the summit of Alta Coloma at an altitude of 1,696 metres. The Ruta Fuentes runs mainly along signposted paths that are suitable for hiking or cycling on most sections. Fuente Cabra connects a spring with its surroundings, an amphitheatre and the beginning of the ascent route to the Castillo Árabe.

For planning your day, you can compare the circular route, the summit destination and the sections suitable for hiking or cycling as different trail formats. The trail options differ in terms of circular route, summit destination, trail marking and the combination of natural and cultural sites.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Montejícar, the accommodation pages present travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions as separate details side by side. You can compare these fields with your own travel period, planned length of stay and preferred type of accommodation.

Other places in the wider travel area include Iznalloz, Cenes De La Vega, Villamena, Cádiar, Cájar, Capileira, Monachil and El Ventorrillo.

Festivals and Traditions

In Montejícar, a traditional performance of Moros y Cristianos takes place at the beginning of August in honour of the Virgen de la Cabeza, the town's patron saint. The performance is considered the only one of its kind in the comarca. The Romería de San Isidro takes place on 15 May in Eras Altas. The Día de la Torta involves family gatherings in the countryside.

For the wider travel overview: Granada.