Portilla Castle, the castle of the Araba coat of arms.

Get to know the Portilla Castle and its Monumental Ensemble, a space that transports us to another era.

The Portilla Castle, Zabalateko Gaztelua in Basque, is one of the most important historical heritages of Araba. This defensive building is the most important representative of the Portilla Monumental Complex. A complex that, although today is in a state of ruin, once represented one of the most important enclaves of Euskadi. Undoubtedly, this is one of the areas with the greatest historical and scenic wealth of Araba. Just by appreciating the views from the castle and the history hidden behind its walls, it is very easy for us to recommend a visit to everyone who asks us what to see in Euskadi. This castle in Alava was built by the monarchs of the Kingdom of Navarre on a natural watchtower, at an altitude of 780 meters, at the beginning of the 11th century. Its objective was none other than to gain authority in Castile. Throughout history, there have been many sieges and attacks suffered by this castle, a fortress, which, along with the castle of Ocio, forms one of the most popular routes of Zambrana. We must mention that a great work has been done to enhance the value of this Basque treasure. A project in which the neighbors of Zambrana have had a great presence. The fact that the whole town of Portilla / Zabalate got involved to recover its history makes us proud and passionate. A social project to applaud and set an example.

We can say that the most visible and important elements of the Monumental Complex are the Portilla Castle and the church of Santa María. Of course, without forgetting that we are in front of a historical and natural set unique in the world. If you think it is a bilbainada, if you think we exaggerate, you only have to go to Zambrana to see how part of the natural ridge that guards the village of Portilla merges with the remains of the ancient wall of the medieval town. Impressive.

We invite you to know in first person the settlement of Portilla, a set, which has been recovered through the rehabilitation of buildings, creation of access and installation of information panels. In addition, if you visit this enclave with your family, know that it has an added attraction, a treasure hunt for the youngest members of the family. Having fun learning has never been so easy.

After discovering the Portilla Castle and the rest of the Monumental Complex, we were stunned. The remains that we found today are not many, but its structure has helped to enable a circular route for your visit. Thanks to this circular route, the views it offers us and the history lesson that the information panels and audiguias give us, Portilla Castle has become a tourist destination to take into account. A reference of Alava’s heritage. Although we have focused our attention on the castle that we find at its highest point, you should know that the rest of the spaces have been essential in the archaeological research carried out in this fortress. Each small “txoko” or corner of this complex tells part of the history of our land.

RouteThe route that takes us to know the Portilla Castle is a circular route around the Monumental Complex. An enclave of outstanding scenic value, which, located on a natural vantage point, gives us a 360 degree panoramic view. The Portilla Castle route begins and ends in the center of the village, next to the church of Portillo / Zabalate. We recommend that, either before or after the route, you take a walk through this town, once (in the Middle Ages) known as the suburb. Its murals and architecture are well worth a visit. From the center of the village we must follow the different signs that we find to take direction to the old village of Portilla, also known as Villavieja. The way up, the same that was used in the Middle Ages, is barely half a kilometer, but uphill. A familiar route, which takes us to a natural vantage point. Once at the top, the first information panels welcome us. The order of the route is essential, remember that this is a circular route. The first thing to visit is the castle of Portilla, straight ahead. The road to the castle, full of wooden walkways and viewpoints, gives us one of the most charismatic moments of the visit, simply stunning. Once we have enjoyed its enchanting views, we go back down the same path, this time, we cross the wall, we enter the domains of Villavieja. Unfortunately, due to the large amount of soil that was exposed in the 16th century on top of the remains of the ancient settlement, today, the remains we find are rather scarce. Instead, we find the system of agricultural terraces that was created. In any case, we must bear in mind that, in this same space, in the past, more than 30 houses were gathered. Once at this point, we just have to follow the signs, there is no loss. After seeing the medieval wall, the remains of the church of Santa Maria, the viewpoint and the remains of a house, we reached the last sign we found inside the medieval village. In it, we find the indication of the way to follow to return to Portilla passing by the limekiln, the fountain and the quarry. Remember that, if you plan to make the free visit, you can download the audio guide to your cell phone and learn every secret of this space as if it were a guided tour.

Guided toursThe town council of Zambrana has launched a service of guided visits to the Monumental Complex. These visits, included under the term “Portilla, medieval village” show us the secrets of Portilla Castle from the hand of its own neighbors. However, you should know that the guided visits to the Portilla Castle are on demand, that is to say, with previous reservation. We recommend that you contact the tourist office of Añana to ask any questions you may have.

Information on guided tours to Portilla Castle.

• Phone: 945 355 089
• Price: 5€.
• Approximate duration: 1 hour.

Project: The neighbors of Portilla are largely responsible for the fact that today we can enjoy this monumental complex. And it was them who, with the help of the UPV (University of the Basque Country), the Town Council of Zambrana and the Provincial Council of Alava, fought to keep its history alive. Eskerrik asko lagunak! This fact can be perfectly appreciated in the different murals that we find on our arrival to Portilla.

HistoryAlthough, according to experts, the Portilla fortress has been occupied since the end of the Bronze Age, the remains we find today belong to the complex built between the early eleventh century and the mid-twelfth century. A space that, although it belonged to royalty, was managed by local aristocrats. Here are the most important historical milestones of Portilla Castle in chronological order.

These are just a few notes on the history of Portilla / Zabalate. Historical facts that help us to understand the nature of this Basque area.

Araba Coat of ArmsPortilla Castle is an identifying and symbolic element of the Historical Territory of Alava. And it is that, according to experts in the matter, the tower of the castle that occupies us today, forms an important part of the coat of arms of Araba. These affirmations are based on the fact that, in Portilla, from the 13th century onwards, they used a seal on which a coat of arms practically identical to the current coat of arms of the Historical Territory of Alava could be seen. An aspect, which, according to the researchers, concludes that the Portilla Castle is directly linked to the coat of arms.

How to get thereGetting to Portilla Castle is no mystery at all. Its location, in the municipality of Zambrana, makes it perfectly communicated with the different main roads of Araba. It can be accessed by car to the very center of Portilla. The most commonly used access is via the AP-68 freeway, exit 8. Once in Zambrana, we only have to take the detour to Portilla. You can’t get lost, the Portilla Castle is properly signposted.

RecommendationsWe have written a small practical guide with recommendations to visit the Portilla Castle. Although many of them are well known to correspond to any route that we can do, there are some that are unique to this visit and tour.

Strengths of Euskal HerriaPortilla Castle is not the first Basque fortress we have told you about. There have been several articles that we have dedicated to these historical spaces of our land. Here is a small summary, by means of which we want to encourage you to visit some of them, we are sure that you will love them.

This is just a small representation of the defensive buildings of Euskal Herria. A small appetizer to get into this medieval world that we preserve in our territory.

What to see and do near Portilla Castle: In recent times there are many spaces that we have shown you in the vicinity of Zambrana. An example of this are the different attractions of Añana that we have published in recent months. Here are the areas that have most caught our attention:

VideoOnce again, we wanted to create a small video to help you visualize in more detail what you will find in this enclave. If you like Euskadi, if you are looking for new places to discover, we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, we are sure you will find many other destinations that will catch your attention.

We highly recommend a visit to Portilla Castle and its Monumental Ensemble. Unfortunately, what most caught our attention after knowing this enclave, was how little is known for the great scenic and historical value that keeps within its walls. How many people visit Portilla Castle throughout the year? Far fewer than it deserves, that’s for sure. A pity. We hope to contribute our small grain of sand to this project by making it known through our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts. If you have any questions or suggestions, we encourage you to leave a comment in this article.