Cabra between Holy Week, olive culture and nature trails

Cabra combines a recognised Holy Week, museums covering church, archaeology and olive oil history, and trails through the surrounding countryside. When looking for a hotel in Cabra, you can start by considering whether culture, olive oil traditions or nature will be the focus of your stay.

Holy Week and historical traces

Cabra’s Holy Week was recognised as a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 1989. The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y Ángeles has medieval origins and was built over a former Muslim mosque. Its interior has five naves with 44 red marble columns; the high altar is made of red and black marble.

The history of the oldest neighbourhood also reaches far back: it lies on the site of ancient Licabrum, which later became Egabro. A themed route highlights Cabra, along with Priego de Córdoba, Lucena, Encinas Reales, Benamejí, Rute and Iznájar, as a place with exceptional examples of Baroque art.

Museums of olive oil and local history

The “El Molino Viejo” Olive Oil Museum is housed in a stone building that is an example of 19th-century industrial architecture. The museum showcases methods and equipment used to produce olive oil. Exhibits at the oil museum include esparto grasswork, presses, storage systems and belt-driven mills. A particularly vivid example is a beam press from the 17th century, made of oak and limestone.

The Olive Interpretation Centre at Cabra railway station recreates a station from the 1920s and 1930s. Its exhibitions explore the history of the oil train, the region’s olive groves and the Vía Verde de la Subbética. The centre thus links the region’s olive oil history with the railway’s former use.

The Museo de Arte Sacro de la Hermandad del Buen Fin has four exhibition areas: the Capilla de Capuchinos, a heritage hall, a hall dedicated to Cabra’s Holy Week, and a temporary exhibition hall. Cabra’s Archaeological Museum has been housed since 1984 in the former Banco de España building, now the Casa de la Cultura.

The Natural History Museum began as a century-old educational museum. Its collections were assembled through numerous purchases and significant donations from students, former students, and people with ties to the town and the institution.

Spring, nature park and trails

Fuente del Río is a karst spring in the Sierra de Cabra; its landscaped surroundings include gardens and trees. It has been designated, among other things, an Asset of Cultural Interest, a Site of Natural Interest and a Notable Tree Grove. Cabra lies wholly or partly within the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, which has been recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The trail to Sima de Cabra leads to a cave with a long history and numerous legends. Along the way, there are views of the Sierras Subbéticas and the Guadalquivir Valley basin. The route first passes through olive groves, then through natural vegetation including holm oaks, hawthorns, pistachio shrubs, mastic shrubs and ancient Portuguese oaks. Birds of prey and other wildlife can also be spotted along the way.

The Vía Verde follows disused railway lines in the Subbética, once used by the oil train. The routes are now used for cycling and walking through the interior of Andalusia. Along the Vía Verde del Aceite, there are six rest areas with benches, picnic tables with benches, rubbish bins and bicycle racks.

The Cabra–Los Pelaos trail begins at the Vía Verde del Aceite, passes under a bridge, runs parallel to a path, and goes by Fuente de los Frailes and a Roman quarry. If you are planning this route, check the current trail conditions in advance. Cabra also offers the APP RUTA HISTÓRICA DE CABRA, a self-guided route for exploring the historic neighbourhoods.

Discover more destinations: Doña Rama, La Carlota, Villa Del Río, Villanueva Del Rey, Alcolea, Fernán-Núñez, Cañete De Las Torres, Pedro Abad.

For the broader travel overview: Cordoba.