- Marquesado del Cenete — the high plain east of Guadix. La Calahorra stands on it. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar y Mendoza, first Marquis of Cenete, built the castle.
- Carrara marble — white Italian marble. At La Calahorra it was shipped in for the courtyard. At Velez Blanco the courtyard was cut from local Macael marble.
- Patio — the inner courtyard. At La Calahorra you still walk it. At Velez Blanco you see the space where it used to be.
Castles and palaces east of Granada — La Calahorra to Velez Blanco
East of Granada the country opens toward Guadix, the Marquesado and Almeria. The buildings on this road are not the Alhambra. They are the next chapter: a Nasrid alcazaba at Guadix, then Renaissance palaces built by the nobles who took the land after 1492. The one that most people come for is La Calahorra — a bare castle on the outside, an Italian courtyard of Carrara marble inside.
Further east, Pedro Fajardo, Marquis of Los Velez, built two more houses: Cuevas del Almanzora and Velez Blanco. The courtyard of Velez Blanco is no longer there. It was sold in 1904 and now stands in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. You walk the empty shell and the town. Guadix, Gergal, Tahal and Orce fill the gaps if you have a second day. Related: Granada, Almeria, Boabdil’s frontier, Granada from Malaga.
*La Calahorra is visited on guided tours with limited days. Check and book before you drive out from Granada. Hours at the smaller castles change.
Words you will meet
La Calahorra
Build this stop first if the Renaissance courtyard is why you came. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar y Mendoza, son of Cardinal Mendoza, began the castle in 1509. Michele Carlone, an architect from northern Italy, designed the interior. From the road it looks like a square fortress with four towers. Inside there is a two-storey courtyard of arches and Carrara marble, closer to a Tuscan palace than to a frontier keep. Visits are guided and must be booked. The church of Our Lady of the Annunciation is in the village below.
Guadix
Guadix is the natural halt between Granada and La Calahorra. The alcazaba is a ruin on the hill above the cave quarter and the cathedral. It mattered in the last years of the War of Granada; what you see now is walls and a view, not a furnished palace. Pair it with the cathedral if you have a morning. The cave houses are a separate visit, not part of this castle list.
Velez Blanco and Cuevas del Almanzora
Pedro Fajardo, first Marquis of Los Velez, built both of these after the conquest. Velez Blanco (1506–15) is the better-known shell: Italian craftsmen carved a marble courtyard from Macael stone. In 1904 the owners sold the patio. It travelled to Paris and then to New York, where it is rebuilt inside the Metropolitan Museum. The castle above the town is still worth the climb for the rooms that remain and for the view. The Church of Santiago is in the village.
Cuevas del Almanzora holds the other Fajardo house, sometimes called the Castle of the Marquis of Los Velez. The outside is a fortress; the inside is a palace, with a granary beside it. If you are already in the Almanzora valley, see this before or after Velez Blanco. The Church of the Incarnation is the parish below.
Gergal, Tahal and Orce
These three are shorter stops. Gergal, on the way toward Tabernas and Almeria city, was rebuilt after the Moriscos left. The castle is in decent repair; the Church of Santa Maria is in the town. Tahal, in the Almanzora hills, was a stronghold in the last phase of the War of Granada. Expect walls and a parish church of the Encarnacion, not a museum circuit.
Orce, on the high plain toward the Granada–Almeria border, was another frontier bastion in that same war. The castle and the Church of Saint Mary are the pair. Orce is also known for its prehistoric finds; that museum is a different visit. None of these three replaces La Calahorra or Velez Blanco.
How to get there from Malaga
This is a long inland drive. From Malaga take the A-45 and A-92 toward Granada and Guadix. La Calahorra is a short hop south of the Guadix road. Velez Blanco and Cuevas del Almanzora lie further east, in Almeria, on slower roads. A hire car from Malaga Airport or the Costa del Sol is the practical way to see more than Guadix. A private transfer can take you to Granada or Guadix; from there you still need a car for the hill castles.
Car hire: the flexible option
From Malaga Airport or the Costa del Sol you can drive to Guadix and La Calahorra in a long morning. Velez Blanco and Cuevas del Almanzora need a second day. Buses between these villages are few.
Hire a car at Malaga Airport
Taxi or private transfer
Door to door from Malaga Airport or your Costa del Sol hotel to Granada or Guadix. Stay overnight if you have a booked visit at La Calahorra. A same-day return from Malaga only works for Guadix if you start very early.
Book a transfer*No credit-card details or advance payment are needed to request a quote. Cancellation is free. Book ahead in high season to avoid price rises and to secure the car or group size you need.
Other options
Trains from Malaga Maria Zambrano to Granada usually change at Antequera-Santa Ana and take around one and a half to two hours. From Granada there are trains and coaches to Guadix. La Calahorra has no useful station; from Guadix you need a taxi or a hire car. From the airport take the suburban train or a bus to Maria Zambrano first.
ALSA and other coaches run Malaga–Granada and Granada–Guadix–Almeria. They will get you to Guadix. They will not drop you at the gate of La Calahorra or Velez Blanco on a timetable that suits a booked tour. From Fuengirola, Torremolinos or Marbella go into Malaga first, then inland.
Local buses in the Almanzora and the Marquesado are infrequent. If La Calahorra and Velez Blanco are both on your list, hire a car.
Practical tips
- Book La Calahorra before you leave Granada. Visits are guided and days are limited.
- Do Guadix and La Calahorra on the same day. Leave Velez Blanco and Cuevas del Almanzora for the next.
- The courtyard of Velez Blanco is in New York. You come for the castle and the story, not for the marble patio.
- Gergal, Tahal and Orce are extra miles. Skip them if the day is already long.
- Do not try Malaga, Guadix, La Calahorra and Velez Blanco in one afternoon.
Frequently asked questions about these castles
Which castle should I see first?
La Calahorra, for the Italian courtyard. Add Guadix on the same drive from Granada. Velez Blanco is the next long stop.
Can I visit La Calahorra without booking?
You should not count on it. Visits are guided, with limited days and group sizes. Check the official timetable and reserve a place.
Where is the courtyard of Velez Blanco?
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It was sold in 1904. The castle above the village is what you visit in Almeria.
Is this the same route as the Alhambra?
No. These castles lie east of Granada, toward Guadix and Almeria. Book the Alhambra as its own visit.
Who built the Fajardo castles?
Pedro Fajardo, first Marquis of Los Velez. He built Velez Blanco and the palace-castle at Cuevas del Almanzora in the early sixteenth century.
Can I do this by train from Malaga?
You can reach Granada and Guadix by train and coach. La Calahorra and Velez Blanco need a car or a taxi from the nearest town.
