Villages near Ronda

Zahara de la Sierra Pueblo Blanco in the Grazalema Natural Park

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Zahara de la Sierra Pueblo Blanco in the Grazalema Natural Park

Nestled under the mountain that gives the village its name, Zahara de la Sierra is one of the pueblos blancos of Cadiz province, and is only 30 minutes drive from Ronda, or an hour from Jerez de la Frontera. Completely within the Grazalema Natural Park, and with the district’s largest lake at its base, as well as the beginnings of the Garganta Verde walk just outside the village, Zahara is rightly quite central to experiencing the Sierra de Cadiz.

Zahara de la Sierra
Zahara de la Sierra Pueblo Blanco in the Grazalema Natural Park. Arriving in the village you are immediately struck by the sight of the fortress tower sitting on a narrow plateau at the top of the mountain rocks, and the white buildings wrapped around the mountain base which makes Zahara a popular village to photograph from afar with some of the best views being at the southern end of the lake on a clear blue sky day.
Listen to our podcast about Zahara de la Sierra

Zahara de la Sierra, a pueblo blanco in Cadiz, Spain, is the focus of this descriptive podcast.

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Pueblos Blancos Music Festival 2023: A Cultural and Musical Experience in the Heart of Andalusia

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Pueblos Blancos Music Festival

The 6th edition of the Pueblos Blancos Music Festival will be Thursday, July 27 through Sunday, July 30, 2023! Great music in spectacular settings! Fantastic national & international bands, playing in breathtakingly beautiful, ancient, mountain villages in southern Spain! Free entry! Scroll down for the list of concert venues, times and dates for the Pueblos … Read more

La Playita – The Little Beach in the Mountains

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La playita at Zahara de la Sierra

Sometimes you just want to go to the beach but staying near Ronda means at least one and a half hour drive to the coast. However, not too far away at Zahara de la Sierra is La Playita in the area known as Arroymolinos. A fresh water pool converted into a beach. Perfect for swimming and sunbathing!

From mid June until mid September the little beach is open, and is only a 25 minute drive from Ronda, or 10 minutes from Zahara de la Sierra or Montecorto. Entry tickets are under 5 Euros for the whole day and babies up to 3 years old go free!

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Discover Juzcar

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Juzcar

Deep in the green Genal Valley, but only a few kilometres from Ronda, lies the tiny village of Júzcar, almost invisible as the valley roads twist and turn along the length of the Genal River. Juzcar is small, and easily walked around in less than 30 minutes, you could blink and miss this little inland Andalucia village, but don’t or you’ll really kick yourself later.

A little bit about Juzcar. It really is blue? and Smurfs live there?

Juzcar is a small village located in the province of Malaga in Andalusia, southern Spain. It gained international fame in 2011 when it was painted blue for the promotion of the Smurfs movie. The village was chosen by Sony Pictures to celebrate the world premiere of the movie, and as part of the promotion, all the buildings in the village were painted blue, making it look like a real-life Smurf village.

The village was originally a traditional white Andalusian town, but after the success of the Smurf movie promotion, the residents of Juzcar voted to keep the blue color as a tribute to the famous blue cartoon characters. The blue paint used was eco-friendly and made with natural pigments, and it has become a tourist attraction ever since.

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