On our final day in Spain, we visited Xàtiva , a mountain village about 50 minutes south from Valencia and definitely worth a visit as you will see in today’s travelpost!

Castell de Xàtiva

The castle really dominates the town of Xàtiva . It is perched on top of a mountain and it’s impressively large.

The Romans established the fortress, but later on it also belonged to the Moors, the French, the Bourbons, the Habsburgers and the Aragonese, so the architecture has gothic, moorish, Iberian and roman influences.There are stories that Hannibal himself once lived here and his son is said to be born in the castle!

The fortress consists of the Castillo Mayor and Castillo Menor. We couldn’t visit the latter as it wasn’t open for visits that day, but we still had plenty to explore in Castillo Mayor: the private rooms of the castle’s royal masters, an arabic fountain, cannons, a prison, several towers, beautiful gardens (designed bij Ibn Hazm) and of course you are constantly treated to the most amazing views over Xàtiva, the fortress and the surrounding countryside. I must say we were seriously impressed with our visit!

Tips for your visit to the castle:

• Try to walk up to the castle as this is a very beautiful climb.
• Don’t feel like climbing? There’s a tourist train that will take you up 🙂
• In the high season, make sure to visit early to avoid the heat.
• Entrance only 2,4 EUR!
• Have a drink at El Mirador del Castell, the restaurant/café at the entrance of the castle, as you get treated to fabulous views whilst resting your feet.

• You can easily fill half a day with a visit to the castle.
• Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as the walk up is quite strenuous, but inside the castle there is also a lot of walking and climbing to do. I’d avoid sandals or slippers!
• Take plenty of water with you, especially on hot days!!
• People who have difficulty with walking, might not be able to do a lot in this fortress as there are a lot of uneven paths and stairs.
• More information: Castell de Xativa

The village of Xàtiva 

After our visit to the castle, we began our way down towards the village of Xàtiva. We just had a little stroll around the old part of the city, but I guess you can easily spend an entire day here as there are several walking routes and museums to explore.

Below you see pictures of the colourful and narrow streets, the market place and the impressive Collegiata.

Do scroll all the way down to see all pictures of our daytrip to Xàtiva… they may persuade you to go and see this amazing place for yourself 🙂

Love, Kathleen