El Cancell
What to order: the olleta de Bocairent or a dry rice with pork cheek and artichokes, with pericana to start
geocalia
Day itinerary · 38.77° N · 0.61° W
Bocairent: caves on all fours, a rock bullring and olleta.
The medieval old town and the Covetes dels Moros in the morning, Bocairent olleta at El Cancell and the bullring carved into the rock before you head home.
Leaving from
Part of Bocairent
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car1 h 15 each way
From Valencia1 h 15 by car
Walking3 km through the old town
DifficultyEasy; the Covetes, on all fours
Cost€40–60 pp
Best timeMarch – June · September – December
With childrenFrom age 3
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Valencia 1 h 15 by car
A-7 and CV-40 via Ontinyent, about 95 km
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1
Bocairent Old Town
Old town and hermitages · 1 h
- 8 min on foot
- 2
- 8 min on foot
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3
Church of the Assumption and Bell Tower
Church and bell tower · 30 min · €3
- 4 min on foot
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4
El Cancell
El Cancell · olleta and pericana · €€€ · booking
Calle Sant Roc, 1, 46880 Bocairent · +34 960 20 05 06
Restaurant €€€Book - 6 min on foot
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5
Bullring Cut into the Rock
Bullring in the rock · 30 min · €3
- 8 min on foot
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6
Cava de Sant Blai
Cava de Sant Blai · 20 min · €2.50
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Back home
You reach Valencia around 18:45
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Bocairent Old Town
Bocairent is an hour and a quarter from Valencia, an hour from Alicante and less than an hour and a half from Albacete. It is a stone-village Sunday with a touch of adventure: window-caves a thousand years old that you crawl through, a bullring carved into the rock and a medieval old town of stairways above the Clariano ravine.
The day, hour by hour
8:45 · Set off. From Valencia, A-7 and CV-40 via Ontinyent. The old town is pedestrianised: park on Calle Batalla de Lepanto or Calle Joaquín Sorolla.
10:00 · Old town. Streets of Arabic layout, stairways and the hermitages of Sant Joan, Desemparats and Mare de Déu d'Agost. Call in at the Tourist Info, on Plaza del Ayuntamiento, if you did not buy your tickets online.
11:00 · Covetes dels Moros. A one-hour guided visit, €4, 15 people at most, on the hour. Between 70 and 80% is done on all fours. Closed, laced footwear, no rucksacks or bags. Arrive ten minutes early.
12:30 · Church of the Asunción. At the top of the old town, with the bell tower: €3, free for under-12s.
13:45 · El Cancell. On Calle Sant Roc. Bocairent pericana to start and Bocairent olleta or a rice dish; paella to order. Open on Sundays at midday, from 13:45 to 15:30. Book on 960 200 506.
16:00 · Bullring. From 1844, the oldest in the Valencian Community, dug into the living rock. €3.
16:45 · Cava de Sant Blai. A snow well with its dome intact. €2.50.
17:30 · Head home. In Valencia around 18:45.
With children
The Covetes are an adventure from age 3, always with an adult. The bullring and the cava are short. With a pushchair, the old town is impossible: use a carrier.
Time1 h 15
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
La Parada Restaurant
What to order: the grilled chuletón, which is best booked in advance
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Bocairent
Spring and autumn. In summer, mornings only. El Cancell opens Wednesday to Sunday at midday.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the Covetes tickets beforehand
At entradas.bocairent.org or at the Tourist Info: 15 places per slot.
- 2Clothes that can get dirty
And closed shoes.
- 3Ask the day's timetable
Visits change by season.
We'd skip it
Going on a Monday or Tuesday: El Cancell and La Parada are closed.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Valencia to Bocairent?
Around an hour and a quarter, about 95 km.
Do I need to book the Covetes dels Moros?
It is advisable: there are 15 places per visit and no one is let in once it has started.
Where can I eat on Sunday?
El Cancell, at midday and with a booking, or La Parada, in the old station.
Can small children go in the Covetes?
From age 3 and with an adult.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/bocairent/itineraries/moorish-caves-and-bullring
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.