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.
Why is Juzcar painted Blue?
Júzcar was painted entirely blue by Sony España to celebrate the release of the Smurf movie in 2011. The original agreement was to repaint the town white after the promotion. But the 200 residents loved being occupied by Smurfs so they had referendum to decide whether it should be returned to it original white. It was decided by the locals to stay blue as the Smurf’s as the village of Júzcar became 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 Smurf. Since 2011 the growth of the town has also extended to enable more public services, guest houses and companies. There are around 5 restaurants and cafes in Juzcar and a few 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. 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. It is 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 Village 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 giant toadstools which makes for a great fun activity for children when visiting Malaga. Furthermore there are tiny surfs hidden
Where is Juzcar the blue village?
Júzcar the blue village is in the Andalusin mountains of spain, close to Gibraltar, estepona 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.
- try to visit the mushroom museum in town
- The closest airport is Malaga
- 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.
Thanks for reading Júzcar the Smurf Village you could also try a boat trip from Marbella to Puerto Banus whilst in the area too.
D x
Kara
Thursday 18th of October 2018
Oh wow, this is awesome, my kids would love it here!!
Tracey Williams
Sunday 14th of October 2018
This looks brilliant Donna and I love that the residents have chosen to keep their village blue x
Kelly
Saturday 13th of October 2018
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