Take a wander away from Spain’s mainstream tourist destinations and you will find a whole new world of cultural wonders and culinary pleasures. We stumbled upon Peñíscola in the Province of Castellon and fell in love.
Peñíscola is a town for culture lovers, beach lovers, nature lovers and history lovers. It’s a place to discover the laid back Spanish life over a cold beer or glass of Rioja.
Rising majestically from the sea is the Old Town and Nights Templar castle of Peñiscola, which is one of the jewels of Spain’s Orange Blossom Coast. It’s a unique and stunning sight during the day but becomes even more magical after nightfall. It’s no wonder Peñiscola is officially one of Spain’s prettiest towns.
Once a Papal residency the Old Town walls and Templar castle can be found between the main North beach and the half moon shaped South beach. When you enter the old Town you can explore the maze of pretty cobbled stone streets passing by local shops selling handicrafts, intimate cafes with people chatting and lively, atmospheric bars. It would be hard to imagine anything more Mediterranean – cobbled streets with whitewashed buildings overlooking a sapphire sea.
Peñíscola has been the back drop for numerous Holywood productions including the 1961 epic El Cid and more recently Season 6 of the Game of Thrones… but there is much more to Peñíscola than its historic old town.
BEACHES
Peñíscola has fabulous beaches, the finest of which is the north beach, which is around 5 kilometres long. This calm beach is perfect for swimming and sunbathing and is manned by lifeguards. It has activities such as volleyball, sailing and kayaking. This pristine beach has been awarded blue flag status and is backed by a palm tree lined promenade.
The Southern coastline towards villa Hermitage and villa Meursault is rugged and more secluded. There are numerous coves and inlets just a few minutes away from your villa where you can enjoy incredible views back towards the ‘City in the Sea’.
ACTIVITIES
Good weather and mild temperatures make this an ideal place to enjoy a wide array of activities and take advantage of the peace and quiet guaranteed by this great little town.
The Serra D’Irta National Park is the best-kept secret just a stones throw away from your villa. It’s the perfect place for walking, hiking and mountain biking. Bike hire is available all year round in Peñíscola town. Maybe you just want to swim in one of its 15 coves or just stroll along the coastal path and enjoy the great outdoors. Full of cliffs, beaches and inlets, the mountain range runs for 15 kilometres along the coast, coming together to form a spectacular coastal landscape. What makes this sight really unique is the combination of mountain and sea within a matter of metres. The highest peaks afford a stunning panorama over the coast: you can even catch a glimpse of the Columbretes Islands in the distance.
Boat, jet ski and windsurf hire is available from the Peñíscola Marina for those adventurous enough to experience the sights of Peñíscola from the sea and fishing trips can also be arranged.
FOOD & DRINK
Although Peniscola is less well known than the more developed resorts in the south of Spain there are still over 200 restaurants in this small town, unfortunately we haven’t tried all of them but we are working on it! We do have a list of our favourites so please ask if you need any advice.
As you would expect with 200+ restaurants there is an enormous choice of cuisine. Most visitors are local and English menus are not always on display but don’t be afraid to ask, more often than not they will pull one out from under the counter. It is common for restaurant staff not to speak English but most are keen to practice and you will be met with a warm welcome.
Some of the restaurants close during the months of November – February but these tend to be the ones focused on short term tourists and often do not have the repeat business from locals to sustain the drop in visitor numbers. If you visit during these times you will find only the best restaurants are open for business.
If you like seafood then you are in for a treat. To get a closer look just head over to the port at around 5pm each day to watch the fishing boats land their catch. You will find the best local restaurants lining up to get the first pick.
Its worth choosing the local wine to accompany your meal even if you wouldn’t typically drink Spanish wine at home. Its almost always of a better quality and value than imported French or Italian wines.
Both of our villas come with beautiful BBQ areas and should you wish to dine in the local supermarkets are typically continental with an abundance of fresh produce, fish and meats as well as a huge variety of amazing Spanish cured hams. They definitely keep the best for themselves!
CLIMATE
Peniscola Spain enjoys the perfect Mediterranean climate. The Serra d’Irta mountain range creates a consistent weather pattern which means Peniscola benefits from comfortable temperatures all year round with unusually mild winters. Rainfall is also on average lower than most other regions in Spain.
Temperatures average between 25C – 30C during the summer months of May – October but temperatures remain comfortable throughout the Winter.
GETTING AROUND
Although not essential we would recommend hiring a car, which is cheap and easy in Spain. The villas are situated a couple of km’s from the main town. The volume of traffic is much lower than in the UK so inexperienced drivers should not be put off.
There are of course numerous taxis and a bus service runs past the villas in the summer months. Bike hire is available in town and there are some wonderful routes through the nearby national park.
The nearby train station of Benicarlo/Peniscola operates direct to Barcelona. This takes 2 hours and costs approx €60. Why not organise a stress free day trip to Barcelona? - train details can be found on https://www.trainline.eu
GETTING THERE
Flights are available from Stansted and Bristol to the nearby Castellon airport, from here it’s a 30 minute drive to your villa.
Castellon airport is very quiet which helps to keep stress levels down and if the flights suit we would certainly recommend you use it. The next alternative is Reus airport which is approx. 1 hr away.
There are numerous flights from the UK to Valencia airport. This is approx 1hr 20 mins but with a very straight forward onward journey using the toll road. This is where most of our guests fly into.
Slightly further out is Barcelona which is a 2 hour drive down the coast. This is more popular with our continental guests.
Plan your stay at one of our two luxury Villas.
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