Arcos de la Frontera, Spain: Queen of Andalucía

The route of the Pueblos Blancos, or white towns, is a charm bracelet of characteristic towns perched in the hills and mountains of Andalucía. The queen of the hill towns, Arcos de la Frontera, smothers its hilltop and tumbles down its back like the train of a wedding dress. Towns with "de la Frontera" in their names, like Arcos, were established on the frontier during the battle to reclaim Spain from the Muslims. As the Moors retreated into Northern Africa, the frontier towns, though no longer on the frontier, kept the "de la Frontera" as part of their names. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.