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Priego de Cordoba: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Priego sits on a spring that never fails, and in the 18th century, when silk weaving made the town rich, it spent the money on water and churches. That is why a small town in the hills has a fountain fit for a capital and is called the capital of Cordoban baroque. The walk starts at the spring, climbs through the shopping streets and ends at the castle. About two hours; most churches open only in the morning and late afternoon.

Priego de Cordoba

A short history of Priego de Cordoba

Priego de Córdoba, in the Subbética mountains in the south of the province of Córdoba, was a fortified town called Baguh in the Muslim period, and in the Middle Ages it passed to the Kingdom of Castile. In the 18th century, thanks to a silk and textile industry that made the town rich, churches were built there in a Baroque style so lavish that it is called the 'capital of the Córdoba Baroque'. In 1803 the Fuente del Rey was completed, with 139 spouts from which water flows. Niceto Alcalá-Zamora, the first president of the Second Spanish Republic, who served from 1931 to 1936, was born in the town in 1877. Olive groves stretch around the town, and its olive oil holds Protected Designation of Origin status.

The ten best sights in Priego de Cordoba

  1. Fuente del Rey
    1
    Fuente del Rey

    Come in the evening, when the water is lit and the town strolls past

  2. Fuente de la Salud
    2
    Fuente de la Salud

    The older fountain just above, where the spring rises

  3. Church of the Asunción
    3
    Church of the Asunción

    Step into the Sagrario chapel at the back; the white stucco is the reason to come

  4. Castle of Priego
    4
    Castle of Priego

    Climb the keep for the view over the old quarter's roofs

  5. Niceto Alcalá-Zamora House
    5
    Niceto Alcalá-Zamora House

    Birthplace of a president of Spain; short, free and well kept

  6. Carnicerías Reales
    6
    Carnicerías Reales

    The old butchers' hall, now an exhibition space; find the spiral stair

  7. Church of La Aurora
    7
    Church of La Aurora

    A small baroque jewel on the way to the Villa

  8. Church of San Francisco
    8
    Church of San Francisco

    Gilded altarpieces and the town's best-loved image of Christ

  9. Balcón del Adarve
    9
    Balcón del Adarve

    Walk it at sunset; the drop below the railing is sheer

  10. La Tiñosa
    10
    La Tiñosa

    The highest summit in Córdoba province; a stony hike, no shade

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Priego de Cordoba →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Priego de Cordoba:

Water and baroque

Free walking tours in Priego de Cordoba

Water and baroque

Priego sits on a spring that never fails, and in the 18th century, when silk weaving made the town rich, it spent the money on water and churches. That is why a small town in the hills has a fountain fit for a capital and is called the capital of Cordoban baroque. The walk starts at the spring, climbs through the shopping streets and ends at the castle. About two hours; most churches open only in the morning and late afternoon.

  1. Fuente de la Salud · This is where the spring rises. Its stone front, from the late 16th century, frames a niche with an image of the Virgin, and the water from here runs down into the Fuente del Rey below.
  2. Fuente del Rey · The fountain was completed in 1803 and has 139 spouts, most of them in the shape of grotesque masks, pouring into three basins. In the centre, Neptune and Amphitrite ride a chariot through the water.
  3. Niceto Alcalá-Zamora House · Niceto Alcalá-Zamora was born in this house in 1877 and became the first president of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931. Removed from office in 1936, he died in exile in Buenos Aires in 1949.
  4. Church of San Francisco · San Francisco keeps the image of Jesús Nazareno that leads the procession of Good Friday, the most crowded day of Priego's year, when the whole town climbs the hill behind it.
  5. Carnicerías Reales · Built in the 16th century as the town's slaughterhouse and meat market, it has a courtyard with arcades and a spiral stone staircase that leads down to the lower level.
  6. Castle of Priego · The castle has Muslim origins and was rebuilt after Alfonso XI took Priego in 1341. Its square keep still stands to full height, and houses were built right against its walls.

The Villa and the cliff

The Barrio de la Villa is the old Muslim quarter of Priego: a knot of narrow lanes, whitewashed walls and geraniums in pots, ending suddenly at a cliff over the valley. Behind it stand the two great churches of the town. This is a short walk — an hour at most — but go slowly, and come back after dark, when the lanes are lit and nearly empty.

  1. Mercado de Abastos · Priego's olive oil has its own protected designation of origin, and the groves around the town produce some of the most awarded extra virgin oils in Spain. The market is the place to taste it on bread.
  2. Church of La Aurora · Every Saturday night the Brotherhood of the Aurora walks the streets around midnight singing old hymns to the Virgin, with guitars and violins — a custom that has kept going for centuries.
  3. Church of the Asunción · The Sagrario, an octagonal chapel added in the late 18th century, is covered in white stucco ornament by Francisco Javier Pedrajas. It is counted among the high points of Spanish late baroque.
  4. Castle of Priego · The Villa grew in the shadow of the castle, inside the medieval walls, and its streets keep the bent, closed plan of the Muslim town.
  5. Balcón del Adarve · The Adarve runs along the top of a natural cliff of soft rock, the tajo, that was the town's northern defence. From the railing you look straight down onto orchards and across to the Sierra.
  6. La Tiñosa · The mountain you see beyond the balcony is La Tiñosa, at 1,570 metres the highest point in the province of Córdoba. Snow often sits on its top in winter.

The frontier of the Subbética

For two and a half centuries the hills around Priego were the frontier between Castile and the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, and every hilltop here has a castle. Now they are olive groves and white villages, inside the Sierras Subbéticas natural park. This loop goes west through the park to Zuheros and comes back by the castle towns. A full day by car on winding roads; book the bat cave ahead.

  1. Carcabuey · Carcabuey's castle stands on a cone-shaped hill above the village, and inside its walls is the hermitage of the Virgen del Castillo, the village's patron. The climb is short and steep.
  2. Cueva de los Murciélagos · The cave was used by people from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, and archaeologists found pottery, tools and schematic paintings here. It is also a refuge for bats, which gave it its name.
  3. Zuheros · Zuheros is known for its goat's cheese, and the village castle is built straight onto a rock spur so that wall and cliff are hard to tell apart.
  4. Rute · Rute has made anise liquor for centuries, and several distilleries still work in the town. It is also known for a donkey sanctuary that has sheltered hundreds of old and abandoned donkeys.
  5. Iznájar · Iznájar stands on a ridge that became a peninsula when the reservoir was filled in 1969. Its Arabic name, Hisn Ashar, means a fortress, and the castle still crowns the top.
  6. Fortaleza de la Mota · La Mota was a Nasrid frontier fortress until Alfonso XI took it in 1341 — the same year he took Priego. The walled hill held a whole town, and its great abbey church still stands inside the walls.
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Getting to Priego de Cordoba and getting around

  • Granada Airport · About 50 minutes; mostly domestic flights
  • Puente Genil-Herrera Station · The nearest high-speed train, about an hour by car; trains to Málaga, Córdoba and Madrid
  • Priego Bus Station · Buses to Córdoba and Granada; check times the day before

Cheap eats in Priego de Cordoba

Everything in Priego starts with oil: the town's olive oil is among the most decorated in Spain, and it goes on the breakfast toast, into the salmorejo — a thick cold tomato cream from Córdoba — and over the potatoes of the hill villages. Lunch is the main meal, served late, and tapas come free or nearly free with a drink in many bars. The pastry shops make sweets for each feast of the church year.

  • Mercado de Abastos · Bread, cheese and olives for a picnic, about €5-8
  • La Flor de Mayo · Pastry shop in the centre, about €1-3 a piece
  • Cafetería Azahara · Toast with oil and tomato and a coffee, about €2.50-3.50
  • Taberna El Postigo · Drinks with a tapa, about €2-3 each
  • Heladería Jijonenca · Ice cream near the fountain streets, about €2.50-3.50
  • Pastelería La Aguilareña · Cakes and pastries, about €1.50-3

Museums in Priego de Cordoba

  • Niceto Alcalá-Zamora House · Rooms, documents and photos of the Republic's first president
  • Carnicerías Reales · Renaissance hall with exhibitions; free
  • Villa romana El Ruedo · Roman villa with mosaics and a museum in Almedinilla
  • Museo del Olivar y el Aceite · Olive oil museum in an old mill at Baena, 30 minutes north-west
  • Fortaleza de la Mota · A whole walled town on a hill; allow two hours

Nature and day trips near Priego de Cordoba

  • La Tiñosa · The province's highest summit; a long, stony hike
  • Cueva de los Murciélagos · Guided tours at set hours; book ahead
  • Embalse de Iznájar · Inland beach, kayaks and paddleboards in summer
  • Balcón del Adarve · Sunset walk on the cliff edge

Things to do in Priego de Cordoba with kids

  • Fuente del Rey · Count the 139 spouts and find the funniest face
  • Embalse de Iznájar · Calm water for swimming and kayaks
  • Cueva de los Murciélagos · A real cave with lamps and a guide
  • Castle of Priego · Climb the tower and look down on the roofs

Where to eat in Priego de Cordoba

  • Balcón del Adarve · Dinner on the edge of the cliff; book a terrace table
  • La Pianola Casa Pepe · Spanish dishes and tapas in the centre
  • Zahorí · Regional cooking near the Villa
  • La Jamoteca de Morales · Ham, cheese and wine on Calle Deán Padilla
  • La Ribera Restaurante · Spanish menu on Calle Ribera
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Frequently asked questions about Priego de Cordoba

What is there to see in Priego de Cordoba?

The top sights in Priego de Cordoba are Fuente del Rey, Fuente de la Salud and Church of the Asunción. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Priego de Cordoba?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Priego de Cordoba without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Priego de Cordoba?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Priego de Cordoba, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Water and baroque.

How do you get to Priego de Cordoba and get around?

The main ways are Granada Airport, Puente Genil-Herrera Station and Priego Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Priego de Cordoba, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Priego de Cordoba that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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