Aracena

Aracena, a picturesque town in southwestern Spain, is renowned for its historic charm and natural beauty.  © Michelle Chaplow
Aracena, a picturesque town in southwestern Spain, is renowned for its historic charm and natural beauty.

ARACENA

Organic products on sale in the Sierra de Aracena © Michelle Chaplow

Organic products on sale in the Sierra de Aracena.

Aracena, the largest town in the Parque Natural Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, is dominated by a hilltop ruined castle and church. Its population has grown rapidly in recent years, but it has managed to retain a dignified elegance about its streets.

The Portuguese drove the Moors out of Aracena in 1251 before handing over the town to the Castilians in 1267. The Knights Templar controlled the town until 1312 when the Order was dissolved. In the early 20th century Aracena was favoured as a holiday resort by employees of the Río Tinto mining company, who built the houses in Aracenilla, an area of town past the piscina (swimming pool) on the Alájar road.

 

See the hotels in Aracena: Hotel Convento Aracena & Spa, Hotel Galeria Essentia, Hotel Andalucía Mia Aracena, Monte San Ginés, Hotel Sierra de Aracena and more.

The Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche natural park encompasses 184,000 hectares, an impressive 90% of it covered by woodland of mainly Mediterranean oak. The landscape is full of contrasts,… More →

Whilst Aracena is not on the list of shopping destinations that would at first come to mind, exploring Aracena’s small independent shops is a delightful experience, fostering a sense of community… More →

West of Aracena is the GR 41.3 that runs all the way to La Nava taking in Los Marines, Fuenteheridos and Galaroza. This footpath goes past many groves of sweet chestnut trees, so it is a… More →

Aracena has 7,814 inhabitants. The town gives it's name to the Sierra de Aracena, part of the Sierra Morena system. It is the largest town in the Parque Nautral Sierra de Aracena. In 2006 it was… More →

An exhibition relating to the environment, with photographs, sketches and informative panels, is on display at the Centro de Visitantes Cabildo Viejo. An interesting exhibition at the Museo de… More →

A taste of things to see in Aracena ©Michelle Chaplow
A taste of things to see in Aracena

HOTELS

Honey, Chestnut Marmalade and confectionary

Honey, Chestnut Marmalade and confectionary.

There are many small hotels in Aracena town ranging from four star converted convent to simple two star traditional town hotels. More on our Aracena hotels page.

Shopping for thing to take home

If you love gastronomy the Sierra de Aracena is the place for you, with it´s prized hams, wild mushrooms, organic products such as nuts, honey, citrus fruits and home made cakes from the famous confectioner Rufino.more>

What to see

There are plenty of things to see in Aracena. Read about them on the things to see in Aracena page.  Aracena is famous for its spectacular limestone caves, the Gruta de las Maravillas (the Cave of Marvels), one of the best caves in Spain. These are underneath the castle hill more>

Aracena Tours

Book Tours around Aracena

Walks from Aracena

There are some stunning walks from Aracena into the nearby sierra. See our walks from Aracena page.

Driving Itineraries from Aracena

Three superb, half day or full day itineraries from Aracena.

 

Bus Timetables

Timetable (pdf) Winter 2022-2023 (05-09-2022 to 30-06-2023) for Damas bus company routes between: Huelva city and locations on Costa de La Luz, villages in Huelva province including Sierra de Aracena. Also Damas routes between Seville (Plaza de Armas bus station) and villages in Huelva province.

 

Ceramic Mural - Aracena ©Michelle Chaplow
Ceramic Mural - Aracena

Festivals

Fiesta of Candelaria and Saint Blas
February in Aracena there is the fiesta of Candelaria y Saint Blas.

Carnival week
Carnival week is the burning of the onion; yes you read it right (Entierro de la Cebolla) in the nature reserve of los Marimateos.

Holy week
Semana Santa and then two weeks after Easter they celebrate little Holy week  (Semana Santa Chica), when the children create their very own processions.

Summer fair
The summer feria is the third week in August, with horse processions and the evening parade of the big headed giants. (Gigantes y Cabezudos)

Agricultural fair
The third weekend in May is the date for the agricultural fair.

Ancient Music Festival
Held at the end of August in the town's picturesque 14th century castle.

 

Hover the cursor over aracena to see bigger map and click to go to the maps page.
The Arcena summer fair, flashy lights and the parade of the giants ©Michelle Chaplow
The Arcena summer fair, flashy lights and the parade of the giants

Destinations