Gaucin

To visit Gaucin from the Costa del Sol, turn inland at Sabinillas (A7 km145), go up the A377 and drive past Manilva and the AP7 motorway toll exit and the turning for Casares. The road skirts Sierra Crestelina and then drops steeply down to cross the River Genal before the long windy climb up to the village.

The small tourist office is located near the petrol station, on the road leading into the village from the A-369; it also houses the Museo Etnografia.

The Gaucin bull run, better known locally as the Toro de Cuerda, takes place every year on Easter Sunday. With the first bull released at around 10:30am, an early arrival is strongly encouraged to find your bearings, and more importantly, some good spots to see the run from. Parking can be found on the outskirts of the town and be careful with taking your car into the town as the streets can get very narrow.

Although it is a small pueblo blanco, Gaucin has a good number of restaurants serving up the very best of traditional, Andalucian cuisine. Gordon Ramsay came to this town to film a part of his show ´Ramsays Costa del Nightmares´, transforming one of the restaurants here from a ´nightmare´ into a top-quality restaurant.

Castillo del Aguila (Eagle's Castle) in the Moorish hilltown of Gaucin, consists of a series of fortifications built across a rocky ridge above the village. The castle, which is of Roman origin, and was reinforced by the Moors, is located on top of a hill whose east and south slopes are practically impregnable; the best way to reach this magnificent, historic building is by walking up Calle Larga.  

Gaucin offers a hotel in the centre of the village: La Fructuosa plus another in the nearby vllage of Benabarra. There are a number of hostals in the village and just outside, on the road towards Jimena.

You can find a number of holiday villas for rent in the countryside around Gaucin. The space and the privacy of a villa, with or without a pool and staff, is an attractive option for visitors who prefer flexibility and freedom in their accommodation.

The town's magnificent castle, now called Castillo del Aguila (Eagle's Castle), dates from Roman times, although earlier Iberian ceramics have been found in its water tank. The castle was expanded by the Visigoths and then further extended by the Arabs into a fortress, after the Moors invaded in 714.

Gaucin is delightful village, to just stroll around in the sunshine and here we have highlighted the curiosities of the village. Walk into the village on Calle Luis de Armiñan, past the Convento de los Carmelitas, built in the 18th century and abandoned in 1835. Now owned by the town hall, this is used as a civic building and sometimes holds art exhibitions by the many artists living and working in the town.

Gaucin is a spectacularly beautiful mountain village commanding sweeping views to Gibraltar and North Africa. The village is a gateway to the Serranía de Ronda where, depending on the time of year, you can enjoy an impressionist palette of colour.