Spain Guide
Aragón
Albarracín
ALBARRACÍN is one of the more accessible targets in rural southern Aragón – and one of the most picturesque towns in the province, poised above the Río Guadalaviar and retaining, virtually intact, its medieval streets and tall, balconied houses. There's a historical curiosity here, too, in that from 1165 to 1333, the town formed the centre of a small independent state, the kingdom of the Azagras.
Albarracín's dark, enclosed lanes and those buildings that remain unrestored, with their splendid coats of arms, still make for an intriguing wander. Approaching from Teruel, you may imagine that you're about to come upon a large town, for the medieval walls swoop back over the hillside – protecting, with the loop of the river, a far greater area than the extent of the town, past or present.
Take c/de Santiago from near the main bridge up towards the walls, and you reach Santiago church and a gateway, the Portal del Molina. If instead you take c/de la Catedral, you reach a small square holding the medievalCatedral, a building remodelled in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, a bit farther along. Keep walking to reach the Museo de Albarracín (Mon– Sat 10.30am–2pm & 4.30–6.30pm, Sun 10.30am–2pm; €2), where you can buy tickets to tour the crumbling but atmospheric Castillo nearby (daily 11am, noon, 1pm, 4.30pm & 5.30pm; in winter, afternoon tours at 4pm & 5pm €2). On the other side of town, the Torre Blanca provides a spectacular panorama of the whole area.
Accommodation is generally in attractive converted mansions. The good-value Hostal Los Palacios, beyond the Portal de Molina (978 700 327, www.montepalacios.com; €36-50), has a terrace bar offering lovely views; the inviting, family-run Casa Santiago, at the top of a stone staircase near the Plaza Mayor (978 700 316, www.casadesantiago.net; €51-70), is a restored country house of nine cozy, individually decorated rooms, and sun-lit sitting rooms where you can gaze over the brightly tiled roofs of Albarracín. There's also an exceptionally cheap youth hostel, the Albergue Juventud Rosa Bríos, in a medieval mansion just past the cathedral at c/Santa María 5 (902 088 905).