What to see in Gérgal and the surrounding area

Gérgal doesn't make the lists of Andalusia's prettiest villages, and that's exactly what's good about it. It keeps the shape of its Moorish origins: steep streets, white houses, and the church presiding over it all.

From below, the village looks like an amphitheatre. From above, you can see the whole valley.

The village

The castle

It dominates the village from its hilltop and is the first thing you see as you arrive. It's privately owned, so you can't go inside — worth knowing before you climb up with that in mind. What is worth doing is walking around it: from up there the valley opens out and you understand why it was built on that exact spot, watching over the old inland route between Almería and Granada.

Late in the afternoon, with the light coming in low, it's the best photo you'll take home from the trip.

The church of the Virgen del Rosario

Mudéjar in style, it stands out above the village's white houses. It's the other landmark on the skyline.

A wander with no plan

You can cover the whole of Gérgal in a morning, and that is the plan: wander uphill, watch the views change at every rise, and stop somewhere for a drink. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the village had its heyday with the grape trade and mining, and you can still see it in some of the houses.

Calar Alto, in the same municipality

The Calar Alto Observatory sits within Gérgal's own municipal boundary, up in the sierra at over 2,100 metres. It's the largest observatory in mainland Europe, and you can visit — as long as you book ahead: you can't just turn up and walk in.

It's the star attraction around here and has its own guide: how to visit Calar Alto, when to go and what to bring.

The Tabernas Desert and Oasys MiniHollywood

The same A-92 that runs past Gérgal takes you into the Tabernas Desert, the landscape where the spaghetti westerns were filmed.

Oasys MiniHollywood isn't a set knocked up for tourists: Carlo Simi designed it for Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. Today it covers some 30 hectares, with the Western town and its shows, a zoological reserve and a pool area in summer.

It's a full-day outing and works especially well with children. Check the opening times before you go, as they change with the season.

The sierra

The Sierra de los Filabres is one of the least-travelled corners of Andalusia. Empty roads, pine forest on the high ground, dry riverbeds and small villages. It's hiking country and, above all, road cycling country: the climb to Calar Alto is one of the best-known long ascents in the south of Spain.

If you're coming by bike, this is serious training terrain. If you're coming to walk, ask in the village about the state of the paths before you set out.

How to plan it

Two or three nights gives you time for everything without rushing:

• 1Day 1: arrive, explore the village, walk up to the castle at sunset and have a quiet dinner.
• 2Day 2: the Tabernas Desert and Oasys. Head back with time to spare.
• 3Day 3: Calar Alto. If you've booked a night observation session, save it for your last night — you won't be back until the small hours.

The advantage of being based here is that nothing involves a long drive, and you can come back for lunch or a lie-down without breaking up the day.