Almodóvar Castle: A great day trip from Córdoba.
Almodóvar Castle is straight out of a fairy tale, a castle on a high hill with incredible 360 views. Built by the Moors where a Roman fort once stood, it is considered one of the best castles in all of Spain. It was also a filming location on the Game of Thrones, the castle playing the role of the fictional castle of Highgarden.
On top of it all, Almodóvar Castle is an easy day trip from the city of Córdoba. You can take a bus from Córdoba’s bus station which will drop you off right at the foot of the castle (total time about 30 minutes).
This post covers the castle’s history, tells you what to expect, and details how to get there.
The History of Almodóvar Castle
The town of Almodóvar del Río (where the castle is situated) was in Roman times called Carbula. At that time a Roman fort was built on the high hill overlooking the plains of the Guadalquivir river.
When the Moors conquered the Iberian peninsula in the 700’s, they built a castle where the fort had stood. Almodóvar Castle is thought to have been built around 740 AD. The purpose was defending both the Guadalquivir River and the city of Córdoba, which was the capital of the Umayyad Emirate and the most important city on the Iberian peninsula. The castle’s elevated position and its proximity to the river made it a perfect spot to defend the region.
Under the Moors the town (“Carbula” in Roman times) was called Almudawar Al-Adna, the castle called the Castillo de Almudawar. Over the centuries the Castle was ruled by different Islamic Kingdoms until the “Reconquesta” arrived to this region.
The Castle fell under Christian rule in 1226 and many modifications were made over time. In the 14th century the many towers you see today (in Gothic-Mudejar style) were built.
The castle has had important roles. It was the residence of Pedro I (“the Cruel”) in the 14th century and served as a base of operations for the reconquest of the Kingdom of Granada in the 14th and 15th centuries.
What to expect when visiting Almodóvar Castle
Coming to Almodóvar del Río, you’ll see the castle from far away. It really does look like a castle from a storybook.
If coming by bus, your starting point will be the parking lot at the base of the castle (I cover that in detail further below). From the parking lot, it is a 15-minute walk up the road to the castle. Again, the castle is very impressive seen from below as you make your way up.
Once at the top, you enter the gate to the castle and you’ll see the ticket office. Tickets are 10 Euros a person (yes, a bit steep!) as of 2025. See the official website with prices and schedules here.
After paying, you can go straight up into to the castle (within inner walls) or walk around the “gardens” outside the inner walls. This used to be a moat with water. You can walk the outer walls of the castle and you’ll have great views of the countryside and the large defensive inner walls of the castle.
After having walked around the moat, we came back to the main entrance and entered the “inner” gate of the castle which is heavily fortified. Walk about 50 meters and you’ll get into the largest courtyard in the castle “Patio de Armas” (you’ll be passing the bathrooms along the way).
What you’ll see within the castle:
- Lots of towers which you can climb, the totality giving you 360 views. You’ll see the town below, the Guadalquivir river, the plains around. I counted 8 towers plus the walls which you can walk along.
- A main building which includes a large dining hall, a chapel and dungeons. It all looks like it comes right out of a medieval movie with flags, various coats of arms, armour etc. In actual fact it’s a bit overdone and looks like a movie set.
- Another outdoor Patio (Patio de la Capilla) where you’ll see Medieval games for the kids.
- Audiovisual displays in the base of some of the towers where you can watch videos depicting the history and characters of the castle. You´ll also see an armoury and another tower filled with old photos of the castle.
Impressions of Almodóvar Castle
The Castle does verge on the tacky. They’ve made it very child friendly and kids coming here have a good time with the medieval games and Audiovisual displays. They’re gone a bit over the top with the Game of Thrones posters. At times it reminded me of Bran Castle (in Romania) where they were heavily promoting the animated “Hotel Transylvania 2” when we went.
But below the surface glitter, I found Almodóvar Castle very impressive. I enjoyed climbing the towers and walking the walls. I think the setting is spectacular and the castle does come right out of a fairy tale with its towers, moat and soaring walls. So if you can get over the overcommercialisation, I think most people will still manage to be very impressed by Almodóvar Castle.
How to get to Almodóvar Castle by bus (and parking if you have a car)
- From the Córdoba bus station, you can take San Sebastian bus lines to Almodóvar Castle. You’ll find the schedule here. We took the bus at 4PM and arrived at the Castle at 4:30. If I remember right, the bus cost 2 Euros/pp one way.
- The bus drops you off right at the foot of the castle, right next to the castle parking lot. From there you can walk up to the castle in about 15 minutes.
- Note: on weekends I’m told that there is a shuttle bus taking you from the parking lot to the castle. That’s mostly because on weekends cars have to park at this bottom parking lot. But during the week there’s no shuttle bus and if coming by bus you have to walk up.
- By car. If coming by car, on weekdays you can drive all the way up to the castle and park there. But as mentioned, on weekends you have to park at the bottom parking lot (but can take the shuttle bus up which I’m told costs 1 Euro/pp)
Planning your visit to Almodóvar Castle
Carefully note the opening hours of the castle: Schedule here
Outside summer, the Castle is usually open 11 am – 2:30 Pm and 4 Pm – 7 PM. So plan your visit accordingly. That’s why we took the 4 PM bus from Córdoba, arriving at 4:30 PM. The return bus (from the same spot where we were dropped off) was at 6:30 PM.
How long to spend: We spent almost 2 hours in the castle (because of the bus schedule) which is more than enough. Ideally, I think the average person would want about 1 ½ hrs to visit the castle.
Verdict: Almodóvar Castle is definitely worth a visit.
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