What to do · Morella
Morella la Vella Rock Paintings
Information
- Price
- Free, by reservation
- Duration
- 1 h
- Season
- Tuesday to Sunday, all year
- Who it's for
- No reduced mobility
What it is
At the Morella la Vella farmhouse, about 6 km from the town, a rock shelter holds Levantine art paintings: mostly hunting scenes and schematic figures. The tourist office presents the place as the cradle of the first settlers of these lands. It forms part of the rock art of the Mediterranean arc of the Iberian Peninsula, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. Besides the shelter, the visit is an excuse to get out into the Els Ports countryside, away from the bustle of the arcaded street.
How to visit
Only by prior reservation, through the Morella tourist office: phone 964 17 30 32, WhatsApp 661 42 52 94 or email. Booking is free. There are sessions from Tuesday to Sunday at 11:00, 12:30, 16:00 and 17:30, with a maximum of 15 people per session; at weekends and long weekends it is best to book well ahead. The listing does not give the duration: allow an hour in total for the explanation and the walk.
You get there in your own vehicle. The track does not admit motorhomes, caravans, large vans or coaches, so if you travel by motorhome you will have to leave it at the motorhome area and find another way up. The listing gives no road directions, so ask for access details when you book.
What to bear in mind
It is not accessible for people with reduced mobility and dogs are not admitted. Wear comfortable shoes and, in summer, bring water and a hat: the shelter is out in open country and the sun beats down in mid-afternoon. In winter, bring a coat: the rock shelter is in open country.
It is a visit more for teenagers and adults than for small children, who usually enjoy the footprints and fossils more. For them, the Dinosaur Museum is the alternative in the town itself.
How to fit it into the day
With morning and afternoon sessions it is easy to combine with the old town. If you book the 11:00 one, on your return you can climb the castle, which opens from 11:00 every day, and have lunch inside the wall. With the 16:00 one, spend the morning on the guided tour of Morella, which leaves at 12:00 at weekends.
With teenagers
