Castellón Route

By car or motorbike along the Castellón Route

• Route: From Sagunto to Castellón.
• Provinces: Castellón, Valencia
• Kilometres: Approx. 44 km.
• Days recommended: 1 day.
• Connects with: The Conquest of Valencia, via Sagunto.

Information you can download on this page

• The tracks on the route in GPX, KMZ and TRK format.
• List of accommodation.
• List of points for obtaining and stamping the Letter of safe conduct.
• List of tourist information offices.
• Tourist brochure (this can be obtained at any of the tourist information offices on the route).Only available in Spanish.

Remember that you can obtain more information about each route at the tourist information offices on the Way of El Cid, including brochures and the Letter of safe conduct.

 

Download our travel app free of charge

We recommend that you download our mobile travel app, available for iOs and Android. With this app you can find all our routes, you’ll never get lost because you’ll always know exactly where you are, and you can view information about 4,500 georeferenced places (sites connected with El Cid, things to see, accommodation, places where you can have your letter of safe conduct stamped, etc.)The app is free, is updated daily and does not require registration. It also works in places without a signal and therefore, when it is being installed and used for the first time, it may take some time to become active, depending on your internet connection. Be patient because it’s worth it!

For more information about the Camino del Cid travel app, click here.  

Download our travel app free of charge

The Plot

This short route is steeped in references to El Cid.

In the days of El Cid the coast of Castellón was crucial in safeguarding Valencia, and therefore he conquered – both in history and literature – a number of these towns, including Sagunto or Almenara, home to an archaeological site known as Punt del Cid, a walled precinct believed to have been constructed by El Cid during the siege on the fortress.

A similar situation took place in Burriana, where the historic El Cid was present on various occasions whilst serving al Qadir, Lord of Valencia. In November 1094 it was here that he signed a treaty for mutual aid with Peter I of Aragon. The Aragonese, who needed their own seaport, had seized several fortresses in these lands and El Cid had proved their natural ally. Indeed, in 1097 Peter the I and El Cid joined forces to put down the Muslim uprising in a number of these fortresses, such as Fadrell Castle or Castell Vell, situated 7 km outside the modern day city of Castellón and possibly the origins of the city.

Castellón is the finishing point of this route, and the ideal place to stop and savour a delicious rice dish and admire the late Gothic architecture of the doors of the Co-cathedral of Santa María or the bell tower, known as El Fadrí.

The Journey

This short branch route links the ancient town of Sagunto (which together with Burriana and Castellón form a trio of towns and cities declared historic and/or artistic sites) with Castellón. It runs along the foothills of the mountain ranges that stretch out along the coastline, through groves of orange trees and parallel to delightful beaches bathed in sunshine.

This is a short and quiet coastal route situated mainly in the province of Castellón that leads travellers to a series of spectacular beaches that are surprisingly uncrowded for most of the year, such as Burriana, Chilches or Nules. Visitors can unwind as they admire the fortresses of Sagunto and Almenara, imagining the adventures of El Cid; sensing the despair of the local Moors as they watched the armies and armed retinues march through these lands during the Middle Ages or suffered the attacks of ruthless pirates.

It was precisely to ward off these attacks that Mascarell, a district of Nules, was constructed. This small walled precinct was built in the 16th century to protect the locals from the razzias of the Barbary pirates.

Culinary delights

Rice, prepared in a wide variety of ways – paella, a banda or cooked in stock, baked, in squid ink, with pumpkin, in desserts, etc.) - is the hallmark of this route’s culinary delights. The fish dishes include a host of Mediterranean species prepared in countless dishes such as the delicious suquet de peix stew. Also well worth tasting are the local wines with the Valencia and Tierra de Castelló designations of origin (D.O.).

Last but not least, some of the world’s best-known varieties of oranges and mandarins such as the clemenules are grown in this area: try them in season and you will be pleasantly surprised by the taste of a ‘real’ orange.

Tips and recommendations

• Get your Letter of safe conduct. The Letter of Safe Conduct is a personalised 'passport' you can have stamped at many towns and villages on the Way of El Cid. You can use it to get discounts of at least 10% in more than 200 places of accommodation and benefit from special offers. It is free and you can apply for it at any of the more than 70 tourist information offices on the route or at the Way of El Cid Consortium.
• Your literary guide. You might think it's unnecessary weight, but for many it is essential: don't forget to take with you a copy of the Poem of The Cid; you will be able to recreate some of its passages on site.

Rev. ALC: 05.10.18