I dreamt of climbing in Albarracin for years, and this past October, I was finally able to go. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! If you are looking for a variety of climbing projects with short approaches—all five minutes away from the most adorable town, then Albarracin is the place for you!!

Getting There:

I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend renting a car. I did meet a few climbers who managed to hitchhike their way to Albarracin, but it’s definitely not the easiest way to get there. Albarracin is located between Madrid and Barcelona. I chose to fly into Madrid and drive the 3 hours and 15 minutes to Albarracin. Barcelona airport is about 4 and a half hours away. There are also smaller airports located in Valencia and Zaragoza.

The crags are about a 5-7 minute drive from town, so not far, but definitely a long walk. Rental cars weren’t expensive and definitely made the trip more enjoyable.

Where to Stay:

I stayed at Hotel Dona Blanca for about 65 dollars a night. The staff were very nice and my room had a private balcony with a view of the castle wall. My favorite part was the remote-controlled black out blinds! There is also free parking and the location is ideal! The supermercados are next door and most of the restaurants are within a 5-10 minute walk.

Several of my friends used Airbnb to find places in town, which was particularly useful for people staying in groups or those who prefer to cook their own meals. If you like staying at hostels and meeting other climbers, then check out Sandstone Guesthouse.

Where to Eat:

Albarracin takes siesta very seriously. In the middle of the day, many restaurants close for several hours. Restaurants open for breakfast or lunch, but once 3 pm rolls around, everything shuts down. Restaurants reopen between 8 and 8:30 pm.

There are two supermercados. They are open from morning until noon and in the evening from 4-8 pm.

I can’t speak for year round but at least during prime climbing/tourist season, reservations are needed at some restaurants. In order to get reservations, I stood outside of the restaurant 10 minutes before they opened. Sometimes there would even be a line to get reservations! But generally 10 minutes was enough to get a table for the night!

My two favorite restaurants were Alizia Casa de Comidas and La Peculiar Pequeño Restaurante. The prices were reasonable and the food was DELICIOUS. I highly recommend the steak tartare from Aliza, if you eat meat. These two are both right in town, so no driving is necessary. There is also a restaurant where climbers hang out called La Zahora. The deer burger is a must-try! It’s a bit out of town, so I had to drive to get there.

If you are really desperate for food, there is an amazing vending machine area. One machine is called Pica & Pica. You can get “hot” sandwiches from there. I ordered two sandwiches for cheap prices. The meat was unrecognizable, but still tasty. To many people’s suprise—I didn’t get any food poisoning!!

Climbing supplies:

If you need to rent crash pads, I highly recommend going to Sofa Boulder. I reserved my crash pads 6 weeks in advance, but that’s generally not necessary. They also have the MOST BEAUTIFUL climbing brushes I have ever seen. They carry climbing shoes and climbing clothes, in case you need some replacements.

The Albarracin guidebook is a bit of controversial subject. There is one from 2016, one just released in 2021 and another new one slated to come out late in 2022. There’s a lot of debate about names and grades on the page and at the crag. Another EXTREMELY useful resource is 27 crags. It has many of the boulders and very clear directions on how to get to them.

Crashpads from Sofa Boulder. Photo by Ziyad Soobhan

The Climbing:

The approaches are one of the best aspects of Albarracin. There are a few parking lots to get to the different sectors. The longest approach I did was 15-20 minutes with the last third being uphill. This was to Los Techos, where the classics Cosmos and Eclipse are located. Most of my other approaches were between 2 minutes and 10 minutes. So overall, not bad at all! There is a variety of climbing with roofs, slabs, and overhung boulders at all the grades! There is something for everyone.

I hope this guide has been helpful! If you have any questions about planning a trip to Albarracin, leave it in the comments! Also feel free to comment your favorite aspects of Albarracin!

Intro to Albarracin: Spain's Bouldering Wonderland

Getting There:

Where to Stay:

Where to Eat:

Climbing supplies:

The Climbing: