If you are planning your Andalucia holiday, please take time out to consider spending a day trip in the Alpujarras, we did this summer, and had a blast!

In this blog, we’ve just highlighted three of the white towns (pueblo blanco) we went to, to give a flavour of what’s on offer. As these are an hour and a half drive from us here in Villanueva del Trabuco, we’ll definitely be repeating the experience.

What are Las Alpujarras?

Situated to the South of the Sierra Nevada slopes, it spans two provinces of Andalucia – Granada and Almeria, and averages 4000 ft above sea level. Because of this height and proximity to the Sierra Nevada, in winter the region is capped in snow and in Spring and Summer, the snow melts to provide fresh spring-water from the hills. During our drive we were struck by how much greener the area was as a result.

Rugs galore in Pampaneira

Emma wanted to visit this village so that we could buy some of their famous rugs. She has a bit of a “thing” for linens and textiles. Thinking it may just be a brief shopping visit (eh?) we planned it on our way back from our stay in Calahonda (on the coast). I’m glad we started out relatively early after breakfast because, even though the white village is compact, we stayed here for about four hours, leisurely enjoying browsing through the shops and having lunch. There are several typical Spanish restaurants around the village, as well as the opportunity to sit in the Plaza de la Libertad to eat or drink. We were surprised how reasonably priced the handmade craft rugs were (3m x 2m we bought for as little as €25), but we would suggest you shop around as there are price as well as colour differences. It’s a pleasure to do this, the cobbled streets with aquifers are so quaint. We had to keep going back to the car to drop off our purchases! There are lots more artisan and craft shops and bodegas in Pampaneira, and you can even see craftspeople at work. We ended our visit with an ice cream at the Abuela Ili chocolate shop, they make chocolate on the premises, perfect for gifts or a treat for yourself.

Lanjaron – famous for its spring water

If you’ve ordered bottled water in Spain, chances are you’ll have been given the famous natural spring water sourced from Lanjaron. This Spanish white village is larger than Pampaneira and has a different feel. The streets are lined with plant pots, giving a lush and fresh vibe, as well as the fountains you can fill your water bottle with. We didn’t spend enough time here, but will return here to take more in (it was a quiet Sunday) and visit the honey museum (the area is on the Arroyo de Miel). Definitely one for the calendar (the eve of Saint Juan on 23rd June) is the Lanjaron Water Festival – which ends with a massive water fight on the stroke of midnight!

Orgiva – the business end?

We personally thought this town was not as picturesque as the other towns we visited, perhaps because it is more business-like; it’s the capital of the area and known as its “gateway” with transport links etc. There is a big market each Thursday, which we will return back for, so that we get a real flavour. The book “Driving over Lemons” by Chris Stewart, was written around here and as a result, the town attracts a lot of tourists and longer term “alternative lifestyle” travellers.

Other activities in the Alpujarras to look out for

The undulating hills are famous for hiking, so whilst it’s not personally what we did, there are loads of hiking trails and organised tours on offer; suitable for all levels.
The winding roads are really good quality and you never know what picturesque view the next bend will bring, so make sure your car passenger is on the look-out with a camera, to pull over on one of the many viewing points.
It’s no surprise that it’s been one of the most popular stages of the Spanish road bike race La Vuelta; indeed we saw a lot of amateur cyclists on our drive through.
The drive from Los Cien Canos took about an hour and a half via Granada, so can easily be factored into a full day out.