Cañete – Castle, Walls and Nature Area

Cañete makes its history visible in a tangible way: the Muslim walls are fully preserved, although urban growth has incorporated them into other buildings in some places.

Culture and History

The Puerta de las Eras was Cañete’s main Muslim entrance. It opened westwards towards the floodplain of the Río Mayor and the old road to Teruel and Albarracín. The Iglesia de Santiago is the only surviving one of Cañete’s three parish churches. Outside the town walls, next to the gate of the same name, stands the Ermita de la Virgen de la Zarza, the patron saint of Cañete.

The Castillo de Cañete preserves original walls and is divided by interior walls into three areas. The Museo de la Cultura Popular de Cañete presents local history as well as traditional objects from agriculture, forestry, transport and everyday domestic life.

The Paisaje Ilustrado comprises life-size two-dimensional sculptures installed in the streets of Cañete and in the Paraje de El Postigo. La Alvarada is an annual medieval festival in Cañete, usually held during the last days of July and the first days of August. In 2014, La Alvarada was recognised as a festival of regional tourist interest.

Nature and Trails

The Paraje de El Postigo is the nature area immediately adjacent to Cañete, below the town walls, and forms an inseparable part of the town. The Paraje de El Postigo is home to the Pozo de la Horca, a waterfall approximately ten metres high.

La Picota offers the most immediate panoramic view of Cañete and can be reached via a short but steep ascent; the municipality recommends completing it entirely on foot. Route 1, “De Puente a Puente”, follows a path along the river that can also be travelled by bicycle.

The different types of paths and the approximate height of the waterfall provide concrete points of comparison for your own planning, without reducing the place to a single activity.

The short, steep ascent and the path along the river involve different demands in terms of the type of route. The panoramic view, the waterfall and the possibility of travelling the “De Puente a Puente” route by bicycle therefore offer various objective reference points for planning a day.

Other linked places include San Clemente, Alarcón, Villalba De La Sierra, Chillarón De Cuenca, Cañada Del Hoyo, Monteagudo De Las Salinas, Beteta and Las Valeras.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Cañete, the respective accommodation pages list travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions as separate details. These three fields define the accommodation framework; questions about walls, trails, festivals and cuisine are independent of this and belong to your own travel planning.

Regional Cuisine

Cañete’s Caldereta is a lamb dish cooked with oil, wine, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Ajo arriero, also known as Atascaburras, is prepared in Cañete’s traditional cuisine with cod and potatoes.

For the overview of the wider destination: Cuenca.