An important Moorish fortress from the 11th century, the Castillo de Guadalest was largely destroyed and evacuated in 1848. There is very little remaining of the castle now but the location is spectacular and it is a popular tourist attraction.
Visiting Castillo de Guadalest
The drive to the castle from the coast is quite beautiful. The road is decent quality and until the last few miles is more sweeping bends than twisty turns. The scenery is spectacular with lush pine forests carpeting the hills.
This is a very popular place (over two million visitors a year), not so much for the castle itself but for the views and the pretty tourist village on the hill below. We visited on a Saturday and it was very busy with everyone struggling to park despite three car parks within 5 minutes walk of the castle.
Entry to the castle is through the village and then via the attached house, which is a museum of nineteenth century middle class life I think, I didn’t really pay much attention as I don’t read Spanish and the period doesn’t interest me. Entry was €4 and was worth it for the views alone.
My Experience
The castle itself is really just a series of viewpoints and there’s almost nothing to show the original walls or towers. It had been an important Moorish castle until the Reconquista but suffered damage from earthquakes, from a mine in the War of the Spanish Succession and was finally permanently decommissioned in 1848.
In the summer you can hire solar powered boats on the lake but as it was November when we visited that wasn’t an option. The castle is popular so plan your visit accordingly, aim for mid week or early morning. The only thing you need to bring is plenty of imagination as there really is almost nothing visible remaining once inside!
Castillo de Guadalest Photo Gallery
History
The castle was built at the beginning of the 11th century, as the Muslim Caliphate fragmented into small independent kingdoms. With the start of the Reconquista the castle became a border fortress and after the conquest of Granada remained an important strategic asset, known then as the Castle of Sant Josep.
An earthquake in 1644, a mine being exploded in the 1708 War of the Spanish Succession and in 1848 the walls being knocked down all give us the very sad ruin we have now.
References
There’s a nice history of the town and castle on the Discover Alicante site here.
Guadalest.es has a more detailed history here.