Hotel Cardenal Ram
Why we like it: Three-star rural hotel with 16 double rooms, all outward-facing, in a mansion on the arcaded street, with a Morella restaurant and a lift.
Duration1 night
From Valencia2 h 10 by car
From Castellón1 h 20 by car
Budget€120–180 pp
Best timeMarch – June · September – December
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving mid-morning on Saturday from Valencia (2 h 10) or Castellón (1 h 20) and returning on Sunday after lunch. Book the Morella la Vella visit at the tourist office and Sunday's lunch first.
Saturday
- 110:30Arrival and the Sant Miquel towers
Park on Passeig Jaume I and enter by the Sant Miquel gate. Climb the 14th-century towers, open on Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00 (€3, cash only), and look at the model of the city.
- 212:00Guided visit of the old town
The Noverint visit leaves at 12:00 from the tourist office: two hours through the town hall, the Jewish quarter, the arcaded street and the basilica, with admission included. €16; €12 for ages 6 to 12. Book beforehand.
- 314:15Lunch at the Mesón del Pastor
Next to the basilica, since 1975. Order the typical tasting menu, with local produce. Open at midday every day except Wednesdays.
- 416:30The castle
An hour for the climb, the summit and the descent, at 1,072 metres. From October to March it closes at 17:00, so in winter go up before lunch; from April to September it is open until 19:00.
- 518:30Back to the walls and dinner
At dusk, go out through a gate and walk round the outside of the wall. Dinner at Casa Roque, which on Saturday serves dinner from 21:15 to 22:00, or at the Mesón del Pastor, from 20:45 to 22:00.
Sunday
- 111:00Rock paintings of Morella la Vella
6 km away, in your car. Free tours with a booking at the tourist office at 11:00 and 12:30, for 15 people at most. Hunting scenes of Levantine art in a rock shelter.
- 213:30Lunch and the drive home
Casa Roque is open on Sunday at midday: the truffled stuffed lamb or the rice with quail, mushrooms and truffle. Leave around 16:00 and you will be in Valencia about 18:15.
Morella is 2 h 10 from Valencia and 1 h 20 from Castellón. In a day it can be seen, but in a rush; with a night inside the walls you see it properly: the streets empty at dusk, a dinner of Els Ports cooking without watching the clock and, on Sunday morning, the rock paintings of Morella la Vella, a World Heritage Site, six kilometres away. The plan fits into a Saturday and a Sunday, all on foot except that last visit.
Where to sleep?
Inside the walls, so you don't have to touch the car again. The three hotels we have checked are a few minutes' walk from one another:
| Hotel | Where | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Rey Don Jaime | Next to the Sant Miquel gate | Families: family and triple rooms, 44 rooms |
| Hotel Cardenal Ram | On the arcaded street | Couples: outward-facing rooms, restaurant and lift |
| Hotel La Fonda Moreno | Carrer de Sant Nicolau, in the old town | Modest budgets; dogs admitted with notice |
None has parking inside: go in to drop your luggage and park in the blue zone on Passeig Jaume I. After 18:00 it is free, and on Sunday morning charging resumes at 10:00.
What changes with the season?
In spring and autumn, the whole plan is done in good temperatures and the return to the walls at dusk is the best part of the trip. In winter it is cold at a thousand metres and sometimes snows: the castle closes at 17:00 and the restaurants lean on black truffle and spoon dishes. In summer, the castle is open until 19:00 and Morella is cooler than the coast, though with more people under the arcades.
With children
Swap the guided visit for the dinosaur museum, next to the towers, with a life-size iguanodon and an escape room included in the €3 ticket; book by phone. The Rey Don Jaime has family rooms. A rucksack is better than a pushchair: the castle and the towers have stairs and rock.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Morella, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Morella
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
The car stays outside the wall
Morella is visited on foot. You arrive by car on the N-232 or via Ares del Maestrat, park on Paseo Jaume I and don't touch it again until you go to Morella la Vella or leave.
70–120 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingHotel Rey Don Jaime, just…
- Getting aroundFrom Castellón, 1 h 20…
- EatingCasa Roque and Mesón del…
- ServicesBlue zone on Paseo Jaume…
Sleeping
- Hotel Rey Don Jaime, just after entering by Sant Miquel
- Hotel Cardenal Ram, on the arcaded street
- Hotel La Fonda Moreno, the simplest, with a restaurant
Getting around
- From Castellón, 1 h 20 via Sant Mateu (CV-10 and N-232)
- From Valencia, 2 h 10 via the A-7, the CV-10 and the N-232
- Inside the wall you can only drive in to load and unload
Eating
- Casa Roque and Mesón del Pastor, open at midday on Sunday too
- Book at weekends
Services
- Blue zone on Paseo Jaume I: €3 for up to eight hours
- Tourist office at the Sant Miquel gate
By bus from Castellón, weekdays only
You can get there without a car, but only Monday to Friday: the Autos Mediterráneo bus does not run at weekends or on public holidays. Once inside, everything is on foot. For Morella la Vella you need a taxi.
65–110 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingHotel Rey Don Jaime, beside…
- Getting aroundBus from Castellón station at…
- EatingEverything inside the wall, five…
- ServicesTourist office, to book Morella…
Sleeping
- Hotel Rey Don Jaime, beside the Sant Miquel gate: few slopes with your suitcase
- Hotel La Fonda Moreno, with a restaurant in the house
- Hotel Cardenal Ram, on the arcaded street
Getting around
- Bus from Castellón station at 10:15 and 15:30, Monday to Friday
- From Vinaròs, at 16:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- Local taxi: 661 42 83 65
Eating
- Everything inside the wall, five minutes on foot
Services
- Tourist office, to book Morella la Vella
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Rey Don Jaime
Why we like it: Three-star hotel with 44 rooms beside the Sant Miquel gate, with a suite, a family room with balcony and triples, lift, restaurant and terrace.
Hotel La Fonda Moreno
Why we like it: Family-run two-star hotel with nine rooms inside the wall, renovated in 2006, with a Morella restaurant downstairs and dogs admitted with notice.
Zielo de Levante
Why we like it: Transparent bubbles with a private plot in Tírig, next to the Museu de la Valltorta, with breakfast included and versions with a jacuzzi or their own pool.
From €222
View details
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Morella
Casa Roque
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.
Costa de Sant Joan 1 · closed on Mondays · lunch Tuesday to Sunday and dinner on Saturdays only
Mesón del Pastor
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.
Costa de Jovaní 7 · closed on Wednesdays · dinner on Fridays and Saturdays only · €25 house menu on weekdays
La Fonda Moreno
What to order: the ternasco Morella-style or the partridge in oil, and for dessert the collà, the curd of the area.
Carrer de Sant Nicolau 12 · menus from €20 to €34 and takeaway · confirm hours by phone
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Book Morella la Vella when you book the hotel: there are 15 places per tour and it can only be booked at the tourist office, by phone, WhatsApp or email.
We'd skip it
Going Sunday to Monday: on Monday the towers and the dinosaur museum close, and Morella la Vella has no tours.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Valencia to Morella?
About 2 h 10, 170 km, via the A-7, the CV-10 and the N-232.
Do I need a car?
To get there at the weekend, yes: the Castellón bus only runs Monday to Friday. Once there, everything is on foot except Morella la Vella.
How much does the weekend cost?
Between €120 and €180 per person with hotel, meals, tickets and parking, depending on the hotel and the menus.
Do I need to book anything?
The hotel, the Morella la Vella visit, the guided visit and the weekend meals.
Can I bring a dog?
To the Fonda Moreno, with notice. The towers, the dinosaur museum and Morella la Vella don't admit dogs.