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Secrets of Spain: the charming city of Castellon

Spain has a plethora of beautiful cities, wonderful towns and gorgeous, charming villages. There are still villages here, where people leave their front door wide open, and Spain has so many beautiful cities, that it’s a struggle to whittle them down to a top 10 list! One that came into the news recently is the city of Castellon de la Plana. Located on Spain’s Orange Blossom Coast, the city is capital of the province of the same name. The reason that it was in the news was because Ryanair announced that they will start flying from the Castellon airport, in mid September 2015. Initially the routes will be to London Stansted and Bristol. Before this, the airport had been a ghost airport ever since its construction in 2011. Castellon de la Plana architecture Castellon city and province are packed with possibilities While Ryanair doesn’t target the luxury market, there are a number of reasons to consider checking out the charming city of Castellon, as well as exploring many other towns and villages in the province of Castellon. Unlike the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca, the Costa Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast) has not been overrun with tourists. This means that there are still plenty of unspoilt places to visit. Or you could consider buying yourself an olive, almond or orange farm …like we have done! For now there are still good deals on land here. Both the city and province are packed with all sorts of possibilities! Castellon – an amazing blend of landscapes From orange groves, to wetlands, and from majestic mountains to beautiful beaches – the area has an amazing blend of landscapes. So much of the land in the area just oozes fertility, and depending on the time of year, the aroma and vibrant colours of the orange groves are blissful pleasures for the senses. After a few years in the area, I now look forward to the seasonal overlap of colours and aromas, as we move from the orange season into the pretty-in-pink almond blossom season. Three beaches to choose from There are three beaches to choose from within the city limits, and heaps more within the entire province. Two of the city’s beaches have been blue flag beaches since 2009. Gurugu beach is the one that gets busiest in the summertime, with some people hanging out there after dusk falls. The Serradal beach has had a sand dune regeneration project on the go since 1990. Fine architecture in the old quarter Wander your way around the old historic quarter of the city of Castellon de la Plana. See fine architecture such as the Fadrí Tower, the Cathedral and the City Hall. Sit down and relax, at a café where you can feel embraced by the city’s architecture, as you have a refreshing drink. Cathedral and Fadri tower at Castellon de la Plana Heading away from the Plaza Mayor, you can head down the street called Calle Caballeros, which will take you to the city’s pedestrianised area. There you can enjoy some more handsome architecture, such as the main theatre, the Correos (post office), and the Lonja del Canamo (the Hemp Exchange). The city of sculptures and squares Apart from the fine architecture, the city has a generous amount of squares, where you can sit down and relax. Castellon de la Plana also has a surprising amount of sculptures, with over 200 sculptures dotted around the city. Take a romantic stroll in the Ribalta Park The city’s main park is one to be proud of! Ribalta Park is a beautiful, romantic park, where you can stroll, surrounded by shady trees and around 450 different types of botanic species. See the pond, the statues of famous artists and the exquisitve bandstand, then relax for a while on one of the Baroque style benches. Did you know that the city of Castellon lies on the Greenwich Meridian? In fact there’s a special park called El Parc del Meridiano (the Park of the Meridian). A pretty port – El Grao de Castellon It’s possible to walk from the city centre to the port area, El Grao de Castellon – it’s a pleasant 4km walk. Also both avenues that lead to the port have cycle paths – Avenida Hermanos Bou & Avenida Mar. El Grao Castellon Spain Whenever I have been there, there’s a nice buzz, without the area seeming too overrun. It’s a pleasant port with some restaurants and cafés where you can check out the people watching and yacht scene! The marina has 200 moorings. Castellon Yacht Club Visit the Columbretes Islands From the port you can visit the Columbretes Islands, which are a protected archipelago around 30 miles off the coast. This series of reefs and islets are of great ecological interest. Castellon de la Plana – a gateway to the Orange Blossom Coast Until mid September 2015, the province of Castellon and the Orange Blossom Coast (Costa Azahar) have only been served by the airport at Valencia, or sometimes Reus. We know of others who use Barcelona, even though it’s bit of a trip away, because of how well it is served. A hop, skip and a jump to postcard pretty Peñiscola To make a few comparisons, the airport of Reus is 132km from Peñiscola – the magical place that I featured in the first of this series – Secrets of Spain: postcard pretty Peñiscola. Valencia is around 150km from Peñiscola, whereas the airport at Castellon is more like a distance of 50km. Peniscola, Spain In a recent interview with the Mayor of Peñiscola, Mr. Andrés Martinez, he told me that currently their foreign tourism only amounts to 20%. If you refer to my previous article that features this wonderful place, the photos alone will show you what you are missing! The Mayor and many others in Peñiscola are waiting, and very much looking forward to sharing their culture, heritage, wonderful food and surroundings with you. Only an hour away from magical Morella The same applies to the second place I wrote about for this series: Secrets of Spain: majestic, magnficent Morella. It is 74km from Castellon airport, which takes around an hour to drive, as there are some mountain roads involved. From Valencia this is a 2 hour trip of 175km, and from Reus, it’s a bit under 2 hours, at a distance of 167km. Morella, Castellon Keep reading this series to find out about a number of other cities, towns and villages, some of which are even closer to the Castellon Airport… I leave you with this photo of Almassora beach, which is around 40km from the airport. Almassora Castellon Spain Jackie de Burca is Co-owner of Catalonia Valencia. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

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10 Comments

  1. Very nice! I should really get to know Spain better, considering its proximity to the UK! Perhaps one day I will have my own orange farm too!

    1. Hi , I am thinking of buying an apt in castellon. I am looking for an on spoilt part of spain with some night life close by an some expats. I live in n.i. and don’t know if there is a direct flight from Belfast are Dublin

  2. Thanks so much, I am really glad that you liked it! I hope you manage to visit, and maybe like me you will fall in love with the countryside here, and buy a farm of some sort :)

  3. Interesting. Most of us don’t know our own country. And the majority of Spaniards haven’t been to Castellón. I should try flying to London first and then to Castellón. Easier.

    Lovely article.

  4. I have almost forgotten. Driving inland you should try Albarracin. Lovely medieval walled village which remains as it was in the past

  5. Fran, I’m really glad you liked the article. Thanks so much for the tip about Albarracin. We are looking forward to the route opening up in September.

  6. I am sitting on a beach 15 minutes from Castellon airport. No one else here been coming for 17 years.
    If I tell you I will h ave to kill you

  7. Castellon Airport have been boycotted by AENA, the estatal airports owner whose has been denying grants for operation for years arguing technical issues. We all know that Castellon Airport is the only private one, which could get passengers from Alicante and Valencial (estate owned). So it’s not hard to know why the airport has been long for so long.

  8. Lovely article. Thank you. We are flying out on Ryanair in October. Can’t decide whether to stay in castellon or benicassim or peniscola, we like to enjoy Spanish life, but also like a party too. Nothing to mad, just some lively bars and nice music.
    Your thoughts?

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