Day itineraries
There and back in a day
Albarracín: cathedral, kid and Rodeno
From the Sun through a telescope to Saturn
Montanejos: Estrechos and Fuente de los Baños
Montanejos: swimming Chillapájaros and a spa
Chulilla: the Turia's hanging bridges
Chulilla: first climb and castle
Piedra in autumn and a thermal lake
Monasterio de Piedra: waterfalls and birds of prey
Overnight itineraries
Overnight from Teruel
A weekend in Albarracín and the Rodeno, two hours from Valencia
A weekend in Montanejos, an hour from Castellón and Valencia
A getaway to Cuenca and the Ciudad Encantada, two hours from Madrid and Valencia
A weekend in the Matarraña: Valderrobres, Beceite and the Puertos, under two hours from Zaragoza
A getaway to Alcalá del Júcar, an hour and three quarters from Valencia
A weekend in Peñíscola and the Sierra de Irta, an hour from Castellón
A weekend in Alquézar: canyoning, walkways and Somontano wine
A weekend in Aínsa: Añisclo, a canyon descent and the square at dusk, an hour and a half from Huesca
On the A-23, between Valencia and Zaragoza
Teruel is on the A-23, the motorway between Valencia and Zaragoza, and almost everything around it leaves from it or from the N-420. To the west, the A-1512 climbs in 40 minutes to Albarracín and the Rodeno pine forests. To the south, the A-23 drops towards the province of Castellón and that of Valencia: to Montanejos, in the Mijares canyon, and to Chulilla, above the Turia gorges. To the north, the same motorway leads to the Monasterio de Piedra. The N-420 crosses the city in two directions: to the south-west it goes to Cuenca and to the north-east, via Alcañiz, to the Matarraña of Valderrobres.
The Renfe train links Teruel with Zaragoza and Valencia, and the station is at the foot of the Escalinata, but it serves for reaching the city more than leaving it. What is around calls for a car: the Teruel to Albarracín bus only runs Monday to Saturday, so a Sunday in the sierra is done by driving.
Albarracín, the trip for almost any Sunday
Under an hour is Albarracín, at 40 minutes. It is the trip for almost any Sunday: the cathedral and castle with a guide in the morning, mountain lunch and the Rodeno rock paintings in the afternoon. With two nights it gives more: Albarracín and the Rodeno adds a legends tour at dusk and an afternoon on horseback.
The water and stone plans are between one and two hours away. Montanejos is 80 minutes away, with the Estrechos trail and the Fuente de los Baños; Chulilla, 100, with its two suspension bridges, and the Monasterio de Piedra, 105, with the waterfall park, the Iris Cave and the thirteenth-century monastery on a Sunday of waterfalls and birds of prey.
Between two and three hours the trip already calls for a night. At 125 minutes is Cuenca and the Ciudad Encantada, with a night facing the Casas Colgadas; at 137, the Matarraña between Valderrobres and Beceite, and at 145, Alcalá del Júcar, with canoeing on the Júcar or rafting on the Cabriel. Morella, the walled city of Els Ports, is about two hours ten away, and Peñíscola and the Sierra de Irta, 165 minutes: it is the closest sea from Teruel.
The Huesca Pyrenees are from three and a half hours: Alquézar and its canyons, at 215 minutes, and Aínsa and the Añisclo canyon, a little over four hours. These are trips for two whole nights.
The Montanejos Fuente de los Baños, at 25 °C and steaming
In winter Teruel has two nearby exits that lose nothing in the cold. Albarracín works just the same, with a coat on and thistle with truffle on the table, and in Montanejos the water of the Fuente de los Baños is still at 25 °C and steaming. The Monasterio de Piedra opens every day of the year.
In spring there is more water in the Piedra waterfalls and in the Turia, and it is the season for Chulilla: arrive before nine, because at weekends a queue forms at the bridges. It is also when the Parrizal de Beceite and the Sierra de Irta are best for walking.
In summer, water is the answer. In Montanejos the Fuente has a capacity limit and the ticket is bought days ahead; at Alcalá del Júcar you paddle along the river at the foot of the village. Chulilla, in July and August, only if you set out first thing.
In October and November the trees at Piedra change colour and there are fewer people than in summer: it is the moment for the autumn Sunday with a dip in the Alhama thermal lake. From 10 November the park closes at 17:30. The Cuenca gorges, in those weeks, are yellow.
The Albarracín guided tours, mornings only on Sunday
- Close by, in a day: Albarracín, cathedral, castle and Rodeno paintings. Leave Teruel around 9:45: on Sunday the guided tours are mornings only and it is best not to arrive after 11:30.
- With one night: Montanejos with rafting and a thermal bath. 80 minutes away, rafting or kayaking on Saturday, the Fuente de los Baños at sunset and the Estrechos trail on Sunday.
- For a Sunday of water: Chulilla and its suspension bridges. Three hours along the Turia gorges, the Charco Azul from the viewpoint and the castle at the end of the day, 100 minutes away.