Aragón

I hope this blog post helps you decide between the things to do and see in Albarracin. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into it.

Albarracin is a small town, located in the autonomous community of Aragón, in the southwest of the province of Teruel. Due to its special toponymical structure, the old town is built on the slopes of a mountain, surrounded by the river Guadalaviar, and a long gorge that acts as a defensive moat. The moat is complemented by walls that lead all the way up to Torre del Andador.

WHAT IS ALBARRACIN KNOWN FOR?

Albarracin is known for its cobblestone streets, stairways, and passageways, as well as the houses built with stonework, wood frameworks, and pinkish plaster bricks that rise up to six floors. Most of the houses have wooden beams to support the roofs. What’s really appealing about this town are the hanging balconies.

Teruel is just 30 or 40 minutes by car, and which I’d highly recommend checking out as well.

HISTORY OF ALBARRACIN

According to history, Albarracin has been occupied by Celts, Roman and Arabs in the past. Following the Muslim invasion, Berber group from the Ibn-Racin tribe arrived here, which gave the town it’s name. The disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba, on which it relied, led to its independence as a Muslim Taifa Kingdom. However, in the 12th century, it was conquered by the King of Aragon and thus fell under Roman Catholic rule.

In 1961, Albarracin was declared a national monument and has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN ALBARRACIN

There are a number of things you could do and see in Albarracin. Here is my recommendation.

PLAZA MAYOR

The Plaza Mayor is the central point of the town, where you will also find the Town Hall. Its construction dates back to the 11th century. Surrounded by medieval buildings from whose balconies there is an excellent view of the town, this square exudes the pure charm of Albarracín.

Plaza Mayor is an ideal and popular hangout spot among locals. Also because it’s a very beautiful square.

From Plaza Mayor, you can easily access monuments of interest, such as the cathedral or the castle, but in our case, we couldn’t visit either as they both have only guided tours, and with little kids, it’s hard to visit monuments with a guided tour.
That being said, we still enjoyed our two-night stay there as we got to see Albarracin at day, as well as at night, and we also did two short hikes.

CASA DE LA JULIANETA

Casa de la Julianeta, is, without a doubt, one of the best iconic, photographic, and emblematic houses in Spain. The house received its affectionate diminutive name from its former owner, Juliana. Built with reddish plaster and wood, and having beams on the upper floors and a roof made of Arabic tiles, the house dates back to the 14th century and stands at the acute angle formed by two sloping streets (Portal de Molina and Santiago).

The best photo angle is through the portal of Molina, as you get to capture the house through an arch, which makes it look even more beautiful than it already is.
The house is owned by the Government of Aragon, which acquired it in order to preserve it as part of the town’s cultural heritage. The house is safe and has not lost its homely nature.
The Santa María Foundation undertook its renovation and rescue several years ago, but focused on maintaining its original layout. After its refurbishment, the house has been converted into a studio for artists.

Due to its use as a private residence workshop for artists, visitors are not allowed to enter, so it can only be seen from the outside.

THE CATHEDRAL VIEWPOINT

Built in 1957, this is the very first viewpoint that you’ll see, as you walk up the hillside town is the cathedral square, from where you have stunningly beautiful views of the wall, the tower, the river, and other part of the town. To be honest, I liked this viewpoint the best.

PORTICADO VIEWPOINT

There are actually loads of viewpoints in Albarracin. This one, in particular, is the vantage point of Plaza Mayor. It’s a unique one as it is arched. This viewpoint is at a higher level, from where, you can see the adjacent hills, the cathedral viewpoint, the Guadalaviar river, houses, etc.
From these points, you can enjoy unique panoramic views that will give you unforgettable memories to commemorate your visit to the country’s most beautiful village.

HANGING BALCONIES

Albarracin is known for its typical reddish and pinkish-coloured houses, with hanging balconies made of wrought iron and carved wood; the owners of these house enjoy mind-blowing view at all times – imagine having a balcony like that where you have your morning tea or coffee and enjoy the beautiful sunrise.

LAS MURALLAS DE ALBARRACIN

Las murallas de Albarracin are massive walls that were as the town extended, and surrounding the historic part of the town. These fortress walls of lead to a tower called, Torre del Andador, which is the highest point in this medieval town, and from where you can enjoy beautiful, panoramic views of the entire town.
A short hike up to Torre del Andador along the walls is highly recommended. The walk starts in the centre of the town. The path is relatively easy except for the last part where you need to, sort of clamber up to the tower, although it is neither very difficult nor dangerous. All you need are good trainers or hiking shoes.

I recommend going up to the highest part of the wall, to be able to see the whole town from above.

TORRE DEL ANDADOR

Dating from the end of the 10th century is the Torre del Andador, which dates back to the end of the 10th century. Torre del Andado was originally a defensive tower, that was included in the fortified enclosure at the beginning of the 11th century, when there was an increase in population and the conversion of the city into the capital of the Taifa governed by the Banu Razin made it necessary to extend the wall.

It is located at the highest point of Albarracín and stands out for its shape, size, and location, which are visible from any angle. It is defended by an artificial moat dug into the rock. The tower is a Caliphate construction, forming part of the strategic triangle that made this city difficult to take.
Albarracin is known for its medieval defensive towers, which can be seen from any spot in Albarracin.

THE CATHEDRAL OF ALBARRACIN AND THE CASTLE

The cathedral of El Salvador, is located next to the castle and is medieval in origin but had been altered in the 16th and 18th centuries. The cathedral has a diocesan museum attached to it with a good collection of Flemish tapestries, including some telling the Bible story of Gideon.
Unfortunately, visiting both the cathedral (cathedral of El Salvador), and the castle can only be done with a guided tour. Having little kids, who, obviously get easily tired, it’s hard to visit monuments with guided tours, hence we missed out on these two places, but, we’ll definitely be visiting Albarracin in the future. The good thing is that we already have an idea of what it’s like, where to eat, what to see, etc.

GUADALAVIAR RIVER WALK

A walk along the Guadalaviar River complements the visit to Albarracin as you come across several spots along the way that provide a scenic view of the town. As you walk along the river, you’ll come across a stone paths, suspension bridges, stairs, and, last but not least, a very beautiful gorge. The hike is quite easy and does not require much effort, and although it’s a circular one, you can come back the same way you started the hike from.

MIRADOR DE ALBARRACIN (ALBARRACIN VIEWPOINT)

Mirador de Albarracin is one of the best, if not the best, viewpoint in Albarracin. According to the history of this town, there used to be houses here, but a bomb during the war destroyed them, and thus, this viewpoint was built.

You’ll come across this vantage point as soon as you start the hike from the town. Even if you do not wish to walk along the river, you can still check out this spot, for it’s quite close to the starting point, you won’t miss it.

CASA AZUL (THE BLUE HOUSE)

Known as “Casa Azul” (Blue House), this is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Albarracin, mainly because of its beautiful façade and colour. According to history, in the 18th century, the Navarro de Arzuriaga family was one of the richest families in Albarracin. A young man from this family fell in love with a beautiful Andalusian woman on one of his trips. She decided to move to Albarracin with him, but even though she had everything she could ask for, she still felt homesick and missed Andalusia. So, the man made a great effort to make his beloved feel at home, so he decided to paint the house in indigo blue, which is quite popular in Andalusia. He also built an Andalusian courtyard, so she could feel at home. The beautiful young woman was absolutely delighted to have found a small piece of Andalusia in Albarracin.
Sadly, most of the inside of the house was destroyed by soldiers during the Civil War.

WHERE TO EAT IN ALBARRACIN

Here are my two recommendations for places to eat in Albarracin.

BAR RESTAURANTE CASINO

This restaurant has traditional dishes and a terrace with good views of Albarracin. The menu deal costs 14,50 euros for a two-course menu, dessert, and drink. The food is quite good. Casino is also an ideal place to enjoy a drink with friends.

The address is: C. Azagra, 14, 44126 Albarracín, Teruel

They don’t have a website though they telephone number is: 978 71 01 49

It’s best to call in advance, just in case.

MONTY PIZZERIA

Monty Pizzeria is a fantastic pizza restaurant. Their menu includes everything from homemade pizzas and delicious desserts to traditional dishes from the area. I tried the lamb pizza, which was really good. They even have a play room for children, which is controlled by cameras. The architecture of the restaurant easily makes it a cosy place, something which you crave for after a long day in Albarracin – highly recommended. Oh, and make sure to try out Turia beer, it’s a local one and is very good.

Here’s the address:

Calle Portal de Molina N° 17. Albarracín (Teruel, Spain)

Tel no: 978 71 01 45

And the website: http://www.pizzeriamonty.com/#about

My advice would be to reserve a table in advance though in our case, we went in the evening as 8 pm, the time when they open and were able to find a table for us.

BEST CAFE AND BAR IN ALBARRACIN

We stumbled upon a fantastic bar after walking back into town after the circular Guadalaviar walk. Here’s the bar, do check it out, you won’t regret it.

EL MOLINO DEL GATO

El Molino del Gato, which is located in an old mill, called “El Molino del Puente”, dating back to the 16th century. What’s really captures your attention is that there’s a water mill flowing underneath, and you can see it clearly as there are thick glass panels on the floor.

The charming and cosy bar allows pets on the terrace. Here’s the address to get to this bar:
Calle Llano del Arrabal, 44126 Albarracín, Teruel. Tel: 978 70 04 26

Now, there’s another address on the internet, which is Calle Sant Atonio 4, 44100, Abarracin.

I can’t remember the name of the street, but all I can say is that the café is quite popular by its name. In any case, you won’t miss when you’re heading back into town after the Guadalviar River walk.

They don’t have a website. Even if you were not able to find it, I’m pretty sure, all the locals know this bar very well.

WHERE TO PARK IN ALBARRACIN

Albarracín has five regulated parking areas around the city, which allow you to decongest the city centre from road traffic.

Depending on the activity you want to carry out in Albarracín, or the location of your accommodation, you can choose between any of them to park your vehicle.

The parking cost varies, for instance, in our case, since we were there for 2 nights, we paid about 7.50 euros for 48 hours, but I think for a day it’s about 4 euros. We found the cost to be reasonable, and the good thing is that you can move the car and park anywhere in the town with the same ticket, at least, this is what the hotel receptionist told us, so it must be true – we didn’t feel the need to move the car as we had the car, right next to the hotel and everything is walking distance. We only took it out once when we went for a hike outside of Albarracin and managed to find a spot at the same car park when we got back.

DO YOU NEED A CAR IN ALBARRACIN?

You don’t really need a car if you’re able to get to Albarracin by public transport cos once in the town, you can see everything on foot. But, of course, if you have a car, you can, maybe go for a hike to Barranco de la Hoz although you can easily get there by taxi. But as far as Albarracin is concerned, you don’t really need a car as the town is quite small. In our case, we went by car cos we then stayed in Teruel for two nights, and then went to Valencia afterwards.

HOW MANY DAYS TO STAY IN ALBARRACIN?

Although you can, practically, see the little town in just one day, I’d still recommend staying, at least a night there. If you do not wish to, then what you could do is book a place in a nearby city called Teruel and take public transport or drive to Albarracin early in the morning and leave at night – the choice is yours.

In our case, we went by and decided to spend two nights in Albarracin. Well, on the first day, we arrived a little late, but got to check out the nightlife and nighttime views from above, which is highly recommended.

TIPS FOR ALBARRACIN

The only tip I can give is to wear comfortable shoes and if you’re travelling in the summer, it’s best to set out early in the morning so that you don’t feel the heat. As far as eating is concerned, wherever you decide to go, you pay the same price as the locals, I mean, there are no tourist traps in Albarracin. Do visit Teruel, it’s quite close to Albarracin.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for more articles. Enjoy this stunningly beautiful town.