Discover Castalla: Castle, Nature and Regional Tradition

Castalla combines a castle steeped in history with varied trails, traditional festivals and distinctive regional cuisine. The Castillo de Castalla can be visited year-round from Wednesday to Sunday in the mornings as part of guided tours; in July and August, evening tours are also available. The complex is classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest, a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC), and includes the Palau, the Pati d’Armes and the Torre Grossa.

Nature and Active Trails

The Xorret de Catí recreational area is located in the municipality of Castalla, in the comarca of l’Alcoià. It has barbecue facilities, a kiosk bar, children’s play areas, drinking-water fountains, toilets, picnic areas with sinks, public lighting and parking. The area also includes 11 hiking trails, a Via Ferrata, a botanical trail and a climbing wall.

The Campament de Fontés, open year-round, is designed as an adventure camp. Various multi-adventure activities such as abseiling, climbing, canoeing and zip-lining can be enjoyed there. The PRV-85 Castalla-Planisses hiking trail begins in the municipal area of Castalla. Different trail lengths and types of activities provide several ways to organize your excursion plans.

Culture and History

The Ermita de la Sang is a religious building in the early Gothic style, dating approximately from the second half of the 13th century. Until 1571, it was the parish church of Castalla; today, it has the status of an Asset of Local Relevance in the category of Monument of Local Interest.

The Convento de los Franciscanos Mínimos in Castalla was built from the mid-18th century onward and completed in 1810. The monastery temple reflects the ascetic orientation of the Franciscans. The Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a Gothic church from the 16th century. Its single-nave layout is divided into five bays with side chapels, while the Mannerist portal dates from the 17th century.

The 19th-century family mansion of the Soler family is popularly known as Casa Vermella or Casa Roja. Its façade is classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest. Carrer Major became the town’s main axis in the 17th century; its façades, coats of arms, balconies and ornamental details reveal Castalla’s stately past. A literary route in Castalla is based on Enric Valor’s work “Sense la terra promesa”.

South of the town centre lies Foia Catalina, a quarry where the extracted material was processed on site and turned into gypsum powder. This processing operation was considered important in the region. The kilns of Foia Catalina illustrate the history of the workers known there as “algepsars”. Another significant historical date is 13 April 1813: on that day, Spanish and British troops defeated the French troops under General Suchet in the Second Battle of Castalla.

Festivals and Regional Cuisine

“Les danses” is a three-day traditional folk-dance festival held on the penultimate weekend of September in Plaça Major and accompanied by dolçaina and tabalet. Castalla’s festivities in honour of its patron saint, Mare de Déu de la Soledad, take place from 1 to 4 September, have a history spanning more than two centuries and include seven comparsas. These festivities include the Entrada, a flower-offering ceremony, the “Ballà dels Banderes” procession and the “Baixada de la Mare de Déu” procession, accompanied by arquebus salutes.

Local bars and restaurants prepare gaspatxos with unleavened flatbread, various types of meat, mushrooms, snails, tomatoes, onions and pebrella. In the traditional serving ritual, the dish is arranged on yeast bread baked over oven embers and served with red wine and allioli. Bakeries and confectioneries in Castalla sell sequillos, pastissets de moniato, tonyes, aguardiente rolls, wine rolls, mantecados and almond cakes.

More Destinations

Benimantell, Gaianes, Parcent, Daya Nueva, Confrides, Los Arenales Del Sol, La Torre de les Maçanes and Benitachell

Back to the main travel overview: Alicante.