zahara de la sierra

After descending from Grazalema we arrived in this beautiful little white village; Beautiful views. Merits a stop if you are in the area, after Ronda.

If you can only visit one Pueblos blancos (White village) make it this one. The views from the village over the reservoir and mountains are spectacular. The walk up to the top of the castle is well worth the effort and makes the views even more beautiful. Also lots of tracks in the area that are worth walking with good restaurants and bars to finish off your visit.

Zahara is probably one of the most interesting villages in the Sierra south of Cadiz. It is quite high up on the side of the mountain and all the landscape is dominated by a large man-made lake. I would also recommend a steep, old road, leading up to the remains of an Arab castle. The tower of the castle can be visited, but you will need a torch. Interesting wild vegetation as you go up, but beware, it is a hard climb!

Zahara was a lovely excursion on our way from Ronda to Seville.The views across the lake from the castle Torre del Homenaje were superb and well worth the climb. The town is walkable and has quite a few restaurants. There is a indoor food market across from a little health plaza with exercise equipment right as you enter the village. I cannot remember the name but you should be able to smell the whole roasting chickens on spits. Mouth watering and they were frying up buckets of sliced potatoes.

I remarked to the missus that if Zahara de la Sierra was in England it would rightly sit atop any tourist guide destination but such is the beauty of Andalucia that its just another pueblo blanco off the tourist trail. I thanked Odin that we'd got our act together with a hire car, without which we would never have seen this gem of a town. I spotted Zahara from the main A-374 road out of Ronda as we drove to Arcos de la frontera for a day trip and thought then that it looked worth a visit. Built on a shelf overlooking the lake called Embalse de Sierra - el gastor it's a picture perfect sleepy little town. We parked at the foot of the town and climbed the steep winding lane which eventually opened up into a beautiful bunting strewn town square and a wonderful view of the lake. We then climbed the rest of the hill to view the Moorish castle that sits above Zahara. Wonderful day out and fantastic food at Al Lago restaurant which sits in the lower reaches of the town.

This was our favourite of all the Pueblos Blancos we visited around Ronda. The views across the lake from the Nazri castle were superb and well worth the climb. The town itself is small and tumbles down the hill in a series of little squares with colourful flowers breaking the monotony of the white buildings.

Definitely worth a visit. We stopped for an afternoon, but wished we'd stayed for the night. Very charming town and a great local swimming hole just a few miles outside of town.

Nestled among the mountains, Zahara is worth the detour from Ronda, Jerez, Seville, Olvera or Antequera. It is a classic white village ("Pueblo Blanco") with a church in an elevated position, but best of all, a castle at the summit of the on which the town is built.There's a great lakeside hotel with a superb restaurant (Al Lago) and very affordable and decent accommodation can be found close to the castle.

If you could visit just one "Pueblo Blanco" this should be your first choice. The road there is dotted with amazing views, although the driving can be a bit strenuous. The village is beautiful and I highly recommend making the hike to the local fortress.

We have been to a few of the pueblos blancos and this one has been by far the best! They are all beautiful but this one is that and has ambiance.

Lovely stop to break the journey on the drive between Ronda and Seville. Postcard town/village on a hill top with a tower overlooking surrounding mountains and dazzling blue lake / reservoir. Stayed for about an hour or so and climbed the tower. There's places to grab some food or a drink. Worth climbing tower (see pictures) for views but not for the unfit on a hot day. We parked in the carpark as soon as you get into the town approaching from the east. It looked like if you drove through the town and looped round the hilltop there was also a car park at the base of the tower. As we headed out of town its also worth stopping on the dam wall to get a view across the lake to the town.

A beautiful 'pueblos blancos' town amongst the mountains of Andalucía, with sensational views. We visited the quiet village on our way to Ronda and wandered the clean streets, sat in the square for coffee and cake (or drink) and climbed to the tower. The town itself is hilly, the climb to the tower will 'get the blood flowing', but do yourself a favour by wandering around and climbing to the tower for the views over the countryside. The tower itself is not much, but the views.....You have to drive to reach the town, which on the narrow, hillside roads is interesting, but it's worth an hour or two visit.

It's a bit tricky to get to and out of, but man the views were amazing once we got to the top! If it's on your way I'd stop, but wouldn't go out of my way to stop here.

A very pretty hill town in a lovely setting overlooking a large lake. Stop for a delicious lunch at Al Lago and enjoy the view!

Great view of the valleys to the west, neat little streets, but very hilly. Very few shops and restaurants. The view from the tower is nice, but it is run down. Those in good physical shape would enjoy Zahara. Hotel Al Lago is a nice surprise for this blanco pueblo.