Salobrena Castle and other places of interest including the old town and the city museum

Salobreña old town, is built on a huge rock & is a labyrinth of little Andalucian style white "casas" making up the intriguing districts of Brocal, Albaycín, La Fuente and La Loma.

You will not need a map to find your way around Salobreña just look for the Moorish Castle and the church of the Señora del Rosario which sit high at the top of the village. The views from the well preserved castle are spectacular and well worth a visit..

The castle attracts many thousands of visitors each year but especially during the summer months.

Their is a tale often told about the 15th century Sultan of Granada who, on his deathbed and afraid that his son may be cheated out of his inheritance by the Sultan’s brother Yusuf, sent someone to kill Yusuf.

Yusuf at this time was already imprisoned in Salobreña and was a touch smarter than the Sultan estimated. He asked to be granted a last favour, to be allowed to finish a game of chess he had been playing.

He managed to stretch the game out for so long that when news arrived of the death of the Sultan, the game was still under way. Yusuf was proclaimed Sultan instead of his nephew.

Just below the castle is the "Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora del Rosario" ( parish church ), The church was built on the site of an old mosque and is quite splendid distinguished by a Moorish style arch.

The other important feature of Salobreña is its wide beach, split in two by the Peñon rock. The beach, although a short walk away from the town itself is the location of several “chiringuitos” (beach bars), very popular eating places with locals and tourists alike, most are open throughout the year.

In Salobreña we have as you would expect our fair share of festivals and fairs.

Easter, (Semana Santa) is one of the most important during the year when statues and floats are paraded around the old town starting at the Church at the top and winding through the old village streets to the more modern parts and then back up to the church. You will be fascinated to see how these floats or “tronos” are skillfully maneuvered by the villagers.

June 24th to 29th each year we celebrate our festival of San Juan and the San Pedro fair.

In July comes the festival of The Virgin del Carmen, celebrated in La Caleta. This begins with a church service and then the statue of the Virgin is carried through the streets down to the little port. From here the statue is loaded onto a small craft which heads a procession of local fishing boats along the entire length of Salobreña beach. The procession is accompanied by a steady and continuous firework display.

In October we celebrate the festival in honour of the Virgin of the Rosario, the patron of Salobreña. This is a spectacular festival and very colourful. Villagers from the surrounding villages of Lobres, Caleta, Molvizar and from the hills around converge on the beach area, many come on horse back. From the Peñon rock there is a lively and noisy parade.

In the summer season there are many concerts and shows in Salobreña, these are organised each year by the local tourist office. A programme is released but often not until the last moment so it is worth watching the Internet for the details - a good place to look is www.Salobrena.com