Destination Guides: Costa del Azahar

The Costa del Azahar (Spanish for Orange Blossom Coast) or Costa dels Tarongers (Catalan for Orange tree Coast) is the name for the coast of the provinces Castellón and Valencia in Spain from Alcanar to just south of Oliva. However, the area is also known as the Costa del Valencia and some of the Southern resorts may be called the North Costa Blanca just to confuse!

Major Costa del Azahar include: from the north….

Peñíscola

Peniscola

Peniscola, the City in the Sea, is a small fortified seaport with a rocky headland where the atmospheric old town stands on an outcrop jutting out into the sea. The quaint white houses line a maze of winding streets and alleyways where the magnificent Knights Templar castle was the back drop for the movie “El Cid” in 1960. Pope Benedict 13th century, nicknamed "Moon Pope" (Papa Luna) chose this castle as a refuge to fight for the unity of the Catholic Church. Immediately to the north is the crescent shaped sandy beach running alongside the promenade. To the south are rocky coves towards the National Park area of Sierra de Irta.

Peñiscola holds some popular and important cultural events throughout the year and these include the ‘Ciudad de Peniscola’ (Short Story Award), the International Festival of Cinema Comedy, and the International Festival of Ancient and Baroque Music

Benicassim

Benicassim is the famous location for the annual ‘International Festival of Rock Music’ which is held during August and attracts music lovers from all over the world. If you prefer a quieter holiday avoid the town during this festival.

The town relies survives mainly on tourism and has two lovely sandy beaches (San Vicente and Playa Almadrava) and has some superb water sports facilities, it also has a popular water park, ‘Aquarama’.

Places of interest which are worth a visit in Benicàssim include the medieval castle of Montremós built by the Arabs in the Tenth Century on the site of an earlier Roman fortress, the 15thC San Vicente Tower and the 18thC Neoclassical parish church.

Sagunt ( Sagunto)

Sagunto is worth a trip to see the 1stC Roman amphitheatre built into the concave shape of the mountain and has exceptional acoustics. The destruction of Sagunto by the 28 year old Carthaginian general Hannibal in 219BC spasrked off the 2nd Punic War.

Sagunto's main square, which is arcaded, leads up to the Jewish quarter and the castle and was the commercial and cultural hub of the medieval town. It preserves shafts of columns from the Roman age. The Gothic church of Santa María overlooks the square, and next to it stands the City Hall, with its Neoclassic façade. The Jewish quarter has narrow streets of whitewashed houses and pointed arches which connect them and in the Calle Mayor there are splendid noble palaces. Also testimony to the city's history are the church of Salvador, the hermitage of La Sangre, the remains of the wall of the temple of Diana and the gate of the Roman circus. A short distance from Sagunto is its port with 13 kilometres of sandy beaches dotted with banks of dunes, which receive tourists searching for sun and sea.

Valencia

Valencia

Besides the sun, sea and sangria, Valencia is Spain's third-largest city. Famous for its magnificent orange groves the beauty of its long beaches, paella (a rice dish with chicken or seafood), and La Fallas festival. La Fallas is the uniqueMarch fiesta of Saint Joseph when enormous papier-mache sculptures are set ablaze amidst the most spectacular pyrotechnics in the world.

In Valencia's old historic quarter you will find the medieval cathedral (home to the Holy Grail) and its octagonal bell tower, El Miguelete, part of the impressive city gates and and Torres de Quart. A must see is the indoor market which is reputed to be the largest in Europe.

Built on the old Turia river bed (the catastrophic flood of 1957 devastated the city and the old river was diverted) is Valencia’s newest attractions - City of Arts & Science museum, the pupil of the eye contains an IMAX cinema, a planetarium (which offers a virtual journey into space) and Laserium. Another very popular place to visit is the L'Oceanografic which houses the largest aquarium of marine life in Europe and has six buildings. A $94 million, state-of-the-art zoo called Bioparc Valencia has recently opened nearby. The city also has many botanical parks where you can sit in the cool shade of the afternoon.

Finally if you do visit Valencia, then the Museum of Fine Arts and the Valencia Institute of Modern Art. are recommended.

Cullera

Cullera is surrounded by freshwater lakes and rice fields (for Paella) and on a natural vantage point is the medieval castle and sanctuary of La Mare de Deu del Castillo which stands at the highest point. Cullera lighthouse and Dragut Cave await the traveller on the other side of the hill. The Turkish pirate Dragut used the cave when he raided the town around the 14C. In the evening the word Cullera is illuminated on the north facing hillside and clearly outlines the stations of the cross.

The City of Gandia

Gandia, capital of la Safor in the Valencian Province is sometimes quoted as being on the Costa del Valencia, North Costa Blanca, the Costa del Azahar or even the Orange Blossom Coast.

Just 45 minutes south of Valencia and about an hour from Alicante, Gandia is cosmopolitan with contrasting landscapes: to the west of Gandia is the Safor mountain range with Mont Monduver dominating the skyline and nestling under the mountains are the famous fertile orchard lowlands producing manderins, satsumas, clementines and different varieties of oranges. Beware of oranges with the stamp “Valencia” – this is a variety of orange and may NOT come from Spain.

The Ducal city (a title obtained thanks to Alexander VI, the Borgia Pope – father to Lucrecia and Cesere) is famous for its cultural ties with poets and writers but the most important link is of course through the infamous Borgia family. Built on the site of an old Arab building, the sumptuous Borgia Palace has 15th & 16th Italian architecture and sits magestically beside the river Serpis. Nearby is the Passeig de les Germanies and a paved paseo where at any time of day and whatever time of year you can sit at one of the many café/bars and people watch.

Flat and compact enough to explore by foot, Gandia has a number of historical buildings worth discovering. The Colegiata (Collegiate Church) originally an Arab mosque converted into a church by Pope Alexandra VI and rebuilt in the 16thC by the Dutchess of Gandia. A tour of other buildings include the Convent of Santa Clara, the Hermitage of Santa Ana and the Gothic Town Hall building. The Hospital of San Marco now serves as the Archaeological Museum where the story of the area will unfold over the centuries.

Oliva

The old Moorish town of Oliva lies just 8km south of Gandia and is spread out over 3 areas. The old Arab influenced part with the ruined castle of Santa Ana dominating the old steep narrow streets, the modern Oliva with its tree lined paseo and shops and Friday's fabulous market.

There many beaches in this area, Kiko Beach, Terranova, Burguera Beach and Pau Pi Beach and offer beach and water sports and have been awarded Blue Flag status. Between Gandia and Oliva you will also find Bellregard, Miramar, Piles and Daimus beaches. Some have beach and water sports, childrens’ playgrounds and life guards and some are rustic, backed by sand dunes and tamerisk trees. The beaches never get really crowded.

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