The walls
Dropping to the sea.
ホセ・マヌエル — CC BY 3.0 · Josu PV — CC BY-SA 4.0 · mestdagh — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Simon Burchell — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Simon Burchell — CC BY-SA 4.0
Peñíscola Castle stands on the highest point of a rocky headland jutting into the Mediterranean at the town of Peñíscola, on the coast of Castellón province in eastern Spain, about 57 km northeast of Castellón and 119 km northeast of Valencia in a straight line. The town is nicknamed «the city in the sea». The headland rises about 67 metres and is joined to the mainland only by a narrow strip of sand. The Knights Templar built the castle between 1294 and 1307 over the remains of an Andalusi fort; its perimeter is about 230 metres and its walls average 20 metres high. In the early 15th century Pope Benedict XIII, known as Papa Luna, made it his seat, and it is known as the Castle of Papa Luna. The pale stone castle with crenellated walls and square towers rises above the white old town, its walls dropping straight to the sea. From its roofs and terraces the view stretches over long beaches on both sides and the lighthouse on the cliff edge. Visitors climb the winding lanes of the old town to the castle gate and explore its stone halls, courtyard and roofs. The town has two long sandy beaches, and evenings on the walls are lovely at sunset.
Dropping to the sea.
White lanes.
On both sides.
Peñíscola, Castellón province, Spain
One to two hours.
Late afternoon, at sunset.