San José Castle and Casa Orduña

At El Castell de Guadalest you don't climb to the castle by a separate path: you enter through a house. The Casa Orduña, at 2 Calle de la Iglesia, right as you come out of the San José tunnel, is the municipal museum and the only door to what remains of the village's two fortresses. A €4 ticket covers everything, and the full visit takes an hour.

The house of the marquis's governors

The house was built after the earthquake of 1644, which devastated the area and damaged the castle's buildings. It was built by the Orduña, a family of Basque origin who served the Cardona, admirals of Aragon; Sancho de Cardona received the title of marquis of Guadalest in 1542, and the Orduña were for generations governors of the castle and administrators of his estates. In 1708, in the War of the Spanish Succession, the house was burned and looted. In 1756 an Orduña entered the Order of Santiago, and with that the family became noble.

Inside you walk through a home of the valley's elites from the 17th to the 19th centuries: the kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, library and noble salons, with the family's belongings and papers. There are also temporary exhibition rooms; until 11 December 2026 a painting show by Nati Pamies and Candy López is on display. On the way out you cross a garden courtyard with its cistern.

Two castles on the same rock

From the house you continue upwards. First comes the Alcozaiba castle, also from the 11th century: three stepped enclosures, with cisterns and a three-storey watchtower in the middle one. Higher up is the San José castle, on the highest rock in the municipality. Its history is a chain of blows: the earthquake of 1644 split off the Cantalar, a piece of the crag; in 1708 the blowing up of a mine destroyed the west wing, and in 1848 the walls were demolished and the garrison withdrawn. Today what remains is above all the keep and the panorama: the turquoise reservoir below and the Aitana, Xortà and Serrella mountains around. The white bell tower you see from above is separate from the body of the church.

The path is steps and living rock. It is not for pushchairs or wheelchairs: if someone in the group can't climb, the museums of the arrabal and the reservoir dam are the alternatives the town council points to as accessible.

Opening hours by season

Open every day. In high and mid season, from 10:15 to 19:00; in low season it closes at 18:00. On Thursdays and Sundays it stops from 14:00 to 15:00. The ticket is paid at the house, by card too. For questions, the museum can be reached on 965 88 52 98 and at [email protected].

You walk from the car park on Avenida de Alicante through the San José tunnel; the house is a few steps from the square. To eat without going back down, La Plaça is on the same street.