Hidden Corners of Spain: Salobreña is a must visit whether you are in Malaga or Granada

Salobreña is a beautiful little town built on the summit of a rocky crag, a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean Sea.

It’s 50 miles east of Málaga and 40 miles south of Granada. The nearest town is Motril, four miles away.
It is easy to get to Salobreña. It lies just off the main A-7 coast road (take the N-340 into the centre).

What makes Salobreña so spectacular is the way it rises sheer out of the surrounding sugarcane fields. Be sure to check out the “peñón”, a massive rock formation on the beach.

As you might expect, the steep promontory was ideal terrain for erecting a castle in the Dark Ages, and the castle in turn gave rise to the town.

The kingdom of Granada was the last Arab foothold in Europe to fall to the Christians, and Salobreña was a Muslim community from 700AD until the year 1489.

It was the Arabs who first planted sugarcane on this flat coastal plain, and it remains the town’s key industry today.

The Old Town, clustered around the castle, is a paradise on jasmine-scented summer evenings, while the New Town lower down the slope has all the amenities you could wish for.

Obviously, the Moorish Castle is the main attraction. It costs €4 to visit (€2 for the usual reduced entry), but you may be lucky, and coincide with an ‘open day’, and get in free! Monday afternoons, it is worth noting, are always free.

The castle gates open every morning for three hours, starting at 10am, and in the afternoon from 4 to 5:30 (later in summer).

You can easily get around in half an hour – but bring a credit card: they don’t accept cash at the ticket office.

You might also want to see the church, near the castle: Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

It’s 500 years old, and it’s mudejar (after the Christians took control of Salobreña, some Arabs stayed on and worked on the Church).

As often happened in Andalucía, the incoming Christians converted the town’s main mosque into the present church – so it retains Moorish characteristics.

For history lovers, there is also a small museum in the Old Town, with plenty of prehistoric finds on display.

To get to the beach (it’s walkable, but it’s a good mile or so) leave the crag of Salobreña and take the ruler-straight Avenida Mediterranéo.

There is accommodation in Salobreña to suit all tastes and all wallets, as you’d expect in a town which is turning increasingly to tourism, but on this occasion we are going to recommend the Hotel La Miba.

It’s a short distance outside Salobreña proper, on the Málaga side, but this is good, because just about every part of the hotel offers superb views of the steep crag.

There is an open-air pool and a much-vaunted “skybar”, and the hotel prides itself in being pet-friendly.
Various deals are on offer, and short stays work out at about €130 per night (April prices).

A good place to eat is La Traviesa. You will find this quaint little restaurant tucked away within the winding streets and alleys of the Salobreña Old Town, near the castle.

If you are touring the castle, this would be the perfect place to stop for lunch or dinner. Walking is the preferred method of reaching it, because there is no parking in this area and the roads are too narrow for cars to pass.

Once at the top you will be rewarded with gorgeous views from all their terraces.

The restaurant doesn’t face the sea but has spectacular views of the surrounding town with the mountains in the background. And if you go in the evening, you might catch a flamenco show!

One more quick thing to see: La Bóveda (the Vault). No-one is quite sure when or why this ancient tunnel was built, or why tourists might choose to visit it.

We suggest a cold beer on the La Botica terrace just around the corner is reason enough!

Salobreña is the perfect place to visit if you’re staying in Granada, and you fancy a beach day. Alternatively, why not stay in Salobreña, and make excursions to Granada?

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