Burriana (Castellón)

What you can do and see in Burriana

Burriana possesses the earliest Romanesque-Gothic church in the old Kingdom of Valencia, the archpriest church of St Saviour, built on the request of King James I after conquering this strategic town, which was considered the gateway to Valencia. Although much of the church has been reformed, it conserves part of its original elements, including the Gothic apse. The bell-tower, which is over 50m high, was built in the late 14th century and was reformed in the Baroque period.

It is also interesting to visit the Archaeological Museum, with its important sample of Roman and Iberian remains, as well as objects from the Islamic period. From the Middle Ages are remnants of the town walls connected to modern buildings and the Carabona Tower. This should not be confused with the coastal watchtowers that are so common in the area and were built in the 16th century to warn about the presence of pirates, as in the case of the Burriana Watchtower or the Sea Tower.

Burriana also has the first museum in Europe devoted to oranges: a tribute to what was once the great economic driving-force in the area and which is still very important. Travellers will be able to discover that for themselves when they see the orchards around the town even though the fall in price of this fruit in its origin plays against the farmers’ interests. The municipality also contains a natural site of great value: Clot de la Mare de Déu, also known as Estany de la Vila. This is a wetland of great ecological value near the mouth of the River Sec or River Anna, which rises in the Sierra de Espadán.

You should not miss

• The beaches of Arenal and Malvarrosa-Grao: Burriana possesses two splendid and quiet beaches. Travellers on the Way of El Cid will enjoy visiting them and bathing, even out of season, while they remember (making a free interpretation of the Poem of El Cid) that they might have been the first places where El Cid’s men saw the sea. And as you’re there, enjoy the tasty rice dishes!

Rev.: JGG 21.09.21