The picturesque village of Montejaque in Spain is located in the hills of Andalusia. It is one of the iconic white villages – ‘pueblos blancos’ in Spanish – that you mainly find in the south of Spain. These picturesque white towns are usually characterized by historic buildings, lively village squares, white houses and churches, cobbled streets and beautiful views of the area. And that is exactly what to expect from Montejaque! We spent a week in this Spanish ‘pueblo blanco’, exploring the rest of Andalusia en enjoying the quiet village life. In this blog we tell you everything you want to know about this off the beaten track destination in Andalusia!
Read more: the perfect itinerary for an Andalusia road trip.
How to get to Montejaque in Spain?
Fly to Seville or Málaga
We already mentioned that Montejaque is located in the south of Spain, so in the popular Andalusia region. The most famous town nearby is the popular Ronda, which is about 30 minutes by car from Montejaque. The nearest international airports are in Málaga and Seville, both about an hour and a half drive away. We recommend booking a flight to Málaga, as it is usually easy to get very cheap flight deals to Malaga and tickets for Seville are often more expensive.
Take a rental car
It is difficult to get to Montejaque by public transport. The village is very remote in the mountains and is not a big, popular tourist attraction. A rental car is therefore a must. Fortunately, you can easily book an affordable rental car online and pick it up at the airport of Málaga or Seville.
Explore Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park
The white village is located on the edge of the Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema. It is a beautiful natural park with mountains, more ‘pueblos blancos’ and walking trails. Exploring the natural park should definitely be on your list when visiting Andalusia.
Where to stay in Montejaque
In a tiny village like Montejaque you won’t find many hotel or bed & breakfast options. The only hotel we could find was Hotel Palacete de Manara, but we fell in love with the photos of Casas de Montejaque and booked our stay there. It is a family-run and small-scale accommodation with lovely apartments. Our apartment had a small kitchenette for cooking and a private terrace. We love the large communal garden, right in front of each apartment. We spend quite some hours relaxing on sunbeds by the pool, while enjoying the impressive view of the mountains.
You can book an apartment at Casas de Montejaque on its website but it isn’t available on any booking platform unfortunately.
4 reasons to visit Montejaque in Spain
#1 Authentic pueblo blanco
There are many white villages in Andalusia – Ronda is perhaps the most famous – but they have usually turned into popular tourist attractions. Most lose their authenticity and small-town atmosphere along the way. Montejaque is different, as it is still one of the hidden gems of Andalusia. There are few tourists in the village and you can still enjoy the authentic Spanish village life.
There is a small market on Thursdays, the terraces are filled with locals at the weekends and every street is beautiful and picturesque. Make sure to pay a short visit to the historic washing place on the main street of the village. It is turned into a mini-museum, showing you the place where the local women of the village used to scrub their laundry on their washboards.
The highlight is – as in any Spanish village – the central village square. There is a fountain and church, and the square is filled with terraces. It is sunny in this area of Spain almost all year round and every weekend the locals enjoy their beer here in the sun. With this kind of warm weather – we visited Andalusia in February and even then it was quite warm – you’ll crave a cold drink, so the local pubs serve their ice cold beers in frozen glasses. Cheers!
#2 Superb location in the mountains
Montejaque is located on the edge of the Sierra de Grazalema mountains and has a beautiful location in the mountains. From our accommodation Casas de Montejaque we had a beautiful view of the mountains and the countryside beyond. You can enjoy beautiful walks in the area, as there are many hiking trails for you to choose from. There are walks of less than two kilometers, but you can also choose one of the more challenging mountain hikes.
#3 The beautiful viewpoints
A picturesque village, nestled in the mountains, is the perfect setting for beautiful pictures. Fortunately, Montejaque has two beautiful viewpoints with stunning views of the mountains and the village.
The first viewpoint is the official viewpoint and is located on the rocks right next to the village. From the village square, take the stairs and paths that will bring you to the mountain top in a few minutes. You’ll have an incredible view of the white village, with the central square and the yellow-white church right at your feet. There are trees for shade and picnic benches in between, so it would be a great choice to bring some lunch.
The other viewpoint is not an official ‘mirador’, but a place that we discovered ourselves when we were taking a walk along the village edges. Take the Calle Dr. Vázquez Y Gutiérrez from the heart of the village. This road will lead you up and bring you to the edge of the village. There is a small path between the olive trees right where the village ends. There is a sign about a walking trail as well, but you don’t need to hike the entire trail to visit this viewpoint. We visited Montejaque in February and the trees were full of pink blossom, which was a beautiful sight. From up this path, you’ll have beautiful view of Montejaque, especially when pink flowers are framing your view.
#4 Perfect base to explore Andalusia
Montejaque is centrally located in Andalusia and is the perfect base to explore the region’s well-known highlights. We already mentioned the popular village of Ronda, known for its iconic bridge over a high cliff, which is only half an hour away. And well-known cities like Malaga and Seville are only a 1,5 hour drive from Montejaque.
We also visited typical pueblos blancos during our stay. We highly recommend visiting Benaocaz, Sierra de Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra, also located in the mountains like Montejaque. They are all about 30 minutes away.
Another attraction in Andalusia you shouldn’t miss is the white village Setenil, located in the mountains. And by ‘in the mountains’ we literally mean in the mountainside. The houses of this charming town are built against and in the mountain walls, so Setenil is home to many unique cave houses and some of them are open to visitors.
One last must-visit highlight for Andalusia is the village Juzcar. This was once a white village like Montejaque. But all buildings in the village were painted blue to create a film set for one of the Smurf movies. The result is a bizarre streetscape with houses, churches, restaurants and shops in all shades of blue. Júzcar is about 45 minutes drive from Montejaque.
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