There are about fifty communities in the Alpujarra, ranging from tiny hamlets of just a few houses to busy market towns of a couple of thousand souls. The average village, though, has two or three hundred families, one church, one or two shops, a couple of bars or restaurants and a number of outlying cortijos and fincas, including holiday homes for rent.
This is a partial list of main towns and villages and if you’re thinking about where to choose for your holiday, it should give you a few ideas. We’ll be adding to it as we go, and if you know of somewhere we should list, please contact mart.cross@ntlworld.com and let us know.
Lanjaron – the gateway to the Alpujarra if you’re coming from Granada. Source of the ubiquitous mineral water of the same name, Lanjaron has plenty of shops, restaurants and services.
Orgiva – the biggest town in the Alpujarra, Orgiva is popular with a bohemian crowd of Northern Europeans and has all the shops and services you could need. Good market on Thursday mornings.
Capileira, Bubion and Pampaneira – these three villages in the Poqueira Gorge are some of the prettiest and best-preserved in the Alpujarra. They are very popular with tourists and can be quite busy. There are lots of craft-shops, good restaurants and businesses providing guided walks, horse-riding and so on.
La Taha de Pitres – this is a municipality combining as many as eight separate villages (depending on who you ask) and while it does attract tourists, it’s very much a working agricultural community.
Trevelez – as the highest village in mainland Spain, a starting point for walks up to the peak of Mulhacen, and famous for producing some of the best ham in the world, Trevelez attracts its fair share of coach parties. It’s far from spoiled, however, and some of the shops and restaurants are excellent.
Juviles – our favourite village is one of the smallest with fewer than 200 people, but it still manages to support three friendly bars. The whole community enjoys fantastic views over the valleys below. Good walking nearby.
Berchules – A busy, hard-working agricultural community surrounded by plantations of chestnut trees, Berchules celebrates with a unique “New Half-Year” fiesta in early August.
Cadiar – the market town for the central Alpujarra, Cadiar has good shops and services.
Mecina Bombaron – a large, pretty village with a few restaurants.
Yegen – the home for many years of the English writer Gerald Brennan, who wrote “South from Granada” about his experiences in the Alpujarra. You can still see his house.