Almachar is a small, white village in the Axarquia region of the Malaga province, within Andalucia. The village lies just 26km from Malaga and 15km from the coast at Rincon de la Victoria. The village sits at an altitude of 230 metres above sea level and has a population of just over 2,100.
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The village of Almachar has its origins deeply rooted in Arabic times and many of the buildings date from the 16th century. The church in Almachar is the Church of San Mateo and this dates from the 16th century. Gothic and Renaissance styles are mixed with Mudejar architecture. The church is in Plaza Espana.
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Almachar is the location for the Raisin Museum, the only one of its kind. The small museum is a recreation of a typical home at the turn of the century. It includes two floors with various exhibits showing how the local economy depended on raising production. There is a small entrance fee. The museum is located deep in the village. You pass the tourist office to get there so it's worth calling in and collecting some local information. |
The painted tiles guide the way
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Other things to look out for in Almachar include the beautiful village butchers. The building is beautifully adorned with flowers and pots of every description. |
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See our visit to Almachar on
fiesta day for Los Ajoblanco |
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Although the village of Almachar has several important fiestas throught the year, without doubt, the most important is the Fiesta de Ajoblanco. This event takes place in early September and celebrates the unusual local drink. Ajoblanco is a cocktail of white garlic, almonds, olive oil and vinegar, with a pinch of salt. This white fluid is served cold and is designed to quench a thirst on a warm evening. Idealspain sampled it in September 2010. See our video report here. |
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Around the village of Almachar you will see the drying beds for the raisins. The grapes are laid in full sun to dry and shrivel up. depending on the time of year you can see the raisins in various different colours as they dry.
Visiting Almachar
As you enter the village of Almachar, there is a large car park at the foot of the hill (near the roundabout with the grape monument). This car park is the best place to park but there is a steep walk into the village from here. Don't expect to find much parking in the village.
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The butchers shop in Almachar
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| As you enter the village, there's a large square. There's a shaded canopy under which to rest and to your left there's a wonderful little bar where you can sit on the terrace, overlooking the raising beds. From this square, the tourist office and raising museum are located to the right. Follow the road that goes down and watch for the quaint directions on painted tiles on the walls. Each street and monument is clearly signposted on colourful, hand made tiles. The tourist office in Almachar is located next to the bank and opposite the quaint butchers shop. Make sure you have good walking shoes on as there are some very steep slopes to navigate and try to walk in the shade wherever possible. There's very little in the way of shopping although there are a few souvenir shops. There are a few nice little bars and restaurants but don't expect anything too fancy. This after all is a small and very old village where tourism is not the main source of income. |
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Almachar village with its white houses
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Raisin drying beds and sacks of raisins
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