Xativa Castle / Xativa Castell
Visiting Hours:
Winter : 10:00 to 18:00
Summer : 10:00 to 19:00
Closed on Mondays
The Castle of Xativa is a famous Spanish castle located in the city of Xativa near Valencia. It is strategically located on the ancient roadway Via Augusta leading from Rome across the Pyrenees and down the Mediterranean coast to Cartagena and Cádiz. If you visit only one castle in the Costa Blanca, make it the one in Xativa. The fortress looks like a fantasy from
the Voyages of Sinbad. Soaring battlements stretch for almost a kilometre along the spine of a long, high ridge above its cat’s-cradle streets. After gawping at the view, pick your way through the castle’s beautiful Islamic gardens – they’re surrounded by a tumble of historical remnants, including Roman mosaic floors and Crusader tombs.
Xatavia castle with its 30 towers and four fortified gateways, must rate as one of the loveliest in the Valencian Community, not only because of its historic value but also because of a lot of thought and work has gone into its surroundings. Tinkling fountains, small orange groves, herb gardens that perfume the air, give you a sense of what life must have been like in an
important garrison town. (The fountains and gardens aren’t just modern titivations but were an important part of Moorish culture). What is equally impressive is that, standing on the high tower at either end of the long thin castle, you become aware of just how massive an undertaking it was to build such a structure in such an inaccessible place.
Panoramic views from Xativa Castle
