Albarracin

Albarracin is definitely the most important Spanish bouldering area. No other area in Spain compares to it and it is often referred to as the Spanish Fontainebleau! Similarly,  the area is full of big reddish sandstone blocks scattered around a beautiful forest. The sandstone blocks are now full of boulder problems of all difficulties and styles: roofs with big jugs, overhangs with crimps as well as quality slabs. There are 15 different sectors,  some of which have climbing restrictions from January to August but this does not matter as when you come you will still always get a great choice of problems to solve!

The boulders are about a 5-minutes drive from Albarracin, a sleepy little tourist which is well worth visiting. Due to its medieval architecture Albarracin has been proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It offers nice walks along tiny medieval streets and quite a variety of little bars and restaurants where you can try the local specialities. It is a great option for your rest days, which are a necessity  in Albarracin. 

Getting there is easy as it is situated about 30 minutes from Teruel and 2 hours from Valencia, which has an International airport. If you can’t find flights to Valencia, you can check out Alicante as well. It would be best to hire a car so that you can move comfortably between the campsite (or town if you stay there) and the boulders. Hiring a car will also save a lot of time, which you can spend enjoying walks through the forest and getting to the boulders themselves. Some of the boulders are very close to the road whilst others are more remote and will take about half an hour to get to.

In Albarracin you can choose whatever type of accommodation best suits you, ranging from Bed&Breakfasts or campsites to more luxury options. The local campsite is a good choice if you come in Autumn or in Spring but in Winter the night temperatures get fall far below zero and there’s a possibility of snow. Albarracin’s ‘high season’ is from late Autumn to early Spring when the friction is great. but as mentioned above, count on with very cold nights and possible snow in Winter. As the boulders are all around the forest you can quite easily choose to climb in the sun or in the shade depending on the temperature, which is great.