Peñsicola

The beautiful small fishing town of Peñiscola is dominated by the castle of Papa Luna which is surrounded by the old town. The old town is situated on a peninsula forming 2 lovely beaches and was the setting for Valencia in the film 'El Cid' starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.

There are 2 beaches, the north beach begins with a bay and the golden sand stretches for 5km to the next town of Benicarló, in high season it has all of the usual attractions - pedal boats, banana boat rides etc.  Also in summer, artists and performers display their talents on the promenade in the evenings alongside stalls selling a variety of goods. The quiet and smaller south beach is wonderfully safe for younger children being warmer and more shallow and has jet skis for the more energetic.  At 4pm all the fishing trawlers come back to port and auction off the fresh catch of the day. You can buy fish right out of the boat and take it home to cook and enjoy or keen amateur anglers can cast out from the many small bays and beaches.

The old town is a visitor delight. Antique shops, artist studios, pottery stores line the streets. There are many bars and outdoor restaurants to choose from most of which offer Spanish dishes of fish or meat, there are also several Chinese restaurants, Pizzerias and all are very reasonably priced. Some display their menus in English, but as this is a very Spanish town, this is not always the case - experimenting is fun! Why not try some of the local tapas?

The town and beaches have been developed as a holiday resort and whilst fairly busy in late July and  August, care has been taken to preserve the original peaceful atmosphere and the mood is one of fiesta, not rowdy behaviour. In summer there are several boat excursions from Peñiscola port, excursions including "The Columbretes" islands, a haven for wildlife.

Peñiscola has it's local fiesta in early September and including a "Moors and Christians" procession - an amazing sight, not to be missed!

The natural park of the "Sierra de Irta" to the south of Peñiscola is one of the nicest nature reserves since it shelters numerous remains of past cultures (castles, hermitages, etc.) accompanied by a spectacular landscape close to the sea and is great for walking.