Get to know Albares through its hermitages, church art and landscapes. A particular thread running through the area is the Ruta de las Ermitas: this 12.5-kilometre tourist circular route runs through the municipality and takes in numerous hermitages and their remains. It connects local history with a route whose theme extends beyond any single building.
Landscapes between plateaus and stream valleys
The landscape around Albares is characterised by rolling plateaus, mountains, valleys and hills; the Sierra de Altomira can be seen to the east. The different directions reveal different land uses: to the southwest lie dry fields rich in herbaceous vegetation, with cereals, olive trees and vineyards. To the northwest, farmland alternates with wooded areas, with the dehesa shaping the mosaic. Along the streams to the south and east are irrigated plots used for horticulture.
Another natural feature is the Cueva que llueve, where water drips from the ceiling all year round. Its name refers to this steady occurrence, while the other features of the landscape draw the eye to fields, hills and valleys. Albares lies in the Tajuña Valley, where the Alcarria meets the river floodplain. The town can also be included in tourist drives linking places such as Tendilla and Mondéjar.
Churches and traces of history
The Iglesia de San Esteban Protomártir was built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries and brings together artistic styles from the Gothic to the Baroque period. Its hall-church plan comprises three naves and four bays, along with a polygonal apse, a tower to the north and a sacristy to the south. The Baroque high altarpiece features the Virgen de Albares and a sculpture of Saint Stephen. The architecture and works of art offer several distinct ways to appreciate the church.
The Ermita de San Antonio also brings together different periods of construction. It was built in 1570 and remodelled around 1723–1733. The surviving altarpiece was carved at approximately that time; the sculpture of Saint Anthony dates from 1782. At the Adarve, by contrast, the focus is on its described defensive function and the surrounding natural landscape: its origins are thought to date to the Muslim period, and it offers views over the landscape.
Parts of the walls of the Ermita de Santa Ana remain on a small hill on the southern edge of Albares, on the right bank of the stream. Four walls formed the rectangular nave. Tools and axes dating from the Eneolithic to the Late Bronze Age were found at Cerro de las Cruces. The Barrio del Castillo recalls Albares’ fortified past; small watchtowers once stood on hills in Albares and its surroundings. Wall paintings discovered in a house on Calle San Pedro date from the early modern period and attest to Albares’ connection with the Mendoza family.
Festivals, customs and regional cuisine
The Concierto de las Candelas takes place every year on the first Saturday in August in the church square. The square is illuminated with 2,000 candles and 100 torches, and the programme features classical music. The Fiesta de la Virgen de Albares is held on a different date: every year on the first Sunday in August, it is celebrated with a mass and a procession in honour of the image of the Virgin Mary. If you are planning your stay around these festivals, it is worth checking the two dates separately.
Semana Santa includes processions, among them a nighttime Stations of the Cross accompanied by torches on the way to Cerro de las Cruces. Los Quintos is celebrated on the last day of April: a poplar tree is erected in the square, and at midnight the Mayos are dedicated to the Virgin. These customs mark different points in the annual calendar, from Holy Week and the end of April to the August festivals.
The cuisine also expresses local and regional traditions. Albares’ culinary traditions include traditionally produced honey and homemade cured meats. Local dishes include migas, gachas and caldereta, as well as the cocido typical of Albares and pisto made with produce from local gardens. Traditional sweets are also made in Albares, including tortas, orejones, fritillas, suizos, puches and bizcochos borrachos.
The ethnographic landscape includes 58 significant sites of ethnographic interest. The rural structures described include shepherds’ huts and their enclosures. Together with the churches, hermitages and historical traces, they reveal different facets of the town: religious art, former fortifications, customs and rural ways of life.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Ventosa, Humanes, Pastrana, Gálvez, Monasterio, Albalate De Zorita, Hueva, El Olivar.
For the main travel overview: Guadalajara.
