The village of Dúrcal is a perfect location for lovers of rural tourism, hiking and other sports; it also has a rich historical heritage for those who prefer a more cultural type of tourism.
The village is located in the Dúrcal River valley, on the slope from the Sierra Nevada and in the fertile Valle de Lecrín. The land in Dúrcal was used for growing sugar throughout the Arab occupation, along with orange and lemon orchards which still remain today.
At one time, the largest cable car railway in Europe was located here; however, it was taken down at the end of the 1950´s. An iron bridge remains, known as puente de lata, which was built by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel tower) and was constructed at the same time as the cable car network. This bridge, over the deep bed of the Dúrcal river, is now one of the best areas for bungee jumping.
From an architectural point of view, other monuments of interest are: the Puente Romano, a bridge dating from the 1st century; El Molino, a one hundred year old mill that now houses the Museo Gastronómico Andaluz; La Ermita de San Blas, from the 16th century; El Fuerte de la Alcazaba, known as the Torre de Márgena (tower of Márgena) which is found at the foot of the Cerro del Zahor; the ruins of the Castillo Medieval (medieval castle) situated on the Cerro del Peñon del Moro and known as El Castillejo; El Pilar de la Plaza, constructed at the time of Isabel II of Bourbon in the 19th century and La Iglesia Parroquial de la Inmaculada Concepción, built in the 16th century.
Dúrcal has a few other sites of possible interest to tourists, such as a clay pigeon shooting field, a motocross circuit, a farm school and two thermal springs: Baños de Urquizar and Vaca Mía.
GASTRONOMY
The main attraction of the diet in Dúrcal is the locally sourced ingredients that they use to make traditional dishes, for example aceite de oliva (olive oil), cereales (cereals), almendras (almonds), carnes provenientes de la caza mayor y menor (meat which has come from hunting), naranjas (oranges) and limones (lemons).
FIESTAS
The fiesta calendar in Dúrcal is marked by el Día de San Blas, celebrated in February, el Día del Hornazo, between March and April, la Romería de mayo, in May, and la Fiesta de San Ramón Nonato, in August.
DIRECTIONS
Dúrcal is 25km from Granada city. Take the A-44 (direction Armilla-Motril), then the exit 157 to reach the village centre.
