Sohail Castle in Fuengirola

Sohail Castle in Fuengirola - This castle sits resplendent on the western side of Fuengirola and is un-missable from either direction if travelling in your car on the N-340 (A-7) road.

If you are staying in one of Fuengirola’s many hotels, then the castle is easily found, just out of town to the west. The beachfront paseo or promenade runs along the whole beachfront of Fuengirola and up to the castle itself.

Parking is very obvious and you will see, from the car park, the route up to the castle itself. You do have to pay to go in (not massively expensive) and opening times are 10.00am – 2.30pm and 4.30pm – 6.00pm (Closed Mondays)

Dating back from the 12th Century this castle is steeped in history. Sohail Castle has been refurbished and now offers a great opportunity to wander around its battlements and imagine battles of old. Having magnificent acoustics, it is also used as a backdrop for many live band and opera shows. (These are advertised through local press and poster campaigns)

Because of its location on the coast, there has more than likely been a castle here since roman times and before, with this castle having been restored at some point in the 10th century by the ruling moors of the time. In more recent century’s it has been possible to track its importance as a lookout point by the Christians for marauding armies and in the 16th century a cannon platform was built by semi-demolishing one of the towers.

It has been commandeered by many armies over the centuries the last being the French during the War of Independence in 1810. After the French army retreated the castle became abandoned and was later sold at auction when it slowly started to fall into ruin.

A major restoration programme started in 1989 and has made the castle what it is today, back to (pretty much) its former glory.

While not a full day out, Sohail Castle in Fuengirola is a great place to explore and let your imagination run wild! Via the newly built foot bridge just alongside the base of the castle, it is possible to walk into Fuengirola town from here.