Setenil de las Bodegas belongs to the province of Cádiz in Andalusia, is part of the route of the white villages and is declared one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.
With streets covered by rocks, with buildings that take advantage of the rocks to close them with walls and thus make cave houses, Setenil has a very particular charm.
It is considered a daytime destination, so the streets are very busy during daylight hours, and are completely deserted at night. We are talking about the month of October, which was when we visited, and we don’t know what it will be like at another time.
Here we will not have a list of things to see, although there are some, the best thing is to arrive and just start walking to find wonderful corners, and let Setenil surprise us.
Although one day is enough to see this beautiful town, we chose to spend the night to enjoy it in a leisurely way.
►From Malaga it can be a nice visit to make, did you see our post about Malaga?
The town is located in a canyon dug by the river, which runs through the town. Although, as we said, we will discover everything as we go, there are two streets that are the most characteristic of Setenil, and they are Calle Cuevas del Sol, and Calle Cuevas de la Sombra. When we see them, we will immediately know which is one and which is the other, simply by the way the sun shines on one of them and how it does not reach the other because it is so closed.
Indice:
Accommodation in a Cave House
Our accommodation was in a cave house. We booked this cave house through Booking, its name is Casa Cueva La Tosca, it is located at the beginning of Calle Cuevas de la Sombra, so the location is great, and I have no words to describe how much fun we had and how grateful we are for all the details we found in it.
We pay in the month of October €60 per night.
► Find accommodation in Setenil de las Bodegas
We were able to park the car right in front of the house, as I was saying, during the day the town is very busy, so parking is not easy. If you visit on a weekend, when entry to the town by car during certain hours is not permitted due to the number of pedestrians, it will be a bit complicated.
Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra streets
Setenil de las Bodegas is part of the route of the White Villages of the Sierra de Cádiz and is one of the most picturesque municipalities in all of Andalusia
We begin the walk, it is clear that the Cueva del Sol and Cueva de la Sombra streets are taking all the attention, we will spend a lot of time observing those rocks that seem to have merged with the houses. We will enter several shops, inside which we will see how the stone acts as a roof and walls, and we will also take advantage of having a drink in their bars.
►A free tour of Setenil de las Bodegas is a very good plan
Plaza de Andalucía
But from there we will begin to lose ourselves in its streets and find wonderful corners such as the Plaza de Andalucía, where we will find bars, the town hall and very close by the tourist office.
Las Calcetas Street
Calle Calcetas is another place that will catch our attention. But as I said, get lost in the streets and you will discover really wonderful corners.
Impressive, isn’t it?, the rock seems to merge with the houses. Do not miss to get to this street of the Calcetas
As we said, Setenil was born taking advantage of the shapes of the canyon created by the Guadalporcún River, and its caves and natural nooks soon gave shelter to its first settlers. Later they became houses, and today it has become one of the most visited towns in the province. As we said at the beginning, for those of us who are not Spanish it is a somewhat unknown place, which we only started hearing about a few years ago, but it is a town that is visited a lot by local tourists, although there are also many foreigners, and with how beautiful and magical it is, it is understandable. It is not in vain that it was named one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.
Setenil enjoyed great strategic importance during its Muslim period and the Christian reconquest took a long time to arrive, so much so that this is where its name comes from. It was besieged seven times without success, Septem nihil (Latin: Seven times nothing).
Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation
Getting lost you will find the Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation, the hermitage of San Benito, the hermitage of Our Lady of Carmen, or you can kiss in this corner.
Mirador del Carmen
The viewpoints are another of the must-see places in Setenil, you will surely find them on the hike and you will not need to look for them.
Herrería Street
Calle Herrería is another of the must-see places in Setenil de las Bodegas
Night fell in Setenil, and we had to take a walk to see the magic of those illuminated rocks, and go to dinner. Antojos was the place where we had dinner, and the truth is that it was a very good choice, the place is charming, and the food was very good, it was a great choice that increased, as did the accommodation, the beauty of the visit to this town.
The proximity to the city of Ronda, only 17 kilometres, will make you want to visit both. Have you seen our visit to Ronda?
Video and map
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
