Visit Júzcar the Smurf Village in Spain Which is Entirely Blue
Interesting places to visit next time you are in Marbella is the Smurf Village of Júzcar the Pretty blue village of Andalusia
On your next trip to Marbella why not visit Júzcar the Smurf Village in the mountains. Nestled in the hills of Southern spain Andalusia is something a little bit different. The villages are all white except for one Juzcar Smurf village. Júzcar which is also known as ” the Smurf village” is pronounced Juscar and is a quaint Andalusian village just a few kilometres from Ronda. Once a white wash municipality it is now blue and makes for an unusual day out from Marbella or Malaga.
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Where is Juzcar?
Juzcar is located in the beautiful and scenic Valle del Genal in the Serrania de Ronda. It was a traditional white village dating back from the 18th century in rural andalusía. The picturesque area has narrow windy streets, hiking trails, circular walks and restaurants where you can try the local cuisine. However this small town has become part of a publicity stunt with its bright blue walls that have been painted smurf blue to match the famous Belgian cartoons in the narrow streets.
Why is Juzcar painted Blue?
The tiny village of Júzcar was painted entirely blue by Sony España to celebrate the release of the Smurf movie in 2011. The original agreement with Sony Pictures was to repaint the town white after the promotion. But the 200 residents loved being occupied by Smurfs so they had referendum at the town hall to decide whether it should be returned to it original white. It was decided by the locals that that they loved the villages makeover so much they decided to stay blue. It had become a popular tourist attraction as the official Smurfs village of Júzcar and had become regenerated with many tourists during this time. Now Juzcar has become an unusual place to visit from Malaga or Marbella this also makes it great for a kids day out too.
Júzcar tourism
Júzcar the Smurf village now brings in around 80,000 visitors a year who want to meet a Papa Smurf. Since 2011 the growth of the town and its local economy has also extended to enable more public services, guest houses and companies. The sleepy village is now one of the most recognizable villages with its main attraction being the belgian comics artist Pierre Culliford ‘s Smurfs. There are also around 5 restaurants and cafes in Juzcar and a few souvenir shops for tourists to visit.
What was Juzcar famous for?
Sony chose this area as it is well renowned for its mushrooms that grow around the area surrounding hills. it has long been famous for different kinds of delicious fungi. We all know that Smurfs love mushrooms too and also live in them so Juzcar was the perfect choice for Sony to pick to paint blue. This pretty town may now be blue but it has not lost its original Andalusian charm. The blue houses are close to Ronda which is also a great place to visit and close to the coast of the Costa del sol.
The area has a vast Harvest of chestnuts each year which are grown in the mountains and are used in their traditional cooking.
Although now officially it can not be known as a the Júzcar the Smurf town it will however always be famous for its colour blue and their own special link to the Smurfs.
A Village of Smurf Graffiti in Júzcar
As you walk through the town you may meet may characters on your way including Gargarmel. The walls are adorned with Smurf loving scenes. And you can find giant toadstools which makes for a great fun activity for children when visiting Malaga. Furthermore there are tiny smurfs hidden and QR codes for the paintings. Its a great place to take instagramable photos with great photo opportunities.
Where is Juzcar the blue village?
Júzcar the blue village is in the Andalusin mountains of spain, close to Gibraltar, estepona, serranía de ronda and Malaga.
Júzcar the Smurf village is approximately 114 kilometres from Malaga and just 22 miles from Ronda. Stick to the main roads into town from Ronda as some of the routes in the roads are quite narrow.
Júzcar Smurf village facts and tips.
- Look for the map in the side streets of Júzcar for a guide to the children parks and graffiti.
- In the graffiti drawings, you will find a QR code that you can scan. There are 14 different graffiti’s to find.
- Try to visit the mushroom museum in town
- The closest airport is Malaga and is great for a short weekend destination.
- You can also visit here from Gibraltar which will take approximately 1hr 40 minutes.
- Júzcar the surf village is a great place to visit you could also visit Ronda easily in one day.
- Check out the viewpoints, This area is famous for its “miradores”, Some of the best viewpoints are here are you shouldn’t miss them. Follow the hiking path of Sendero de los Molinos and you will discover Mirador del Nacimiento las Zuas. You can also see Mirador de la Torrichela and Mirador el Jardon.
- Smurfs are called PITUFOS in Spanish
- Dont miss the huge figure statues of the famous characters such as Papa Smurf and Smurfette.
Thanks for reading Júzcar the Smurf Village take a look at these posts on what else to do in the area:
boat trip from Marbella to Puerto Banus
Puerto Banus bars and nightlife
D x
Hi lovely as always a fabulous post so much detail I loved the smurfs growing up and this place is now on my bucket list thank you for sharing xx
This looks brilliant Donna and I love that the residents have chosen to keep their village blue x
Oh wow, this is awesome, my kids would love it here!!