Mojacar

Mojacar Pueblo sits on a hill two kilometres inland, a stack of flat-roofed white cubes on a steep site that reads as North African rather than Andalusian, with narrow lanes, arched passages and small squares. By the 1960s it was emptying as people left for work elsewhere, and the mayor offered houses free to anyone who would restore them, which brought writers, painters and foreign residents and turned the village around. The Fuente Mora, a Moorish fountain with thirteen spouts at the foot of the village, was where the population drew water into the twentieth century. The indalo, a stick figure with an arch over it copied from a nearby prehistoric cave painting, is the local emblem and appears everywhere.

What you actually see

• The cubist village - flat-roofed white houses stacked on a steep hill.
• The Fuente Mora - a Moorish fountain with thirteen spouts below the village.
• The indalo symbol - a prehistoric figure used as the local emblem.
• The coast view - the Mediterranean and Sierra Cabrera from the mirador.

When to go

Spring and autumn for walking the steep lanes; summer brings Spanish holidaymakers and heat, and the beach settlement below fills. Winter is mild and very quiet.

Honest expectations

The village lanes are steep and stepped, with cars left at the edge. It is heavily geared to visitors with souvenir shops throughout. Mojacar Playa below is standard resort development with little charm.

Nearby

Cabo de Gata lies southwest; the Sierra Cabrera and Garrucha are close.