The enchanting Pueblos Blancos (White Villages) sparkle on hilltops throughout southeast Spain?s Cadiz Sierra range. They?ll take your breath away as you view them tumbling down hillside slopes or explore their narrow streets. There are virtually scores of beautiful and historic villages throughout this region, and adventurous travelers are well rewarded for following arduous mountain routes to reach them.
Luckily, the most renown village, Arcos de la Frontera, is also the most accessible, only 90 minutes by car or bus south from Seville. Settle into quaint Arcos for a few days of Pueblos Blancos relaxation, or use Arcos as your base for additional explorations. Arcos sits along a ridgeline above the impressive cliff, Peña Nueva, overlooking the winding Guadelete River and its broad valley. The opposite side of the ridge, Peña Vieja, overlooks Lago de Arcos.
The old town center sits at the highest point, with streets of white-washed homes cascading down the ridgeline. Motor traffic flows only west to east into the old town, then loops back, leaving the town?s labyrinth to be explored peacefully on foot.
Orient yourself by finding the central nucleus, Plaza Cabildo, and peer from the plaza?s open north side down onto the golden cliffs and out across the river plain. The old Castillo (fort) and Santa Maria church overlook the square, along with one of Spain?s better Paradors (state-operated historic inns).
Explore the labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys which run out from the plaza. Some of the alleys are but two meters wide, following the rugged terrain, with arches bridging between homes on either side. This is an architecture that harks back to the Moslem occupation in the Middle Ages.
