History
all around
Start at Salobreña Castle, one of the town’s great icons, and continue through the historic quarter, with whitewashed streets, viewpoints, and corners such as La Bóveda, Paseo de las Flores, and the Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
If you want to extend your visit, the Route of Castles, Towers, and Watchtowers connects historic defensive systems across the Costa Tropical. To explore at your own pace, you can also rely on the official audio guide with narrated itineraries.
Historical Heritage
Start at Salobreña Castle, one of the town’s great icons, and continue through the historic quarter, with whitewashed streets, viewpoints, and corners such as La Bóveda, Paseo de las Flores, and the Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
If you want to extend your visit, the Route of Castles, Towers, and Watchtowers connects historic defensive systems across the Costa Tropical. To explore at your own pace, you can also rely on the official audio guide with narrated itineraries.
Around 3500 BC and the first settlements
The remains found at archaeological sites such as Cueva del Capitán (in Lobres, near Salobreña) and the Peñón de Salobreña confirm that there was already human presence in the area during Neolithic times. These early communities left behind flint utensils, pottery, bone tools, and polished stone implements.
Geographically, in these early millennia the landscape looked very different: the Peñón de Salobreña was still an island surrounded by a large bay, and what we now know as the Motril-Salobreña plain formed part of that maritime basin. Over time, sediments deposited by the Guadalfeo River and erosive processes filled in that bay and transformed the coastline.
During the Copper and Bronze Ages these processes continued: the coast receded, the sea withdrew, and the newly emerged land and river deposits allowed the development of an early agricultural plain that encouraged more stable settlements.
Phoenicians, Romans, and the late period (Selambina)
Although there is not an abundance of specific Phoenician records linked to Salobreña, Phoenician influence in the trade of metals and Mediterranean products was common throughout the Costa Tropical. In later periods, during Roman times, Selambina is already mentioned as a settlement in the area that took part in the economic system of the coast and the Guadalfeo valley.
Throughout these processes, the coastline continued its gradual transformation: the old bay was filled in, coastal areas became more suitable for agricultural settlement, and human communities grew in number and organization.
Muslim Salubanya and the Nasrid period
With the arrival of Muslim rule, the settlement took the name Salubanya (or Salobraña in its later phonetic evolution). In 10th-century Islamic geographical texts, such as those by Al-Razi, a castle is already mentioned on the coast of the Cora of Elvira (Granada). In the 12th century, Al-Idrisi refers to Salobreña as an alquería, a smaller settlement within the Islamic territorial domain.
During the following centuries, especially in the 14th century, Salobreña gained greater importance and became the main medina (chief city) of a rural area that included alquerías such as Vélez de Benaudalla, Molvízar, and Lobres.
The castle became established as a defensive and administrative center. Inside it there was also a royal palace, along with functions such as a prison for nobles or monarchs at certain moments.
20th century and today
During the 20th century, Salobreña experienced social, economic, and urban changes with the growth of tourism, improved connections with the rest of Andalusia, and the rise of the service sector, all of which shaped its modern appearance.
Tourism began to be seen as a key activity, highlighting both its historical heritage (castle, old quarter, viewpoints) and natural heritage (beaches and surroundings). Guides, routes, signage projects, and heritage restoration initiatives have been developed to bring visitors closer to its cultural and environmental richness.
Today, Salobreña presents itself as a destination that combines history, sea, and nature, with an identity shaped by its millenary past and Mediterranean landscape.