Road trip? As soon as that phrase is uttered, I’m usually sprinting to the nearest computer to check out any alternative way to get to the destination in question.
But sometimes, a long car journey is really the only way to get to see something extra-special. Now, Spain’s already a pretty special country – I like to tell people that visiting each region is like visiting completely different countries – but I’ve recently discovered a few places that are certainly something else (though exactly what is perhaps still up for debate).
If you’re looking for some quirky, offbeat, and just plain weird road trip stops in Spain, then you’ve come to the right place!
(Also, a quick aside – this is the first road trip I’ve taken since I got my eyesight magically fixed with surgery. My vision is sharper than it ever was with contacts or glasses, and it really makes a difference at times like this. I’m seeing things I literally never saw before!)
The Smurf Village (Andalucía)
Stop on the way from Ronda to Cádiz.
You’ve may have spotted this one on a list of colorful or bizarre travel destinations. Júzcar is a tiny village in the hills of Andalucía, and it would be just another one of the region’s ‘pueblos blancos’. Except for the fact that the whole place is shocking Smurf blue.
And no, I’m not calling it Smurf blue by coincidence; Júzcar’s blue makeover was a promotional effort for the Smurfs movies. It’s been a while since a Smurfs movie came out, but the village is still enjoying the after-effects…and profits from curious travelers. All the local shops and restaurants have some kind of Smurf connection, whether it’s a selection of kitschy memorabilia or a Smurf-related name.
I expected to find the tiny village empty, but nope – the small visitor parking section had quite a few other cars. There were a few local families, plus a busful of tourists from Japan (a small bus, but still).
That being said, Júzcar doesn’t exactly have the whole tourism thing down. Lots of the places were closed, and there was just one restaurant we saw open. We sat down and waited. After a while, somebody came out and we ordered drinks. Then waited some more. We eventually left, as they’d completely forgotten we were even there. There wasn’t even anybody at the bar inside. Maybe it was just a bad day, but I wouldn’t recommend planning on getting lunch here.
Oh, and one last note – even the cemetery is bright blue. Proof:
The House of Stone (Castilla-La Mancha)
Stop on the way from Madrid to Barcelona.
On the way back to Barcelona from Madrid, I ended up stopping at the Casa de Piedra (the House of Stone). It’s in Alcolea del Pinar, a tiny town in the Guadalajara province.
The house was carved right into the face of a huge rock by a local man named Lino Bueno. Over the course of 28 years, he pounded away at the rock in his free time, and eventually managed to carve out an actual living space.
It took him eight years of effort before he could move in, and then he just kept expanding his living quarters. Today, Lino’s grandson shows you around the house, which has photos of its very dedicated founder hanging on the curving walls.
This isn’t a small house by any means. There are three separate levels, a storage area, and four big rooms. If you look closely at the walls and ceilings, you can see the marks from where Lino carved out the spaces. It’s pretty astonishing to see, and I’d never seen anything like it.
I’m not the only one who’s impressed by the Casa de Piedra. Over the years, this little stop has gotten its fair share of attention, even receiving visits from two different sets of kings and queens of Spain.
The Beast Jesus (Aragon)
Stop on the way from San Sebastián to Barcelona.
If you haven’t seen or heard of the infamous Ecce Homo painting re-working by now, I’d be pretty surprised. The story of a little Spanish grandmother, Cecilia Giménez, who managed to completely destroy a fresco of Jesus in an old church made headlines across the world, inspiring everything from Halloween costumes to monologues by stand-up comedians to Facebook memes. She’d tried to help restore the fresco, and then things, she said, got a little “out of hand.”
I laugh every time I imagine how she got herself into that situation. And then I feel a little bad for her.
Naturally, people from all over the world have flocked to go see her incredible mistake and take silly pictures with it – present company included.
And you know what? Borja is actually a very cute little stop. The church where the botched fresco is found is right next to a sanctuary. In days past, people suffering from illnesses went to get some sunshine and fresh air. You can still stay there today, actually.
The lovely lady working there was thrilled to show us around and explained all kinds of things to us. I think she was quite pleased that people were interested in the history of the place, not just the painting.
Still, the painting has brought quite a bit of money to the town and local charities. There’s even an international art competition in Cecilia’s name. All’s well that ends well!
Even though these quirky road trip stops in Spain are by no means some of the country’s biggest attractions, they’re definitely worth a little side-trip if you’re already driving somewhere nearby. While I wouldn’t go out of my way to get to these places, I’m glad I got to see them!
What’s the weirdest stop you’ve ever made on a road trip? Are there any other cool road trip stops in Spain you recommend?
Besos!
-Jess
I am from Spain and did not know The House of Stone. It seems incredible. Thanks Jessica for discovering to a Spaniard more about Spain! 🙂
Well, it was actually Donde Vamos Eva? who knew about it! Thanks to Eva for showing us all more of Spain. 😀
I never used to like road trips till I moved to Spain. Its now become a traditional means of travel and adventure with my boyfriend. We havent been to any of these placws, but we did stop in Bolonia of Cadiz which is pure magic. Its a beach town from which you can see Africa. Incredible.
I never used to like road trips till I moved to Spain. Its now become a traditional means of travel and adventure with my boyfriend. We havent been to any of these placws, but we did stop in Bolonia of Cadiz which is pure magic. Its a beach town from which you can see Africa. Incredible.
Yeah, it’s such a great way to see some more of Spain! I’ve never heard of Bolonia of Cadiz, but there are so many gorgeous little stops to see. Thanks for the recommendation. 🙂
I just Googled Bolonia and WOW! It definitely does look magical.
I’m planning on doing a little road trip around Spain before I head back to the UK in summer so I’m definitely adding these to my list! The smurf town looks incredible and I would love, love, love to see the Jesus painting in person – the story stills makes me laugh!
I’ve also just checked out Nina’s suggestion of Bolonia and wow, just wow! I don’t know if I’ll make it that far south but it would definitely be worth it to see a place like that!
Yeah, I have a laugh at the Jesus story too every time I think of it! It’s just too silly!
Do you have any fixed places you’re going on your road trip? There are so many pretty places to see in Spain it can be hard to choose.
Aaaaa I wanted to visit the Monkey Jesus so badly last February but it just didn’t work out with public transportation; the church was like an hour’s walk away from Borja city center and it was cold and rainy. Another reason I’ll have to come back to Aragón someday—there is so much in that beautiful region left to see 😀
Yeah, it’s probably not worth a rainy 1-hour walk, silly as it is! 😀
The Smurf Village reminds me of Chefchaouen in Morocco. What a funny place! It sounds like there are some pretty fascinating places to see in Spain that are off the beaten path.
Ooh yeah, I’ve seen pictures of that blue city too! It’s funny that there are too. And yep, there are tons of fascinating places in Spain. I can’t get enough of the place. 🙂
Haha, I can’t believe they persuaded an entire village to paint their houses blue for a marketing stunt! As you say, they’ll definitely benefit from it in the long term. Nice post.
I can’t believe it either. I’m not sure if they paid them or something, but I wouldn’t be surprised!
I can’t believe they got an entire village to paint their houses blue for a marketing stunt! As you say, they’ll definitely benefit from it in the long term. Nice post.
I know, I still can’t quite believe they let them do that either!
I will definitely have to see the House of Stone if I’m ever in the area, which I hope I will because I really like Spain. Looks like a very interesting place! Thanks for sharing.
It’s definitely a weird little stop, and if you’re already going from Madrid to Barcelona via car, it’s right off the freeway.
I want to live in the House of Stone! That Jesus painting is too funny, and I never even thought about actually going to see it in person.
I hadn’t either until I mentioned to some Spanish friends I’d be driving down from the Basque Country. They told me it was right on the way down (which is true), so we just had to stop there!
The house carved into rock is really cool! Oh, I’m a little jealous that you got to see that magnificent piece of artwork for yourself. But, I probably wouldn’t make a trip there either unless I was passing by.
Yeah, it’s probably not worth going miles out of your way to see. But if you happen to be in the area, it’s too good to pass up!
Wow, all of these look great and for different reasons, that painting is also the funniest thing ever! I really would like to head back to Spain as I only visited as a teenager and child and didn’t really see the magical side to it, only the over touristy resorts and it kind of put me off. Now I see there is so much more to Spain.
There really is so much more to Spain! I’m always shocked at how many different things there are to see too, and a lot of them I’d never even heard of until I moved here.
Oh wow – so many beautiful places to visit in Spain – looks like I could easily just spend a year here and never see it all!
I’ve spent three here and still haven’t seen it all! 😀
I love the look of the House of Stone! That is super neat! Looks so cozy and quaint! 😉
For being made out of stone in a very, very cold part of Spain, it actually IS very cozy inside! 🙂
I love quirky little roadside attractions like these-so fun!
Me too, they make a long road trip way less tedious.
Thanks for the mention Jessica! It was a pleasure and really fun to follow your road trip Barcelona-Madrid-Barcelona with Jaume’s Van from SocialCar. See you soon in your next road trip around this multicultural country called Spain! Cheers!
Thank you very much to SocialCar too – we had a fabulous time. See you next time! 🙂
I would love to visit the The House of Stone. Wish I’d know about it last time I was in Spain! Here’s something unusual you and your readers might enjoy in New Mexico in the U.S., a B&B in an underground cave.
Oh, that is unusual! Thanks for letting me know about it.
OMG these places are amazing and I had no idea they were in Spain. I love that stone house! We will be there in April so maybe a little road trip might be a good idea. Thanks for the travel inspiration.
You’re welcome! Hope you have fun in April, it’s such a lovely month weather-wise in Spain.
I love a good road trip! The stone house looks absolutely incredible! What dedication that must have taken to create. I can’t help but giggle every time I see the Jesus picture 🙂
Yeah, I can’t imagine making something like that in my spare time! And he just kept going, it’s pretty amazing.
Ooh, I love that blue village! Sure wish we’d stopped there when I was in that part of the country! Ronda was our pit stop on the way to Gibraltar, but I definitely could have spent more time there exploring.
Yeah, Ronda is absolutely gorgeous! That whole mountainous region is so, so pretty.
You’re so right, traveling by car sometimes shows
You’re so right, traveling by car sometimes is better than flying. You get to see so much! I would love to visit that quirky smurf village. That blue color is awesome!
Yeah, it’s a really fun little stop to visit. It’s so weird to see everything bright blue, even when you know it’s coming.
The Stone House looks beautiful.
Would love to visit Spain. Thanks for sharing.
It’s really cool to go see in person!
House of stone? Smurff’s village. Sign me up. They all look like such a fun time. I would love to stay in the stone house.
They are definitely fun, and something you don’t see every day!
Hey! I went a couple of times a long time ago at Los Pueblos Blancos but never saw the Smurf Village. I don’t remember if I was in Júzcar or not. I’ll have to come back!
You should, it’s such a weird place! 😀
jajajajajaja me encanta la foto que tienes con el eccehomo de Borja, dio tanto de qué hablar… Ha sido un placer haber compartido Fitur contigo y espero que haya más viajes por el estilo. Y sino los hacemos nosotras 😉
Menudos momentazos hemos vivido en nuestro road trip colectivo junto a BcnTB!!. No estaría mal hacer uno solo de chicas :-).
Preciosa la foto de la Casa de Piedra, que lugar tan interesante y menuda historia!!!.
Gracias por compartir estos lugares tan simpáticos de nuestro país!. Un abrazo
I’m always looking to get off the beaten path and find something new and different. Your quirky and offbeat suggestions are awesome–I’m all over the Smurf village! Great post!
Thanks very much! Yeah, the Smurf village is definitely different haha. I knew it was going to be blue but I was still surprised by how blue it is in person! 😀