geocalia
Day itinerary · 40.62° N · 0.10° W
The walled city of Els Ports on a Sunday: the Sant Miquel towers, the arcaded street, the basilica before Mass, a Morella lunch and the castle in the afternoon.
Part of MorellaUnusual places to stay in SpainHorse riding routes in Spain
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
from Castellón via the CV-10 and the N-232, 101 km
Torres de Sant Miquel and scale model of the city · 30 min · €3 in cash
Arcaded street to the town hall · 45 min
Basilica of Santa María, after Mass · 45 min · €4
Casa Roque · truffled lamb · €€ · booking required
Costa de Sant Joan, 1, 12300 Morella · +34 964 160 336
Climb to the castle · 1 h · €5
You reach Castellón around 18:45
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Morella is the Sunday trip you see coming from far away: a crag with the wall around it and the castle on top. From Castellón it is 1 h 20 on a good road. Inside, everything is on foot and uphill: some towers, a street under arcades, a basilica with an enormous organ and a castle with the best view of inland Castellón. In between, a long lunch of Els Ports cooking.
9:00 · Departure. From Castellón, 101 km via Sant Mateu (CV-10 and N-232), about 1 h 20. From Valencia, leave at 8:15: it is 170 km and 2 h 10. Park in the blue zone on Paseo Jaume I, outside the wall: the whole day costs €3, in coins or with the Moviltik Morella app. There is no parking inside the wall.
10:30 · Sant Miquel towers. You enter by the Portal de Sant Miquel, the north gate. The two octagonal 14th-century towers open on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00: you climb inside, cross the bridge that joins them and see the scale model of the city, which orients you for the rest of the day. It costs €3 and is cash only. Next door is the tourist office, open on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00.
11:00 · The arcaded street. Walk up Carrer de Blasco de Alagón, entirely under stone arcades, to the Gothic town hall. Shops selling blankets, cured meats and cheese, and the odd bar for a coffee.
12:15 · Basilica of Santa María. On Sundays it opens from 10:00 to 11:15 and from 12:15 to 15:00: Mass falls in between. Go in on the second session to see the spiral staircase that climbs to the choir, the Last Judgement on the choir screen and the 1719 organ, with more than 3,000 pipes. It costs €4 and includes the archpriest's museum.
13:30 · Lunch at Casa Roque. At Cinco Esquinas, five minutes from the basilica. Open at midday from Tuesday to Sunday since 1980: truffled stuffed lamb, creamy rice with quail, mushrooms and truffle, and winter soups and stews. Book on its website.
15:45 · The castle. With a full stomach, climb slowly: an hour there and back. At the top, at 1,072 metres, you see the whole wall and the valleys of Els Ports. From October to March it closes at 17:00, so do not leave it for later; from April to September, at 19:00. It costs €5.
17:15 · Return. You are in Castellón around 18:45, in Valencia around 19:30.
Black truffle, lamb and pork from the comarca, Morella croquettes and, for dessert, collà, the curd from the farmsteads. At Casa Roque, the house's truffled stuffed lamb; if you prefer a set menu with local produce, the typical tasting menu at Mesón del Pastor, which closes on Wednesdays and is open on Sunday at midday.
The castle and the towers go down well, but there are steps and rock: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair. With children, swap the basilica for the dinosaur museum, next to the towers, with a life-size iguanodon and an escape room included in the ticket (book by phone). With a dog, the wall and the streets yes; the towers and the museum, no.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: the Morella croquettes or the spoon-dish olla, the carpaccio of cured beef and Morella cheese with truffle oil and, for the main, the roast ternasco.
What to order: the ternasco Morella-style or the partridge in oil, and for dessert the collà, the curd of the area.
What to order: the traditional tasting menu, with cured beef from La Todolella, cheeses from Morella and Tronchón and Morella croquettes, and the ternasco cannelloni as a main.
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
Spring and autumn, with mild days. In winter it is cold at a thousand metres, but it is truffle season. Avoid Mondays: towers and museum close.
Tips
From 11:15 to 12:15 it cannot be visited. Organise the morning around that gap.
It closes at 17:00 from October to March and the visit takes an hour.
The towers only take cash and the blue-zone machines do not give change.
The 12:00 guided visit leaves from the tourist office: two hours, with the basilica included, €16 and €12 for ages 6 to 12.
A Monday: towers and museum are closed. And on 25 and 26 December and 1, 6 and 7 January, almost everything.
Questions
About 1 h 20 via Sant Mateu, 101 km.
No. The Castellón bus only runs from Monday to Friday.
The castle all day, the towers, the dinosaur museum and the tourist office in the morning and the basilica in two sessions.
Yes, on Sunday: Casa Roque and Mesón del Pastor fill up.
Between €40 and €65 per person, with tickets, parking and lunch.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/morella/itineraries/morella-walls-castle-and-truffle-lunch
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/morella/itineraries/morella-walls-castle-and-truffle-lunch
