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Moving to Spain, Andalucia Region - Do the major population centers have decent outdoor climbing & recreation nearby? (Seville, Málaga, Córdoba, etc)
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If you are familiar with the Andalucian area, I hope I can get some of your local knowledge. I just accepted a job in Spain and I'll be there from Sept 2023 to June 2024. I will only be working 4 days a week so I have ample time to climb (still injured currently but that's a whole other story). I can request where I want to live in Andalucia, but its not guaranteed. It seems like there are really only 3 major cities, Seville, Málaga, & Córdoba. Is this correct? Seville & Cordoba are ~2hrs drive to El Chorro, & Malaga is ~1hr drive. Totally doable for weekend trips with a rental car right? I'm currently in Socal and I'm used to driving 2.5hrs for Joshua Tree, 4hrs to Red Rocks, & 7hrs to Yosemite/Tuolumne. Are there other smaller local crags in Andalucia besides El Chorro & Loja? Are these really the only crags worth going to in the area? I see some other tiny crags on climb-europe dot com but they are kind of just mentioned in passing. I currently live in Socal and I love it here because we have great weather, lots of outdoor recreation, lots of things to do, lots of people. Could you lovely people help me narrow down a city in Andalucia Spain? Must have: -Decent size city to hopefully have a social life Should have: -Decent nightlife (I am not a drinker but I love me a good live show or music festival) Deal breakers: -A small boring town with nothing to do A million thank you's to whoever can share some info! Cheers, |
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I can only respond concerning Malaga. As you mentioned, El Chorro is an hour away—and not only by car—there is a direct train service from the city that stops in El Chorro village and runs several times a day. Most of the main crags are reachable on foot from the station—some in only a few minutes walk. The area is enormous, so plenty of climbing options—single and multi-pitch in El Chorro itself, and numerous other crags in the general area ( though most of them will require a car). I believe that there are a couple of much smaller crags in the outskirts of Malaga itself. I strongly suggest getting the Rockfax El Chorro guidebook, as it covers a much wider area than just El Chorro itself. ( I normally favor using the local guidebooks as well, but didn’t find the ones for that region to be particularly ‘user friendly’). As for the city itself, Malaga is a bustling, lively city with a lot to see and do. I was never there in the evening, so can’t talk about the nightlife, but it is urban Spain so an active night life is almost a given. I have no idea if there is a climbing gym in town, but expect that there is at least one given the popularity of the sport in Spain. I imagine that there are also climbing options reasonably accessible from both Seville and Cordoba, but think that Malaga is the best of the 3 from that perspective as well as being a very pleasant city. |
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Los Cahorros next to Monachil in Granada is a top crag. https://27crags.com/crags/los-cahorros But similar to Montanejos: stiff grades. Account for 1-2 grades higher as marked. In Malaga other than El Chorro you have Villanueva del Rosario: https://27crags.com/crags/villanueva-del-rosario Decent nightlife? Granada & Malaga, but the latter being the winner as it's close to Marbella a hot spot. |
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I live in EC and know about the region. too much to type ( type slowly) but i can call you if you PM me your number |
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Hi Bryan, There are many smaller crags all over Andalucía so don't think the major crags you see on mountain project is the only climbing available, not even close. Also, even smaller cities can be quite vibrant for social/night life so unless you really need big city life I think you would be pleasantly surprised by some of the smaller cities as well. Of the three you mentioned I think Sevilla would be my last choice for climbing access (limited mountains, more flat countryside), Córdoba 2nd place, and Malaga the best. But some of the other provincial capitals are worth checking out as well, Granada, Almería, and Jaén all have quite a bit of climbing nearby. If your Spanish is limited and want more international influence for social life, Jaén and Almería will likely have less international folks. Also, not sure about gyms with rope climbing for all the cities but you'll probably be disappointed by the gym quality in any of the cities mentioned; outside Madrid or Barcelona its hard to find a gym that compares to a larger American gym, but the outdoor climbing availability more than makes up for it. Any of the cities would be well connected with public transit but getting to climbing areas by public transit is more challenging but not hard to meet locals with cars once you get established somewhere. I'm sure you'll love it wherever you end up, hard to go wrong. Cheers, |
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When I lived in Spain I never bothered going to an indoor gym. It would be like living in Chamonix, The Valley or El Chalten. Rock is everywhere. But in our case you definitively need a car, it makes your life hell easier. |
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This is all really great!! I have a lot more digging to do! I am getting use to the first thing about Spain.... things take time... I am literally in a waiting game for my assignment to come in and it will take weeks. About the car thing... as an American cars are kind of just part of daily life. And it seems like if I really want to have the freedom of the outdoors, I will need a car for many areas. I figure renting a car might get cost prohibitive. Has any of you non-EU people gone through the process of getting a Spanish drivers license and bought a car? I've watched a few youtube videos and it seems a little daunting compared to what I did here in the USA as a 16 year old kid. |
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you can rent cars from doyouspain.com for very little I have paid as little as 4 cents per day and almost always less than $10/day normal is about $4 per day beware surcharges for under 25, over 70 and for insurance. if your credit card pays for insurance, you should be fine |
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2nd the suggestion for renting a car when needed, it can be amazingly cheap. Parking in larger cities can be challenging so once you get there you can see how much you want a car. A car is a huge asset for climbing accessibility but a burden for city life. I definitely wouldn't try to get a Spanish license unless you're planning on living there forever, even so it is worth just using your US license as long as possible, the Spanish licensing process is long and expensive. |
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Just get an international driver's licence. No need to apply for an Spanish one. As a US citizen find out more here: https://www.usa.gov/international-drivers-license |
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I just got my assignment…. small town of 12k people near Huelva called Valverde del Camino. Not my first choice but i’m going to make the best of it!! What is the “mountain project” of spain? hopefully there is one in english? i found some local crags on the crag dotcom. any other resources for me to research on where to climb in the Huelva Andalucia area? Anyone there who wants to hang? |
giraud b wrote: this will work for 6 months for me…. but i’m there for a year. |
BryanOC wrote: I don't think there is a single Spanish equivalent to MP. thecrag.com can be good. UKC is sometimes helpful. Some Spanish climbers are keen for certain areas to remain on the DL so online resources are by no means comprehensive. Perhaps get yourself here and talk with people. I've been to Sagres in Portugal (Limestone sea cliffs. Mostly sport, some deep water soloing, and a little trad. 2 hours drive), San Bartolo near Tarifa (Quartzite, short sport routes and bouldering, a little multipitch trad. Great climate. 3 hours) and El Chorro (Limestone. World class single and multipitch sport. A bit post-industrial in places. 3 hours). All are well worth a visit. I've not been to the more local places in the Huelva area but they won't be completely rubbish, this is Spain after all. |
BryanOC wrote: I think thecrag.com will be your best bet for online resources. This book is also super helpful: https://www.libreriadesnivel.com/libros/donde-escalar-en-espana/9788498294231/ looks like it is out of print but you may be able to find a copy at a local climbing shop. Huelva won't be a climbing mecca but looks like there are a couple small crags near Valverde de Camino at least. |
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Another good source for free climbing topo is cartowall.com |
BryanOC wrote: https://climbingaway.fr/fr/sites-escalade/carte-du-monde-des-sites-d-escalade/espagne |
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Im going to be near Granada (through NALCAP, guessing that’s what you’re probably doing too) and looking for climbing buddies if you want to connect! |
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Im going to be near Granada (through NALCAP, guessing that’s what you’re probably doing too) and looking for climbing buddies if you want to connect! |
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Grazalema & San Bartolo are Cadiz's top crags. All sport: https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/spain/malaga-sevilla-area |
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No brainer - Granada is an amazing city. |
Abigail Shepherd wrote: Yes! I'm a first year NALCAP aux! I'll shoot you a message! |
